Creamy Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Ever thought you could turn an “unhealthy” recipe into something that would be good your body?

This is it!

I tried to make this simple recipe using healthier ingredients – and it worked!

This smoothie uses these simple ingredients that can benefit your body. If you’re allergic or not a huge fan of peanut butter (even the organic kinds), then substitute it for any other kind of nut butter – whether it’s almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter – they will all work! (but keep in mind their may be a slight change in flavour)

The only ingredients used in this recipe are:

• 1 cup hemp milk (or any milk alternative)
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 tbsp organic peanut butter (you can add more for stronger taste)
• 1 date (or you can use any other sweetener like raw honey or maple syrup)
• 1 avocado (optional – I used it to give it a thicker and creamier texture)
• 4 ice cubes

 Mix in the ingredients together – and voila! You have a super healthy smoothie. 🙂

Cacao Powder

If you’ve never heard of cacao powder – it’s the same stuff used to make chocolate! (Of course, chocolate is often seen as unhealthy, since it’s loaded with lots of sugar and additives when its made into chocolate bars and other junk foods). However, on its own, it’s a potent health food!

Not only is it a super-antioxidant food, but its antioxidant levels are 20 times higher than red wine and 30 times higher than green tea!

It has the highest source of magnesium (which is important for heart health, to help you absorb calcium and to help you relax when you’re stressed),  and it is rich in flavanoids which protects against free radical damage, aging, and cancer!

When eaten regularly, studies have shown that flavonoids can protect your skin from UV rays. In ONE STUDY, German scientists found that women who consumed a high-flavanol cocoa powder drink had 25% less skin redness in response to UV exposure than the group who didn’t consume it. After 12 weeks, the women who had the flavanol-rich cocoa had skin that 16% denser, 11% thicker, 13% more moist, 30% less rough, and 42% less scaly than it was at the beginning of the experiment.

It also contains anandamide (aka. The Bliss Chemical), which is an endorphin that your body produces after exercise. Anandamide has only been found in 1 plant – Cacao. It makes you happy after eating it and it also contains theobromine which is an anti-bacterial substance 🙂

You can buy it here on Amazon.

Peanut Butter

For the peanut butter, I used the “crunchy” version so that when my smoothie was all blended, I had “crunchy” peanut butter pieces in the smoothie which tasted deeeelish!

Peanuts are actually legumes – and not nuts  – so they have a thin skin and tend to absorb a lot of pesticides and toxins grown in the soil. Try to look for organic peanut butter when possible, as it will contain less pesticides, toxins, and will usually be free of partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats. 1 serving of peanut butter has 7 grams of protein; it is also high in the anti-aging antioxidant Vitamin E – so don’t be afraid to eat it, as long as you consume it in moderation.

Please note: if you have any kind of inflammation going on in your body (i.e. any symptoms like eczema, arthritis, stomach issues) – steer clear of peanut butter if possible, since it can be inflammatory.

And yes, peanut butter is high in fat, but a large amount of it is “monounsaturated fat”, which can lower your risk of heart disease and can have a positive effect on your health.

Next time you make a smoothie – try and substitute it with healthy ingredients that will both taste good and benefit your health as well.

 Cheers to being one step closer to good health!