PB (Paleo-Butter) Cup Smoothie

"Two great tastes that taste great together"... Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is considered the finest creation by H.B. Reese, a former employee of Hershey's who branched out to start his own confection company. I have to agree. I'm not a huge fan of candy, but in my pre-paleo days, this is one sweet treat that would tempt me to indulge in crappy check-out stand candy. But... just because I'm not eating sugar (or peanuts) these days, doesn't mean I don't still crave those flavors. This smoothie is my answer to that craving. And my ultimate fallback "dessert" whenever my kids talk their dad into bringing some non-paleo treat into the house!

And for the record... if you  hear my girls talking about eating "Chocolate Ice Cream" for breakfast, please don't go calling children's services on me! I love giving them the royal treatment first thing in the morning with this healthy dish!

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 2-3 bananas, cut into 5 or 6 pieces each and frozen
• 1-2 cups unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk 
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2-3 T cocoa powder (I prefer Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)

Directions:

1. Add frozen bananas to the blender then top with almond butter and cocoa powder.
2. Add milk until it nearly covers the fruit. This makes a thick, but drinkable consistency. Use less for a thicker, ice cream like dessert.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour into cups. Drink immediately!

Smoothie Galore

Give me some frozen bananas, "milk", and fresh fruit and I will make you a smoothie that leaves you begging for more! I have always loved these cold, blended, fruity drinks, but even more so now that I've cut sugar out of my diet. In my house, we have smoothies several times a week. For breakfast, when we're running behind schedule. For lunch, on the weekend, when I don't feel like cooking. After dinner, for dessert, or any other time someone has a sweet tooth. I make them with more liquid and drink straight from the blender or make them super thick, top with nuts and seeds, and eat like gorgeous ice cream sundae. They take only minutes to make and are perfectly paleo!

Fresh Blackberry Smoothie. Is there anything better? 

Serves 4 (unless I don't feel like sharing)

Ingredients:

• 1-2 bananas, cut into 5 or 6 pieces each and frozen
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries (optional)
• 1-2 cups fresh fruit
• 1-2 cups unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk 
• 1/3 cup almond butter (optional, for protein)
• flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped nuts (optional)

Tip: Frozen bananas give smoothies the smooth, creamy texture and makes smoothies icy cold without needing ice, which can water down the fruity taste. At the same time, bananas don't add a strong flavor, so I count on the fresh fruit to do that. The smoothie pictured above was made with a pint of fresh blackberries.

Directions:

1. Add frozen bananas to the blender then top with fresh fruit and almond butter, if using.
2. Add milk until it nearly covers the fruit. This makes a thick, but drinkable consistency. Use less for a thicker, ice cream like dessert.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour into cups. Top with seeds and nuts, if using. Drink immediately!