Chocolate Banana Smoothie

I am away on vacation in Israel and so I have a couple of guest posts planned for you! Here is the first and I know you are going to love it! Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri, founder and author of Recipes to Nourish, is your guest blogger today and I do encourage you to go and follow her blog as she has tons of great recipes and tips!

Nutrient dense and protein-rich, this Chocolate Banana Smoothie is creamy, rich and delicious!

Life is busy. We can all relate right? For me busy means school drop offs and pick ups, a three year old who loves to play and is always busy, working, never ending dishes and laundry. That means I have to make food simple because I don’t have time to be in the kitchen all day.

Fast. Quick. Easy. Delicious. Real.

That’s what I need when it comes to food. That being said, I also believe in having nutrient dense foods at every meal. Supporting our bodies with REAL, nourishing food is always a good idea.

What’s my favorite way to get nutrient dense foods into the hungry mouths of my family fast? Smoothies!!!

I’m kind of obsessed with smoothies. Truly. I love them! Berry smoothies, fruit-less carrot smoothies, orange creamsicle smoothies, chocolate smoothies, kombucha smoothies … I love them all.

Smoothies are the perfect on-the-go food and make wonderful afternoon snacks. You can load them up with lots of nutrient dense foods too! [Kid Tip – little ones love smoothies with straws. I highly recommend serving smoothies with straws if you want your little one to drink up all of the smoothie.]

This Chocolate Banana Smoothie tastes great and is packed with whole + REAL + nutrient dense ingredients.

How do I build a nutrient dense smoothie?

All Natural Quality Protein   

My go-to for a quality protein source is always grass-fed collagen. I love using tasteless collagen in smoothies {and so many other things like hot chocolate, herbal tea, soup and even baked goodies like breakfast cookies}. I cannot say enough good things about collagen. My family loves it!

If you’re familiar with WAPF or Paleo diets, then you’ll probably know about the benefits of gelatin in bone broth. Collagen is basically the same thing as gelatin … gelatin is cooked collagen. The difference is collagen does not gel like gelatin does and it fully dissolves in liquid.

More benefits of grass-fed collagen – it’s known for helping support digestion and gut health {the same way bone broth does}, helps support bone and joint health, helps support metabolism, helps build and restore muscle, helps support hair, skin and nails + so much more. I only recommend using a quality grass-fed collagen, knowing the source is very important.

I always choose collagen as my first choice, but of course you could always add another protein source like quality pastured egg yolks {from a trusted source} or nut butter.

Healthy Fats 

I love adding healthy fats to smoothies – especially fruit based smoothies. Some great options for healthy fats are raw whole milk, coconut milk, whole yogurt, kefir, quality pastured egg yolks, avocados, avocado oil, and melted coconut oil/ghee/pasture butter. This smoothie contains avocado oil {it’s tasteless} + whole milk/coconut milk.

Raw Cacao Powder 

I love raw cacao powder … mostly because I love chocolate. Just being honest. Raw cacao is high in iron, magnesium and potassium. It’s also an antioxidant and tastes great too!

Vitamins & Minerals  

I love adding a quality, authentic sea salt for trace minerals. It kind of helps balance out the sweet. I also love to add whole food {non-synthetic} vitamin C powder to smoothies. Adding both is a great way to get those important minerals + immune boosting vitamin C into the body. Totally optional, but I love both.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

You Will Need: Blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic milk or full fat coconut milk
• 2 small frozen bananas {or 1 large frozen banana}
• 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 2-4 tablespoons grass-fed cold water soluble collagen
• 1-2 tablespoons light colored raw honey
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil – optional
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon whole food vitamin C powder – optional
• 1 cup ice {crushed ice is easier to blend}

Directions 

1. Add milk or coconut milk, frozen bananas, cacao powder, collagen, raw honey, avocado oil, vanilla extract, sea salt, optional whole food vitamin C and ice to a high powered blender (I am in love with my Vitamix).
2. Blend until smoothie is thick and fully combined. I use either the smoothie or ice cream setting on my blender. If you’re not using a high powered blender, you might need to add more liquid in order for the smoothie to blend. Note, adding more liquid will end up producing a thinner smoothie consistency.
3. Taste smoothie – if desired, add more honey.
4. Pour smoothie into glasses. Serve as is or top with raw cacao nibs, shaved organic fair-trade chocolate and/or sliced bananas. Drink up and enjoy!

Tips: 

• Frozen bananas produce a better texture for the smoothie and help keep it thick. Make sure to freeze the bananas the night before you want to make the smoothie.
• If you don’t care for banana flavor, you could use frozen avocado instead. The “green” flavor will be masked by the cacao powder.

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Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri, founder and author of Recipes to Nourish, is a holistic-minded, proud homebirth mommy of two amazing daughters. She can frequently be found in the kitchen cooking from scratch with the man of her dreams {her husband}, spending time with her girls and daydreaming about being an urban homesteader. She is passionate about nourishing REAL food, home cooked meals, holistic health, “green” living + essential oils. She drinks herbal tea infusions, craves kombucha and loves chocolate + homemade ice cream. Emily blogs at Recipes to Nourish, a gluten-free blog focusing on Real Food + Holistic Health. You can follow along and find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Periscope @Recipes2Nourish + grab her free eBook, “Holistic Tips to Keep Your Family Healthy.”