This healthy chocolate smoothie has a deep cocoa flavor, and is creamy as a milkshake or chocolate frosty, yet is also nutritious enough to be a meal replacement shake. It is high in protein and fiber, and is kid-friendly, dairy free and banana free.
Freeze milk the night before in ice cube trays, unless you will opt to use a combo of milk and ice cubes.
If your dates are dry, soak them for five minutes in just boiled water, then pit them.
Also rinse the oats before adding to blender to remove dusty film which can interfere with digestion. Just add the measured oats to a strainer, and pour a cup of filtered water over the oats.
Make Smoothie
Add all ingredients into a blender and process.
¼ cup milk frozen in an ice cube tray*, 3 tablespoon rolled oats, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1 tablespoon chocolate chips, 3 dates, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 cup dairy free milk
Store
Drink the smoothie immediately. Or refrigerate for 2 days.
Or freeze in ice cube trays and blend up again when you are ready, or put the cubes the night before in a glass or covered jar refrigerated, and let them thaw overnight then stir or shake.
Video
Notes
Make Ahead. You can easily make this smoothie ahead of time, and freeze it in ice cube trays. To have a smoothie ready for the next morning, simple add 6-7 ice cubes to a glass, refrigerate it overnight to thaw, and blend or stir or shake up the next morning.Store refrigerated. Most smoothies hold their nutrition for up to two days refrigerated in a sealed container. The layers will seperate and you'll need to shake or stir before drinking. Longer than that, the smoothie will lose flavor and nutrition, so freeze it away in ice cube trays if you want to keep it longer than two days.Reduce the sweet flavor: Reduce the dates to either 2 dates or even 1 ½ dates. It depends on how bitter your unsweetened cocoa is.Add hot spice: Add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to give your chocolate smoothie a spicy Mexican or Aztec chocolate spin.Up the nutrition: Add 1 tablespoon each of chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp hearts or half an avocado or ½ cup spinach.This recipe is both vegan and gluten-free provided you use rolled oats that are not made in a gluten-contaminated factory. The package should say certified gluten-free.*I freeze canned coconut milk; almond or cashew is also healthy-fat-rich. If you don't have milk frozen into cubes, use half cold milk and half water ice cubes but the smoothie will be creamier with all frozen milk ice cubes.