Happy New Year!

I don’t know how you all feel about New Year’s resolutions, but personally I’m not a huge believer.

I suppose if I had to go with a resolution, I would try to floss more than once a week.

Shh, don’t tell my dentist…

But that’s been a goal of mine for years, so nothing new over here.

Now that I think about it, another resolution would be to consume less sugar.

Which I’ve also kind of been working on for a while… although there hasn’t been a huge amount of success in that area.

In order to attempt to satisfy my sweet tooth in a somewhat healthy manner, often times I’ll go for a smoothie.

My smoothies are usually sweetened by fruit alone, with the occasional drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

Chocolatey smoothies in the morning might sound like a bad choice concerning health, but I promise that this one right here is quite good for you!

Fruit, fiber, and protein all in one glass.

So how can you whip up a healthy, chocolatey smoothie yourself?

Simply blend together unsweetened original almond milk, a large very ripe banana, frozen strawberries, cacao powder, pure vanilla extract, and chia seeds, if you like. To up the protein factor a bit more, add a tablespoon of creamy almond butter to the mix.

Blend and chug!

P.S. Make sure that your banana is very ripe because riper bananas are sweeter. A sweet banana will eliminate the need to add sugar.

P.P.S. I bought myself a new blender! It’s a Ninja and I’m soo very excited. Even though I had my heart set on a Vitamix, this guy was my second (much more affordable) choice. Smoothies, cocktails, soups, sauces, here we go!

P.P.P.S. This smoothie is reminiscent of chocolate covered strawberries… drool.

P.P.P.P.S. If you’re not a vegan or dairy-free individual, feel free to use regular (organic) milk instead of almond milk for a slightly creamier smoothie.