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.

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.

Vega One protein powder Chocolate Matcha Smoothie.jpg

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.

Vega Silk Chocolate Matcha Smoothie

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.