Almond Joy or Smoothie? BOTH.
I am on a plant-based dietary venture. I know, I know cliche as it is… A few weeks after New Year’s I decided to commit to trying this new thing. Listening to my body and taking care of it is of the upmost importance. I’ve learned along the way good and bad vegan options, substitutions for cheese and soy, since everyone reacts differently to certain foods.
A long time ago in college I found a recipe for vegan chai tea muffins (or cupcakes, if you add the frosting) from Bake and Destroy’s Natalie Slater. There so easy, I think I baked them in a bread tin instead of cupcake tin. Nevertheless, the flavor is there. SO, years later I ordered her book, Bake and Destroy: Good Food for Bad Vegans.
For today I’m obsessing over the Candy Bar Smoothie. I made this last night and left in the fridge for this morning (the perfect pre-workout) It’s a thick, nutty smoothie comprised of simple flavors of banana, coconut, almond butter, cinnamon and more. It’s better then the ones I’ve had at the gym.
Photo: spabettie
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup coconut (unsweetened & shredded)
- 2 or 3 tablespoons of almond butter
- 2 tablespoons of flax seeds (I had a chia/flax mix from Trader Joe’s)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- almond milk (add as per needed for preferred viscosity)
Great nutty smoothie, I did tweak it a little and add a few dates. You really have to pulverize these in the blender. But, it tastes soooooo good. So, pick up her book at a library or anywhere else!
Also, words by CM Punk are the introduction to Slater’s cookbook. So, this girl is a serious wrestling fan. Several of her recipes are aptly named which makes her book all the more entertaining.
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