Almond Butter Banana Smoothie AKA: Chunky Monkey
Almond Butter Banana Smoothie, Aka: Chunky Monkey
This smoothie has become a staple in our house. My kids make it all the time. It took a few tries to perfect it, but we've got it down to a "T". I took a few shots to get the right consistency (it had to be smooth enough) and not so thick to sip it through a straw. It needed the right amount of sweetness as well. I love chocolate and always like adding cacao powder to the mix. I prefer a protein powder with no flavor, so I can make my smoothie my own and adjust it to my liking. Finding a suitable protein powder can be tricky, but you must try a few and see what works. If you can tolerate whey, that's the best, but if you want plant-based, you can try a pea protein - there are lots out there. This shake was the first recipe my youngest son learned how to make, and he now drinks it every morning, but he substitutes organic peanut butter for almond butter and uses one whole banana. This smoothie is so yummy it tastes like dessert.
Ingredients:
- 1 or 2 scoops of protein powder of your choice
- 1 tbsp of organic almond butter
- 1/4 of a frozen banana (I like to use unripe bananas-less sugar)
- 1 Tbsp cacao powder (If you are using unflavoured protein powder)
- 1 Tbsp cacao nibs
- A dash of cinnamon
- 1 pitted date
- 1 cup of organic, unsweetened almond milk
- 1 handful of ice
- 2 tbsp of Haley's Pantry granola original mix
Directions:
Place all the ingredients in the blender and mix until smooth. If you like your smoothie thicker, blend it less. Blend it for longer, or add extra milk if you want it to have a thinner consistency. I make mine in a Vitamix, but any blender works. I turn the dial to the left to the frozen icon and let it run for the whole cycle or until the blender stops. A side note: I often use an unripe banana as it is less sweet and contains less sugar than riper yellow bananas.
