Nutty Cocoa Banana Smoothie

Okay, so if you know me personally, you know I’m bananas over peanut butter! I love peanut butter anything and everything. Whether it’s crunchy or smooth, eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon, slathered on a piece of toast, blended into an acai bowl, or a peanut butter-flavored ice cream or protein bar, there’s just something about the combination of the consistency and taste that got me smitten like a kitten. Honestly, if someone gave me a lifetime supply of peanut butter for my birthday I would not be mad about it whatsoever!

Anyway, enough about my unrequited love for peanut butter and onto the good stuff. When I crave something homemade, sweet and quick, I enjoy whipping up delicious and decadent smoothies with ingredients I already have lying around the house (i.e. peanut butter).

Ingredients

• 1 large peeled frozen banana

• 1/2 cup almond milk (I prefer unsweetened, but the milk type is totally up to you! I love Elmhurst's flavors.)

• 1/4 cup coconut yogurt 

• 2 heaping tablespoons of nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew, etc. I'm a huge fan of Spread the Love, NuttZo, and Manna Organics)

• 1/2 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder (I love Mood Beli's specialty powders)

• Chocolate for garnish (dark chocolate is my absolute fave) and granola as a topping (Purely Elizabeth is a personal fave)

• 1 scoop of your choice of protein powder (NuZest is my go-to)

• Handful of ice cubes for extra thick consistency

Optional Ingredients

• Throw a couple dates in there for some extra richness and flavor

• Add a couple tablespoons of soaked chia seeds for extra nutrition

• Blend in some greens like kale or spinach to add extra nutrients and color (the flavor is very subtle and PB is quite overpowering so you won’t even realize you have veggies in your smoothie!)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

Pro Tip: Bulk up on bananas so you can peel em, freeze em, store em, and pop em into your next batch of smoothies! Frozen bananas are a great way to naturally thicken your smoothies in the tastiest way possible. Honestly, tastes like ice cream!