I love Starbucks iced coffee beverages but they don’t love me – or you! They are super high in calories, super high in sugar, and super high in all sorts of nasty chemicals. Although I may want to feel super energized, there are much better ways to achieve this than sipping on a grande Starbucks Mocca Frappuchino, which boasts over 420 very unhealthy calories and scary ingredients like carcinogenic caramel food coloring, preservatives, pesticides, inflammatory oils, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), chemically derived sugars, azodicarbonamide and GMOs. Just check out Food Babe’s post here and you will never be tempted to drink the stuff again.
So, I decided to try to create a smoothie that tastes just like a mocha frappuchino, but is way, way healthier, and still provides you with a java-like kick. Even if you choose to use uncaffeinated Dandy Blend in the recipe instead of the instant coffee, the nutrient dense ingredients in this smoothie will still provide you with mega doses of energy.
For those of you who are trying to kick your daily caffeine and don’t know what Dandy-Blend is, well, you are missing out! Dandy Blend is an instant herbal coffee substitute, that tastes incredibly similar to coffee, yet has no bitter aftertaste and absolutely no caffeine. It is made out of toasted roots and grains, and has over 50 trace minerals in each cup, plus its detoxifying to the body. So when you need a morning (or afternoon) pick-me-up, save your $6 and try this java chip smoothie instead!
Ingredients
- SMOOTHIE BASE:
- 1 c almond milk
- 1 tbsp Dandy Blend or organic instant coffee
- 1 1/2 tbso ground chia seeds
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 2 Medjool dates
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 20 large ice cubes
- 1 tsp raw cacao nibs, for topping
- CHOCOLATE SYRUP (OPTIONAL)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 5 tbsp raw cacao
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- MAPLE VANILLA COCONUT CREAM (OPTIONAL)
- 1/4 c coconut cream (scooped off the top of a chilled can of coconut cream
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil in a small pot, turn heat off and stir in cacao and maple syrup till smooth. Set aside.
- Whip coconut cream with maple syrup and place in fridge until smoothie is ready.
- Add all smoothie ingredients to a high powered blender in the order listed and blend until smooth.
- Top with coconut cream, chocolate sauce and raw cacao nibs.
2 comments
Sounds decadent and delicious, Michelle. Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Ashleigh! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂