Raw Chocolate Banana Smoothie

This raw chocolate banana smoothie is so sweet, creamy, and rich that it’s almost hard to believe it’s good for you.

This one is very different from the green smoothie recipe I posted the other day- both are very nourishing but in completely different ways.

This is a higher protein smoothie. It makes a great breakfast; I also like it as a pre/post-workout snack, and I sometimes make a version of this for dessert, as well.

I’m not generally a fan of protein powders, but I did add some Garden of Life Raw Protein Powder to this smoothie. I received a jar of it as a complimentary gift from the company and I’m very impressed with it.

Raw Protein is derived from raw organic sprouts. It’s vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free. It does not contain any artificial ingredients and it doesn’t change the flavor of the smoothie. I give it a definite “thumbs up”. If you can’t find this product or a very similar one, though, I’d probably skip the protein powder: I find most of them to be very processed and I don’t really trust what’s in them to be good for you.

If you’re not using the protein powder, though, you can still load this smoothie up with healthy protein by adding raw milk or organic plain yogurt or kefir and/or 1-2 raw eggs; if you use fresh, local, organic free-range eggs, there is very, very little risk of salmonella. I’ve been adding raw eggs to my smoothies for years and I’ve never had a problem.

This smoothie also contains organic coconut oil, a healthy fat that I love, as well as raw cacao (aka raw chocolate) powder.

I can not say enough good things about raw cacao/chocolate powder. It’s high in magnesium, iron, fiber, and anti-oxidants and I absolutely love it. Here’s the brand I use.