Smoothies can be calorie traps. But my Chocolate Matcha Smoothie is not only heatlhy, it is also dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan. Enjoy this delicious smoothie guilt-free!
My life changed a little bit the day I got a smoothie blender. That first summer I had so many smoothies, you would not believe it! I tried every recipe I could find and added way too many ‘extras’ sometimes. With time I learned to keep my ingredient selection more basic and simple. A perfect example is this wonderful Chocolate Matcha Smoothie.
Build a Better Smoothie
I have already posted a while back a great post that explains my favorite techniques to build a great smoothie. But I have even more tips for you today for #SilkSummerofSmoothies and why not fall as well!
Limit your fruit! Yes fruits are healthy and in the begining I was adding several fruits to one smoothie. Well guess what, fruits have a lot of sugar so I ended up gulping loads of sugar unknowingly. Now I try to keep my smoothies to the equivalent of one fruit portion.
Playing with various milks! I mentioned this in my last guide but it is worth saying again. Not only is it fun to experiment with various milks, it can change the flavor of your go to recipe. You can use standard milk, coconut milk, soy, rice, hemp, oats, etc. In this chocolate matcha smoothie recipe I used almond milk from Silk which is low in calories, has no added sugar, lots of calcium and vitamin D, and a non-GMO product.
Super Smoothie! When I really want to kick it up a notch I’ll add a ‘super food’ element; like chia, kale, a nut butter or hemp. Antioxidant rich Matcha is a favorite addition but I know many folks are afraid to drink a Hulk-impersonation smoothie. Well just add a bit of cocoa powder and it is an instant chocolate feast. Endorphin boosting cocoa powder is also a rich source of fiber, iron, manganese, magnesium and zinc.
Turn your Smoothie into a Meal
Now you could skip the powder and lower the milk content of this chocolate matcha smoothie for a simple drink. But why not turn it into a meal? At one point I started to experiment with protein powders . I am guilty of turning these protein packed smoothies into a dinner when on the go, when it is to hot to cook, or when plain lazy. When I started looking into protein powders I learned quickly that many of them are not very natural. I stuck with whey protein powders at first as they were the best option.
Now I am trying the Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake I was sent. As the name suggest, they are all vegan. I am not vegan but I love trying all kinds of products and theirs is healthy. Each serving has 20 grams of protein, 25% daily fibre, Omega #3 ALA, antioxidants, probiotics, vibrant green blends, plant-based minerals and vitamins, and is a non-GMO product.
As you can see by the powder pic above, it is not super refined and bleached like highly processed powders. Yes the taste is less processed for sure, it is a lot more natural and earthy in taste and a bit grittier to mix. In the chocolate matcha smoothie recipe it worked great. I also really liked the other flavors (there are 6 flavors available). I tend to add more liquid then recommended but that is personal preference. And I hear they are great in recipes so I look forward to trying them out more in the kitchen.
Chocolate Matcha Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons Matcha powder
- 1/2 cup protein powder
- 1 1/2 cup almond milk
- sweetner of choice to taste
- mint leaves optional
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients (minus mint) in a smoothie belnder.
- Place the lid on, flip over and shake a bit to mix the layers.
- Blend until perfect consistency is achieved. Depending on your combination you may find you need to add liquid while blending it if the consistency is too thick.
Disclaimer: The products Vega and Silk featured in this post were provided to me free of cost. Any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own and without influence.
Luckily I have ALL of these ingredients! I know what I’m having for breakfast in the morning. Love this Evelyne! I’ll have to add a few strawberries that need to be used, but strawberries and chocolate – that should work. Thanks for this recipe!
Totally MJ strawberries and chocolate work , have a great breakfast 🙂
This looks absolutely delicious. I started making shakes this Summer for the first time and I fell into the same trap of too much sugar from fruits. Good to know about reducing the fruit intake to one serving size. The chocolate matcha smoothie looks rich and decadent. I’m a big Silk Almond milk fan, so this is right up my ally. Will have to try this out soon 🙂
Thanks Rosemary! So awesome you know Silk almond milk! I think we all fall in that trap at first. I probably had 3 fruit servings in one smoothie in the beginning. Some in the comments suggested pumpkin flesh as they are allergic to fruits. Now that is a great way to up a veggie intake.
That looks so rich and creamy!
Thank you Debra 🙂
I enjoy smoothies for a good snack. Your chocolate matcha smoothie looks delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Velva-Tomatoes on the Vine
Thanks Velva 🙂
It sounds good, Evelyne! I’m probably the only person on earth who has never tasted almond milk, and this would be a great recipe to start with, thanks!
LOL Pam I am sure you are far from being alone. Yeah a smoothie would be a great way to try it. I was in the IS last week and tired hemp milk, you won’t find that up where I live lol.
I am not a fan of almond milk, hence will try this out with regular milk, looks awesome and good for a healthy start to the day!
Secret: kinda my last favorite milk too, but mixed in stuff it passes. But try any milk you want for sure 🙂
I must start playing around with the milk I use. Great suggestion!
My pleasure Tandy, so many milks nowadays to try!
you just gave me the idea for tomorrow’s breakfast! looks so tempting and I love matcha!
Wishing you a tasty breakfast Yang 🙂
I know it is 🙂 and I will give it a try. Your description ‘turn a smoothie into a meal’ just made me think of her. She felt like she was starving as she could only “eat” what ever fitted through a straw.
As a foodie, I cannot even imagine drinking all my food. And yes that feeling of emptiness.
And simple means I’m more likely to make it! Great looking smoothie!!
LOL Liz yep very easy. You know those recipes we don’t post, we still have tons of them 😉
I’m starting to experiment with matcha as well and I like adding cashew milk it is so creamy, love your tips so informative.
Cashew milk is the bomb, right? Love it. Glad you liked the tips and happy matcha exploring.
How interesting to turn it into a meal. I’d never think to do that!
Yeah it is a great idea, they come in at around 400 cal so like a light meal
Mmmm, smooth recipe! This takes the concept of drinking your dinner to a whole new level! 🙂 Really nice — thanks.
Yay commenting worked this time. Much better then blending that turkey, green beans and mashed potatoes 😉
Never tried this combo before and it sounds really delicious.i like how it’s looks dark and rich.
Hope you give it a shot. You could add mint too. It is dark because it is quite heave on the cocoa 😀
Now I can jump on board with this! Pumpkin for Banana – BOOM! 😛 I haven’t had Vega in awhile, but I have SOOOO much!
You are FREAKING brilliant! pumpkin. Like I have 3 squash totalling 20 pounds at home right now! So glad you can make this recipe!
I am actually drinking a smoothie right now while I am reading this. Love them! This recipe looks fab.
A lazy meal for sure, not a full one lol. But yes great as a post workout as well!
Not sure if I want to just drink this as a meal, but it definitely makes a perfect post workout drink.
Oh yes great to replenish after a workout for sure.
Yum! This looks really interesting! I wish I would have seen this a year ago, when my friend broke her jaw, this would have been a perfect treat for her, too!
So sorry about your friend’s past injury. I am sure this would be better than what she had to do then. But this is like a dessert so good to enjoy when healthy too 🙂