Cool Smoothies for a Hot Summer: The Chocolate Monkey

This makes a thick, creamy chocolate smoothie that tastes like a milk shake. I  add flax seed meal for a nutritional boost. We think this is plenty sweet, but you may add a little Stevia if you think you need it.

But how healthy are these ingredients?

Almond milk is low in calories but high in vitamins and calcium. [Source: Nutritional Benefits of Almond Milk http://www.livestrong.com]

Cocoa powder contains flavonoids linked to decreased blood pressure, improved blood vessel health, and improvement in cholesterol levels. Dark cocoa is best.

Bananas are high in potassium and fat and cholesterol free and a good source of energy due to being high in carbohydrates.

Flaxseed meal is a good source of Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids, Lignans and Fiber. [Source: Web MD http://www.webmd.com]

Natural peanut butter is a very good source of monounsaturated fats, the type of fat emphasized for heart health and is a good source of vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese. In addition, peanuts provide resveratrol,  I am talking about peanut butter made from only ground peanuts with no added oils and sugars. [Source: The World’s Healthiest Foods www.whfoods.com]

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 banana
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Tablespoons flax seed meal
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 packet Stevia sweetener (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter (optional)
• Ice cubes as needed

Instructions

• 1. Combine milk and banana in blender container. Blend until smooth.
• 2. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until smooth.
• 3. Add ice cubes one at a time until the smoothie reaches your desired thickness.

If you use frozen bananas you will need less ice. We like ours really thick (like ice cream) so I use frozen bananas and lots of ice. Makes two large servings.  

This recipe is part of a summer series on smoothies.  Enter “smoothies” in the search box at the top of the right column to find the others.

Rogene Robbins is the author of Frozen Fun: 25 Dairy and Dairy Free Ice Cream Recipes available in the Amazon.com Kindle Store

This post is shared with:

Naturally Sweet Recipe Roundup

Foodie Friday

Food Allergy Wednesday 

Weekend Potluck

Gluten Free Fridays