Chocolate Nut Smoothie with Orgain Protein Powder! I’m going to be totally honest with you, this drink tastes more like a milkshake than a smoothie. I don’t know what magic happens when a banana spends a little time in the freezer and then mixes with an amazing chocolate protein powder, but I’m sold! So, let’s talk about it for a minute….
You may have noticed I post a lot of desserts and comfort food on my page, and I sometimes get comments asking me why I don’t weigh 500 pounds – haha! My answer is: I try to live an active lifestyle and eat lots of smoothies behind the scenes. Lately, I’ve been adding protein powder to my smoothies and loving it. I think protein powders get a bad reputation for being chalky or leaving an aftertaste behind, but that hasn’t been my experience with Orgain – at all. In addition, Orgain is a plant-based product loaded with protein, iron, and Vitamin B6. It truly blows my mind that something so rich and creamy can also be good for me! Did I also mention this smoothie is dairy free?
This is a paid sponsorship, but I wouldn’t share something I didn’t also believe in!
Why Protein Powder?
While this smoothie can be made by substituting unsweetened cocoa powder for the protein powder, I like the extra vitamins in this protein powder.
This smoothie is also loaded with frozen bananas, almond milk, almond butter, and chopped dates. It’s so good! In our house, we use it as a meal replacement, post-workout drink, or even just an in between meal snack.
Here’s how it’s made!
Frozen Bananas
Frozen bananas are the secret to a thick and creamy smoothie. Say what??? I don’t get it either, but it’s true. Freeze ripe bananas on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once frozen, put them in a freezer bag and store in the freezer until needed.
Smoothie
Let’s meet the family! Here are all of the ingredients needed to make an amazing Chocolate Nut Smoothie…
Let’s talk for a minute about a few of the ingredients. To begin with, I like to use sweetened vanilla almond milk in this smoothie. I know it has a little more sugar than unsweetened almond milk, but I just like it better this way. I figure if a little bit of sugar makes it so I (or my kids) will eat a really healthy smoothie over and over again, then I’m okay with the tradeoff.
Secondly, be sure to roughly chop the dates before adding them to the smoothie. Otherwise, you can end up with big chunks of dates in your drink. (And if your kids know the dates are in there, they might not drink it!) But take my word, the dates add extra sweetness, flavor, and vitamins to your smoothie.
And if you have it, a smaller blender (like a Ninja blender) will get you the best results when making a small-batch smoothie like this. That being said, a regular blender will work well too, it might just need a little more time or liquid to blend properly.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Nut Smoothie with Orgain Protein Powder
1 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk
2 bananas, frozen
1 scoop (or 2 tablespoons) Orgain protein powder (can also sub the protein powder out for unsweetened cocoa powder)
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 dates, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup ice
Mini chocolate chips, sliced almonds, & sliced bananas for garnish
Directions
Mix almond milk, frozen bananas, protein powder, almond butter, dates, vanilla extract, and ice. Mix until smooth. Garnish with mini chocolate chips, sliced almonds, and sliced bananas. Enjoy!
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