I am not a vegan.
I’m also not a vegetarian.
But I do believe that the more plant-based foods we have in our diet, the better. So lately I’ve been experimenting; trying to find easy ways to swap out some of my animal based staples with some more plant based options.
My morning smoothie was an easy place to start.
I swapped my milk to almond milk and traded my whey protein powder in for a raw, plant based, GMO free, brand (Sunwarrior is the brand I’ve been using and really like it. You can buy it here if you’re interested).
The end result is no less delicious than my former shakes and I feel good about the choices I’m making for me and my family. With all that being said you can certainly make this shake with whatever ingredients work for you and your body.
Both of my little ones love this combo and I love that they love it because I add 2 spinach pops to each shake so not only are they getting the plant based proteins but a good dose of dark leafy greens as well.
If you have any hesitation about adding greens to your shake just know that frozen bananas make EVERYthing better – so this type of smoothie is actually a great place to dip your toes in the water.
When I make this for the little ones I split one recipe in two, but when it’s just for me I enjoy the entire serving;).
Do you ever make smoothies/protein shakes for breakfast? Have you experimented with any vegan protein powders? What are your thoughts?
Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Smoothie
Yield: 1 serving
Prep Time:5 minutes
Total Time:5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 small frozen banana
- 1 scoop of vegan chocolate protein powder
- 2 spinach pops
- 1 tbsp. almond butter
Directions:
Pop everything into a blender and blend until you have a thick, rich, creamy shake. Enjoy!
Makes 1 serving.
Calories: 330; Total Fat: 13.3g; Saturated Fat: 0.6g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Carbohydrate: 37.3g; Dietary Fiber: 7.8g; Sugars: 16.9g; Protein: 22.3g
Sounds yummy! I use organic hemp protein powder. I make a mean chocolate protein bar with it. I am wary of whey because of the hormones in milk, and whey is derived from that. Organic whey protein powder is ridiculously expensive. Hemp protein, from what I’ve read, is one the best vegetarian sources of protein. It contains all the essential amino acids our bodies need. Plus, it has extra fiber, which is always good. And it’s price, even for organic, is very reasonable. Oh, and lastly, I hear it is a very sustainable food source, easily grown without pesticides, etc.
Lorraine, where do you get Hemp Protein, as you’re right~~the Sunwarrior protein is very expensive~~~more than I can afford…….thanks much and God bless!!
Love that adorable little girl! Thank you for the wonderful recipes. I started watching your videos a few years ago and am happy to get your newsletters. I just gave a few of my friends your address as well.
I love to cook, love to cook healthy and look forward to trying new recipes.
Thank you for all you do!
Claudia
Thanks for this! I’m breastfeeding and my little guy is sensitive to bananas (even though I love eating them!). Is there some kind of substitute I can use for bananas in my smoothies that will give it a similar taste/texture? Thanks for any tips!
Hi Jenny,
I use any frozen fruit I have and the smoothies are always good. I also use the organic hemp protein powder. It last a long time but keep it in the fridge. I fill my blender half full of any greens I have like kale, spinach, chard and then add a little pineapple juice and the frozen fruit and it turns out great. You can add a little honey or stevia it you like it sweeter. Sometimes I also throw in organic yogurt. Hope this helps.
Thanks Mary this helps!
oh my goodness, could she look anymore like you? LOL
Dani, oh Dani, what kind of blender are you using, mine would never really work?? Would dearly love to pop lots of spinach in to make my smoothies along with my other ingredients as I LOVE spinach~~~sould eat it all the time..p.s. your little one is a beauty, soooo precious..
Love your blender…I have been using the nutribullet blender for shakes…I start with a bunch of greens, add protein, water, and frozen fruit….love it…works much better than my conventional blender.
This was so delicious! Thank you thank you 🙂
Anytime:)
Is there a 101 video of protein powders? For me, the after taste is terrible and I would like to hear or read your recommendations. I’ve heard that there are Protein Powders that don’t have after taste, but the ones that I’ve tried, all have it. Any suggestions?