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Nutrition Snapshot
- About 30 grams of protein in one smoothie, from protein powder and milk, made in one minute from a bag in the freezer.
- Oats, chia, banana, and berries bring about 10 grams of fiber, and the berries bring polyphenols, the plant compounds that give them their color.
- The trade-off: banana and berries make this a moderately high-carbohydrate drink. The card shows the amount, and the notes give a lower-carbohydrate version.
On a good day, six freezer bags get filled: half a banana in slices, a half cup of frozen berries, two tablespoons of rolled oats, and a tablespoon of chia in each. They go flat in the freezer.
On a bad day, one bag goes into the blender with a cup of milk and a scoop of protein powder. A minute later there is a thick, cold smoothie that carries the protein of a full meal.
It is drunk from a jar, and the jar is the only thing to wash.
Why Freezer Packs Carry the Bad Days
A long illness does not take energy evenly. There are days when cooking is possible and days when standing at the counter is too much, and on the bad days the first meal often arrives at dinner, or not at all. The body still needs protein on those days, and needs it more, because illness raises protein needs at the same time it takes away the energy to meet them.
The answer is to move the work to the good days. Six bags take ten minutes to fill, and each one holds every decision already made: what to eat, how much, whether there is anything in the house.
The only step left for a bad day is pressing the blender button. The result is about 30 grams of protein in a form that goes down when solid food will not, and a second smoothie later in the day doubles it.
Which other foods can be made ahead on a good day and carry the bad ones is in Protein Density: Eating Enough When Appetite Is Small.
Banana Protein Smoothie Freezer Packs
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- On a good day, fill 6 quart freezer bags with the banana, berries, oats, and chia. Press flat, seal, and freeze up to 3 months.
- To make one smoothie, empty a bag into the blender with the milk, protein powder, and water or ice. Blend on high until smooth, about 1 minute, adding more water if it is too thick to pour.
- Drink right away, or keep in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours; stir before drinking.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Gluten Free
Banana, berries, chia, and milk are naturally free of gluten. Oats are naturally free of gluten but are often grown and milled alongside wheat. For people with celiac disease, use rolled oats labeled gluten-free, and choose a protein powder with a gluten-free label, since some are made on shared lines or use barley ingredients. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any oats and any protein powder.
Go deeper
- Protein Density: Eating Enough When Appetite Is Small (food.nutriscape.net)
- Cancer (nutriscape.net)
- Protein & Amino Acids (supplement-sciences)
