Dark Chocolate Blueberry Secret Green Smoothie

A lot of people have expressed interest in green smoothies lately. I've been having green smoothies every morning for the past year and I remember when my husband and I first started doing this and told others about it - we mostly got a lot of disgusted looks. However, things have changed and I am super happy about it! On Netflix last week I saw that one of the most popular titles on Nextflix instant is Vegucated (if you haven't seen this documentary - watch it now)!! Folks are becoming more interested in veganism across the country and with good reason: individuals who adopt a vegan diet have a lower risk of lung and colorectal cancer, hormone-free eating, increased energy, lower blood pressure, improved digestion, much lower risk of diabetes, an increased life span, healthy cholesterol levels, lower risk of cancer, and the list of benefits could go on...

So, this post is not accompanied by a photo because I was way too hungry and grumpy this morning to mess with a camera. But, if you make this smoothie, you'll find that it is not green at all! The blueberries and chocolate make it a very dark chocolate color and the spinach cannot be tasted (unless you use over 2 cups, then you will get a pleasant, slightly green flavor). This smoothie is great for sneaking greens into the food of those who are otherwise reluctant to eat their greens. Shhh! Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, calcium, iron, and potassium. Not to mention it has more protein per calorie than steak. Just take a look at the impressive nutritional information for this smoothie at the bottom of the page! 

Dark Chocolate Blueberry Secret Green Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened original or unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tablespoon cashew butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon hemp protein (optional)
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 cup frozen wild blueberries
1-2 cups spinach (more if you wish!)
1 very ripe banana
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (omit if you used vanilla almond milk)
2 ice cubes
a dash of stevia or 1 tsp agave (optional)

Add all ingredients except sweetener to blender and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetener and blend again until well combined. 1 serving.

Nutrition info: 435 kcals, 69 g carbohydrates, 14.7 g protein, 16.9 g fat, 1.4 g sat fat, 23 g fiber, 229 g sodium, 26 g sugar, 6,302 IU vitamin A, 30 mg vitamin C, 465 mg calcium, 8.2 mg iron, 1,312 mg potassium

-KBF