Cool off with a Chocolate Almond Smoothie

I don't know about the rest of the country, but I do know that we are having a heat wave here in sunny California. It's even toasty in Santa Monica where the temperature usually doesn't rise above a comfortable 70 degrees with delightful ocean breeze.

It's times like this that I lose a little motivation to cook because it's just too dang hot!  I will only turn on my stove early in the morning before the heat has set in or later in the evening after the sun has set and the apartment has time to cool down (we don't have air conditioning, or even ceiling fans, just good old natural cross ventilation from the windows). I've never been much of a salad person, so my go to snack/ lunch lately has been a smoothie.

Of course green smoothies are the best way to go for health benefits and really packing in those nutrients, but sometimes I just want something that will be packed with protein, but also provide more of a sweet treat. Enter Chocolate Almond Smoothie... I add coconut to mine and it's like drinking an Almond Joy; one of my favorite candy bars as a kid, minus the bad ingredients.  And if you do want to pack in a little green, you can always add a handful or two of kale or spinach buried under all the chocolate and coconut. 

Chocolate Almond Smoothie
Ingredients
8 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 T almond butter
2 – 3 medjool dates, pits removed
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 T protein powder, optional
1 T cocoa powder
1 T cocoa nibs, optional
2 T unsweetened coconut

Directions
Add everything to a blender and blend on high until smooth.

I don't like my smoothie too cold, but if you want yours to really chill you to the bone, add some ice to the blender with the rest of the ingredients.