Recipe: Healthy Vegan Chocolate Shake

I love a good vegan milkshake as much as the next person, but they are too indulgent for me to eat every day. So what's the next best thing? A healthier version, made with bananas instead of ice cream. It's so good, your friends and family will think it's the real deal. Click the "Print Friendly" button below for a printable or PDF version.



Ingredients:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 1/4 cups almond milk
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Generous dash of salt (optional)
• 2 tbsp vegan mini chocolate chips (optional; such as Enjoy Life mini chips)
• 1 scoop vegan protein powder (optional; unflavored options such as SunWarrior Natural Brown Rice Protein recommended) 

Directions:

• Blend until creamy.

Tips:

• Makes about 2 servings.
• Add more milk if too thick, in about 2 tbsp increments.
• The bananas must be frozen for this to have the proper consistency. Peel them before freezing, and ideally cut them into about 4 chunks each for easier blending. 
• Tastes better and more like a milkshake when sipped through a straw. I recommend these glass straws, which are durable and eco-friendly. Just be sure to grind up the chocolate chips well, if using, so they don't get stuck.
•  If you're looking for a blender, I had a KitchenAid model similar to this for a few years. If you're a smoothie enthusiast, I've had good results with my refurbished Vitamix.

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Recipe: Green Smoothie

This "green" smoothie gets it purple hue
from blueberries.

After years of enjoying my favorite chocolate smoothie, I decided to branch out and try some new recipes. I was specifically looking for recipes that included greens such as spinach. This one, adapted from the CLEAN program meal plan, uses fruit to balance out the "green" taste, which makes it easy to forget about the spinach. Click the "Print Friendly" button below for a printable or PDF version.



Ingredients:

• 3 cups spinach
• 1 cup fresh for frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mangoes, etc.)
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp greens powder or spirulina (such a Genessentials greens)
• 1 c almond milk
• 1 scoop protein powder (such as RAW protein or brown rice protein)
• 2 dates (soaked, if dried)

Directions:

• Blend until creamy (no visible green bits).

Tips:

• Blueberries are my fruit of choice for this smoothie.
• If you only have a flavored protein powder(s), such as chocolate or vanilla, choose the one with the most mild flavor. If you don't like the taste, consider buying a trial-sized packet of unflavored protein powder at a health food store.
• If you're looking for a blender, I use this Kitchen Aid model and it has held up well for over three years. If you're on a budget, consider this budget option. If you're a smoothie enthusiast, I've heard many swear by their Vitamix blenders.

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Recipe: Vegan Beauty Smoothie

About a year ago, I found an amazing way to start my day: a healthy vegan smoothie. I was looking for a good recovery food post-workout, but I'm not a huge fan of green juices. I found a recipe for a chocolate-almond butter smoothie in the book Thrive and adapted it to make it even more delicious.

I have a chocolate smoothie almost every day and even take them to early morning photoshoots. These smoothies start my day out right, giving me plenty of energy and keeping me motivated to make good food choices throughout the day. Click the "Print Friendly" button below for a printable or PDF version.