Mint Chip Smoothie
Happy St Patrick’s day! Has anyone else been madly craving smoothies lately? I feel like these intermittent sunny spring days that start to pop up in March have be craving something sweet, cool, and creamy. Give this Mint Chip Smoothie a try for a yummy breakfast or snack that just might remind you of your favorite ice cream flavor.
This recipe is about as simple as they come. Simply blend all ingredients together until smooth, adding the chocolate at the end so you still get sips with chips! Enjoy as a smoothie or make it fancy as a smoothie bowl topped with sliced banana, chocolate chips, fresh mint, and a drizzle of almond butter.
Kitchen Tip!
Want to level up the creaminess of your smoothies? I always try to have frozen bananas on hand for sweetness, flavor, and creamy texture in my smoothies. To avoid the hassle and cold fingers from peeling frozen bananas, pre-peel ripe bananas, break in half and store in a freezer bag to have on hand for smoothies anytime. Avocados are also a unique addition to smoothies that will you get that crave-able creamy dreamy texture. I never add ice to my smoothies, but rather include frozen fruit and veggies instead as my ice cold component.
Have you ever tried to meal plan a smoothie? If you like to enjoy smoothies for breakfast, but find you are commonly in a rush to get out the door in the morning, try these tips for a quicker breakfast. Portion out frozen fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and anything else you like to enjoy in your smoothies into containers that can be kept in the fridge. For example, in each container I might add half a frozen banana, handful of frozen berries, handful of spinach, and some flax and chia seeds. Then in the morning, afternoon, or anytime that you like to have a smoothie, toss the contents of one of the containers in your blender with a scoop of yogurt and milk and blend!
Nutrition Tip!
Smoothies are a great way to include a variety of fiber, healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates for energy. I often get asked if blending fiber containing foods decreases the fiber content. This is a common misconception, the fiber from these fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds is still there, just blended! When I make my smoothies I usually include frozen fruit, veggies such as greens or avocado, yogurt, milk, and a variety of nuts and seeds such as almond or peanut butter, chia, flax, or hemp hearts. With this many nutrients in your glass, what’s not to love?
Mint Chip Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana, frozen
- 1/2 medium avocado
- 2 handfuls spinach
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 Tbsp almond butter
- 2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except chocolate chips to your blender, and blend until smooth.
- Add chocolate chips and briefly blend in, so they are roughly chopped and mixed in with the smoothie but not finely blended.
- Enjoy topped with more chocolate! (optional)
