My work days are loooonggg. I don’t have a lot of time in the morning to get myself together and whip up eggs benedict, drink coffee and read the morning news. Really wish I could drag myself out of the comfort of my warm bed to manage it, but no.
This smoothie has been my go-to breakfast for a solid month now. As I was in my kitchen just now, in a moment of weakness looking for something sweet to eat with no luck, I realized that this smoothie, if blended with less almond milk would be a lot like ice cream.
So there it is.
I am eating this smoothie with a spoon as I type this post.
I am in love with this one. There are many variations that I go with depending on how I am feeling each day. Somedays, if I workout before smoothie time, I will add a big scoop of Hemp protein. If I am a bit more hungry, I will add a big handful of granola. Don’t fret about this one, when you blend granola, it still tastes like granola! If I am low on Chia, I will add Hemp seeds or ground Flax. If I am out of almond butter, I go with peanut butter.
Any of these additions or substitutions won’t really take away from the taste or richness of this deceptively decadent and healthy treat.
Why you should eat this?
Chia, yes the stuff we use to farm a green patch of hair on a Homer Simpson head that you can buy at the drugstore? THAT same kind of Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds. And it has another advantage over flax: chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don’t deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid. And, unlike flax, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body. Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.
Another advantage: when added to water and allowed to sit for 30 minutes, chia forms a gel. Researchers suggest that this reaction also takes place in the stomach, slowing the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar. I always feel very satiated from this smoothie, I suspect from the combination of protein from nut butter and the fiber in chia.
I find mine in the bulk section of my local Whole Foods and I store them in a container in the freezer.
I know that they also sell them bagged. You can certainly find a good selection on Amazon.com.
Once a week or so, I buy a lot of bananas. I break them into pieces and put them in gallon sized ziplock bags and freeze.
Someday, I will do a post about making your own almond milk. Because it is easy and it’s one of those really fulfilling tasks. You can pass this recipe on someday and change the verbiage to “housemade almond milk”.
Until then, I’m not gonna front. I love this unsweetened vanilla version by Pacific Organics. I also love this Unsweetened Cocoa powder by Green and Blacks. And I will not do a post about making cocoa powder.
Cocoa Banana Chia Smoothie (1 servings)
- 1-2 Frozen Bananas, broken in pieces
- ½ c. Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 tbsp Almond Butter
- 2 tbsp Chia Seeds
- 1 tsp Honey
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