Chocolate Almond Butter Cup Smoothie

I started making smoothies apart of my morning routine about 6 years ago when I was in school and my inflammatory digestive issues were at an all-time peak. The nutritionist I was seeing at the time recommended I start with liquid food in the morning to gently wake up my digestive system. Now, I hadn't really found a smoothie I'd like until that point because most call for bananas and I absolutely, positively despise bananas. But I soon found other ways to thicken smoothies, like cashews and avocados. Those ingredients can start to make for rather expensive daily smoothies. Back in the summer I started going to Body Energy Club here in Vancouver and got hooked on their chocolate almond butter cup smoothie. I started trying to recreate it at home and this is now officially my go-to smoothie recipe. It tastes like a chocolate milkshake! No need to soak cashews or use one of your precious avocados - I find the secret is adding ice at the very end to get that thick, milkshake-like consistency.

Chocolate Almond Butter Cup Smoothie

• 1/2 cup almond milk (I sometimes will also use oat milk)
• 1 scoop protein powder (I use Vega All-in-One Shake)
• 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon almond butter (I buy this from Costco to keep the cost down)
• 5 medjool dates
• 5 ice cubes

Optional add-ins:
• 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup (I like mine a little sweeter)
• 1 teaspoon maca powder
• 1 tablespoon marine collagen powder (I like this one)
• 1 drop peppermint extract (I use this if I want it to be a bit more refreshing)

1. Place all ingredients except for ice into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Add ice and blend again until smooth.

Note: Ben wanted me to add a note that says "make sure to rinse out the blender as soon as you're done so the next person doesn't have to clean out dried smoothie." Guilty.