Recipe: Dark Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
Getting a serving of fruits and vegetables in at breakfast can feel more challenging than at other meals. We’re often more pressed for time for both preparation and eating, not to mention some of us are less interested in sitting down to a full meal soon after waking. Smoothies can be an effective solution to these challenges, including getting in a serving of veggies! The Dark Chocolate Cherry Smoothie is a long-time favorite recipe from our Reset & Rebalance workbook.
Plate Method smoothies have a framework that ensures both satiety and blood sugar balance by combining fruit, veggies, proteins, fats, and a liquid. From there, the combinations are nearly endless, but certain things do pair better together than others. For example, when blended, berries and spinach taste great, but create a less appealing brown color. Tropical and citrus fruits work well with spinach, enhancing both color and flavor.
If greens in a smoothie isn’t your thing, consider riced cauliflower. You can buy it frozen and start with a small amount, to ensure it’s suitable for your preferences (we’re pretty sure you’ll hardly notice it). Frozen vegetables are mild in flavor when blended and primarily serve to thicken the smoothie and expand the volume – thanks fiber! Be sure to sip your smoothies vs slurping them down quickly, as sipping supports digestion, so our enzymes have time to break down all the beneficial nutrients in each component.
On that note, sweet cherries and dark chocolate are a tasty and antioxidant-rich pairing in this smoothie. To round out the nutrition further, we added fiber with riced cauliflower and fiber plus healthy fats from chia seeds. Chocolate protein powder adds a great boost of protein, and the unsweetened chocolate chips or cacao nibs give it even more dark chocolate richness.
Dark Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 C frozen dark sweet cherries
- 3/4 C frozen riced cauliflower
- 1 C unsweetened milk or water
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 2 Tbsp cacao nibs or unsweetened chocolate chips
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a blender cup. Top with lid and blend for 1 minute or until smooth.
- If needed, add a little more liquid to achieve the desired consistency.
Swaps:
- For the frozen riced cauliflower: frozen cauliflower florets, chopped fresh or frozen zucchini pieces
- For the chocolate protein powder: 2/3 C plain Greek yogurt
- For the chia seeds: 1 tbsp flaxseeds
- For the chocolate chips: 1 Tbsp cocoa or cacao powder