Hi friends! How was your weekend? Amazing I hope.
It's back to the regular routine for me. I got home from San Francisco on Thursday. It was hard to leave I must say. Especially since I came home to winter. One word: Brr. Okay that might not be a real word, but you get my drift. You Californians have no idea how lucky you are with your weather. Or maybe you do? Either way I am jealous. But, it's not all bad. I have a pretty exciting recipe to share with you this week. It involves two of my favorite things. Chocolate and coffee. Actually three of my favorite things. Chocolate, coffee and coconut. Need I say more? Maybe not, but I will.
This smoothie is compatible with the paleo, vegan/vegetarian and GAPS diets. It also doesn't contain any added sugar and is sweetened with only real ingredients like banana, coconut milk, coconut butter and cacao powder. So if you are on a sugar detox you can even indulge in this little treat without feeling guilty. Just because you are eating a healthy, real foods diet doesn't mean you need to feel deprived. Right? Right.
Before I let you get to the recipe I have a few observations from my trip to San Francisco. I am curious if anyone else has noticed the same things?
I have never seen a city with so many laundromats. Seriously where I was staying there was at least one on every block. Are that many really necessary? Laundromats are almost extinct in Calgary. I honestly couldn't even tell you the location of one... Bizarre.
They have the cutest coffee shops. Yes they also have their fair share of Starbucks, but I was quite impressed by the number of local, unique coffee spots. There was one right by my apartment that had board games, a vintage television and a book exchange. How cool is that? And they allowed pets. I would go back there in a heart beat. I spent many afternoons sipping mint tea, reading The Loving Diet (if you haven't read this book you need to) and people watching.
The sidewalks are dangerous! I definitely bailed hard on a slippery grate while walking to the conference center one day. Think torn pants, bloody knee, spilt coffee, and a majorly bruised ego. But I know I am not the only one. I saw a few other people either trip, or slip on the grates or uneven sidewalks while I was there. And I heard similar stories from other conference attendees as well. Needless to say I was way more careful on the sidewalks after that experience.
Alright but enough rambling from me. Time to let you get to the chocolatey goodness that I know you really came for. As always I would be thrilled if you followed me on my social media pages on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
Happy eating everyone!
Chocolate Mocha Smoothie Recipe (Paleo, Vegan, GAPS)
Ingredients
1 ripe banana3/4 cup brewed coffee (ideally fair trade)1/4 cup full fat coconut milk (I recommend this brand) (dairy milk could be used as well)1 TBSP melted coconut butter (or coconut manna or concentrate)1 TBSP melted grassfed ghee or coconut oil (use coconut oil for vegan) 1 tsp organic vanilla extract2 TBSP organic cacao powder (buy here)Optional: 1-2 TBSP grassfed gelatin (I recommend the Vital Proteins Brand - buy here) (omit for vegan)
Directions
1. Place all the ingredients into your high speed blender (this is the blender I have) 2. Blend well until smooth3. Place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to cool 4. Serve and enjoy!Print Recipe
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