Healthified Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie

Do you have a food that reminds you of your childhood?

Mint chocolate has been my obsession for as long as I can remember. I secretly hoped After Eights, Andes and York Peppermint Patties would be given out on my yearly trick-or-treating rounds, but alas, they weren’t popular. When other kids chose ice cream flavours like Bubble Gum and Tiger Tail, I would pick Mint Chocolate Chip. The combination of the cool mint and bitter sweetness of the chocolate was just irresistible.

So yesterday I decided to kick it old school and bring back the chocolate mint when I discovered I ran out of bananas. Luckily, I did have avocadoes and figured this was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the green colour and mild flavour to add a kick of mint and crunch from cacao nibs. This is a mint chocolate shake….healthified. 😉 This smoothie is packed with protein, good fats from the avocado and lots of vitamins and minerals (namely folate, iron and vitamin A) from the spinach which is a great way to sneak nutrition into picky eaters. In the summer, when fresh mint is abundant, use fresh mint leaves instead of the extract. This is a much more balanced indulgence that you should definitely enjoy without guilt! Healthy food CAN taste amazing!

Enjoy experiMINTing in the kitchen!

Mira

Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie (serves 1)

Ingredients:

• half an avocado
• 1-1.5 cups almond milk (or other dairy-free milk of your choice)
• 1 scoop vegan vanilla protein powder (I used vanilla Sunwarrior)
• 1/2 tsp. organic mint extract, more if you like it mintier (or 4-5 mint leaves torn up)
• 1 handful organic baby spinach
• a few drops of stevia or agave/1-2 medjool dates for extra sweetness, if desired
• 2-3 tbsp. raw cacao nibs

Method:

1. Put all ingredients except cacao nibs in a blender. Blend, baby, blend!
2. Mix in half the cacao nibs. Pour into a glass and garnish with remaining cacao nibs.
3. Drink up!