Yesterday, I treated my hubby and I to Spunky Coconut's Vanilla Banana Smoothie for breakfast - heavenly! It was a great way to start the day, and really filled me up. I also blended up a mango/kiwi/avocado/spinach green smoothie to snack on during the day (YUM!). Lunch was at a local restaurant to celebrate a coworkers birthday, but they had a nice salad I could eat so I was covered there. Then I stopped by the Co-op on my way home to grab a few raw snacks for the weekend ("cheesy" kale chips!). Finally, dinner was zucchini pasta with spicy macadamia alfredo sauce (I'll post that one later once I get it perfected - still some tweaking to do). No deprivation here!
This morning, I went for my usual long run, and wanted something to fill me up, so I started playing with Spunky Coconut's vanilla smoothie that I made yesterday. I think the results were pretty darn delicious - give it a try and let me know what you think!
Creamy Chocolate Coconut Smoothie
1 large or 2 small servings
1 banana, frozen
1 T. chia seeds
1 T. unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
3 deglet noor dates (this is the kind they have at my local Costco - smaller than medjool dates) - soak for an hour if you remember and save the soaking water
10 drops liquid stevia (I use chocolate but vanilla would work too)
1 cup milk (I used cashew, but any would work - coconut would be decadent!)
1 T. raw cacao powder
1 scoop protein powder (I use a raw superfoods vanilla protein powder from my Co-op)
1/2 cup date soaking liquid
Optional: dash of cinnamon, cayenne, splash of coconut extract
Blend all together in a high-powered blender (or if using a normal blender, grind the seeds and coconut flakes in a coffee grinder first before blending). Sip slowly, close your eyes, and enjoy!
Linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
