The temperatures are finally cooling a little bit here, thank goodness. The 90’s of last week have dropped into the low 80’s now, and even cooler weather is right around the corner. This morning I had to get out of the house early, and I was thoroughly excited to put on my jeans 🙂 When I’m in a rush to get somewhere, like today, I puree a smoothie to drink in the car. It takes just minutes to make, and then it’s into my glass and I’m out the door. This one is so filling because of the chia seeds, and I just love it.
I also wanted to let you know I updated my first two videos ever: How to Make Cashew Milk, and How to Make Almond Milk. They were appearing very small, and now they are nice and large and easy to see. For more great healthy ideas, check out Ali’s roundup of this months Go Ahead Honey.
Vanilla Banana Smoothie
Add to blender:
1 banana
2 pitted dates, soaked overnight
10 drops vanilla liquid stevia
1 tbsp Chia Seeds (grind in coffee grinder or Magic Bullet first if you aren’t using a Blendtec or Vita-Mix)
1 cup cashew milk
1/2 cup water
Optional: a dash of cinnamon
Puree.
Makes one adult smoothie or two kids (my girls split it) smoothies.
Why Chia Seeds? Chia Seeds have:
More Omega-3 than Atlantic Salmon
More Antioxidants than fresh blueberries
More Fiber than bran flakes
More Calcium than 2% milk
More Protein, Fiber & Calcium than flax seed
More Fiber than bran flakes
More Calcium than 2% milk
More Protein, Fiber & Calcium than flax seed
And now I’m off for a walk through the open space with my neighbor. I’m so excited 🙂
♥, Kelly
Ricki says
This sounds sooooo good–and I just love the color! I love adding chia to my smoothies both for additional nutrition and thickness. Wishing I could have banana!
Lexie says
Thanks for this smoothie! And love how you gave us the facts on Chia. Pretty power packed little seeds. Remember when, in the U.S., the only use of chia we heard of was “chia pets.” 🙂
nikki says
Is there a reason for grinding the chia seeds first? Does it make their nutrients more bioavailable?
Kelly says
Ricki, Try it without the banana. That’s what we did this morning. And we added some almond butter. So good =)
Lexie, Haha! Yes!
Nikki, If you have a Blendtec or Vita-Mix there’s no need to grind them first. I’ve been told by readers who don’t have one of those two blenders, that when they blend chia seeds in smoothies, the chia seeds don’t really get ground, and the smoothie turns out lumpy.
nikki says
Thanks, Kelly. I was just wondering if there is a nutritional reason for grinding chia…or maybe a textural reason?
Lexie says
I’m back and we’re downing these right now! VERY good. Even Wyatt, the one who turns his nose up at smoothies, loves it!
So next book (after the NEXT book :)?
The Spunky Coconut’s 100 Sure Fire Smoothie Recipes Your Kids Will Love and Scream For
Your smoothies rock out!
xoxo
Lexie
Whitney says
Thanks for these great smoothie and shake recipes! They sound wonderful! Since finding your blog and reading about chia seeds, I’ve done some other research regarding their health benefits, and possible negative effects. Do you have any health issues using the chia seeds? Are they really safe to eat?
Jason and Janell says
I just have to tell you how awesome this smoothie is. My husband, I, and our 3 girls LOVE it (the 4th girl thats due in May must love it too, because I crave it haha)Its wonderful as is, and sometimes we like to add rasberries or strawberries…whatever fruit we think of and its great like that too. Thanks so much for this recipe 🙂
Amanda says
We made one of these smoothies today, and it is so good! Thanks for another awesome recipe. 🙂
Tessa Domestic Diva says
Hi Kelly, I will be featuring this smoothie recipe in my post, “10 Super Smoothies”, fyi! Thank you!