Chocolate-Cherry Protein Smoothie

Summer is finally arriving here and I am so glad that it is.

With summer comes the need to stay cool.  I’m really trying to stay away from sugary snacks such as high calorie drinks and ice cream.  Cherries are in season and I was fortunate enough to find them on sale.  I decided to get creative and make myself a healthy, cool drink.  This Chocolate-Cherry Smoothie was just the thing.  It has a nice cherry flavour with just a hint of chocolate.  You would never know it was good for you!

I hope you enjoy.

Chocolate-Cherry Protein Smoothie

1 Cup Almond Milk 

1 Cup Pitted Cherries

1.5 Cups Ice

2 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 TBSP Vanilla Protein Powder ( I like Vega-One)

Toss all ingredients into a  blender and blend until smooth.  Garnish with a drizzle of chocolate syrup if desired.

 

Some additional tips & ideas for this recipe:

• Use Homemade Almond Milk if you can.  
• Use frozen cherries and reduce the ice for a more intense cherry flavour
• Adjust the protein powder as needed depending on the type you use and the intensity of it’s flavour

Raspberry Choco-Mint Frozen Dessert

Raspberries and Chocolate – what more is there to say?

I love raspberries, they are probably one of my favourite foods.  When I buy a clam shell at the grocery store I often have them eaten before I can unpack the rest of my groceries.  They are the perfect combination of tangy and sweet.  I was looking for a special treat one night and decided to get creative with my Vitamix.  Like many others, I’ve seen the hundreds of posts and You Tube videos of banana “ice cream.”  I’m not going to lie, this is a variation on that theme, but I’ve added a bit of a twist.

This recipe is full of raspberry flavour, with just a hint of chocolate and mint.  If you feel like sharing it will make 4 portions, but if you don’t want to share you won’t have to feel guilty about eating the entire batch, there is nothing in it to feel bad about.

I hope you enjoy!

Raspberry Choco-Mint Frozen Dessert

1 medium banana

2 cups frozen Raspberries

2 Tbsp Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp Chocolate chips

4 mint leaves

Throw all ingredients in your Vitamix, starting with the banana.

Place the lid on the blender and have the tamper ready.  Start on variable 1 and turn the Vitamix up to 10, then flip to high.  With the Tamper, push the fruit into the blades. When you hear the motor change and you see 4 pillowy peaks, you are done.  (30-40 seconds!)

Scoop into bowls and enjoy!

Some additional tips & ideas for this recipe:

• If you want a firmer texture, use frozen banana
• Do not over mix!! Very important or you will have a fruit soup!
• Try with different berries; strawberries are nice too.

I have not tried this with  regular blender.  I purchased my Vitamix a few months ago and I am in love!  I’m sure you could achieve this in a regular blender, it would just take more time and work.  You would probably have to turn the blender on high, then shut it off and push the fruit towards the blade, keep doing this until the desired consistency is achieved.  

All the other recipes I’ve come across for the “ice cream” say you have to use frozen bananas.  I tried that and found I prefer the texture if I use fresh banana and frozen berries, you just have to make sure the ratio of frozen is about 2-3 times that of the fresh, and do not over mix!