Cacao Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie/It's like a milk shake, but much better for you!

Cacao Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

(it's like a milk shake but much better for you!)

I had an edgy and stressful week. I'm not sure what happened but I was not on my A game when it came to ease this past week.

On Thursday I drove all the way out to Aptos in the traffic to watch my daughter run in a track meet.  When I arrived I found out the team wasn't actually competing.  After a brief talk with her coach, who was just downright frustrated and mean to me, I felt like crap.  I drove all the way home through traffic and by the time I got here,  all I wanted was something chocolaty and delicious!

I learned how to make a version of this smoothie in a class I took from a woman named Becky Mahony who is a food educator.  It is delicious and actually pretty darn good for you.  I don't drink this as a morning meal drink but every now and then I pull this out as a nighttime snack or an afternoon pick me up.

2 cups of vanilla soy milk (this could be regular soy milk, almond milk, etc)
1 -2 frozen ripe bananas
2  tbsp ground flax seed
2 tbsp peanut butter (this could be cashew butter, almond butter, etc)
2 tbsp raw unsweetened cacao powder (more on cacao below)
1 -2 squirts of agave
handful of frozen strawberries
2 - 3 handfuls of spinach

Put this all in your blender/vitamix and blend until smooth.  There is enough for two generous servings or several small servings.  

We enjoyed this and I got my "chocolate" fix without dairy, lots of processed sugar or calories.  I felt super full and satiated and much happier.


Cacao is said to be, in its raw form, a super food.  It is very high in antioxidant flavanoids, sulfur and magnesium.  The essential fatty acids found in chocolate may help the body to raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol.  There seems to be a link to high levels of antioxidants and the reduction of free radicals in the body. As with all nutritional claims, one needs to stay on top of new information and make wise decisions based in research.