Hi friends!
How’s the weather by you? It’s feeling pretty hot in SoCal this week! I realize that hot is a relative term and that some might not consider 82 degrees all that hot, but the California sun is STRONG and I don’t have air conditioning in my house… (which is a pretty common thing in SoCal) so it gets toasty!
Luckily my house has lots of ceiling fans and I have a pool (which is currently 85 degrees!) to keep me cool, but some tell-tale signs of summer lately have been: a.) the fruit in my fruit basket is ripening in the blink of an eye, b.) I took coconut oil out of my kitchen pantry to bake earlier today and it was complete liquid, c.) my plants need some extra loving to stay alive, and d.) I’m drinking smoothies like it’s my job.
Oh smoothies, you forever have my heart. You’re refreshing, filling, healthy (mine are at least!), and you never get boring, thanks to endless options. Today I’m sharing a brand new smoothie recipe that is perfect for those that want to fuel their healthy lifestyle…but also want their smoothie to taste like dessert! (Meeeeee!)
Earlier this month I posted a cinnamon chai banana protein shake made with Bob’s Red Mill chai protein powder. Today, I’ve teamed up with the folks at Bob’s Red Mill to bring you another Protein Powder Nutritional Booster smoothie – along with a giveaway!
This time, I used Bob’s Red Mill chocolate protein powder. As with all of their protein powders, the chocolate flavor offers a wholesome protein, fiber and probiotics boost. It’s made with pea protein powder, chicory root fiber, chia seeds, beneficial probiotics, and monk fruit extract for a touch of sweetness. It’s gluten free and vegan, along with being a good source of omega-3 and iron.
As if the protein powder isn’t enough goodness by itself, I amped up the nutritional power in this smoothie by using omega fatty acid and protein-rich hemp hearts, heart healthy dark chocolate, potassium and manganese-rich banana, calcium & vitamin E packed almond milk, and my forever love, peanut butter.
The addition of vanilla, cocoa, and cinnamon gives this smoothie a cake batter taste. I won’t lie, it’s pretty awesome!
This smoothie idea came from Trilogy Sanctuary – an awesome vegan cafe and yoga studio in La Jolla that I’ve talked about numerous times here, here and here. Us food bloggers love to recreate meals at home that we’ve enjoyed out somewhere!
Trilogy has this super smoothie menu item called Pleasure, which has banana, peanut butter, almond milk, cacao, cinnamon, hemp seeds and vanilla. It’s pretty damn tasty, so I decided to recreate it at home with a similar ingredient list. This yummy, feel-good super smoothie is vegan + gluten free – not to mention that it has 15 grams of fiber!
Chocolate Cake Batter Hemp Super Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 2/3 cup almond milk
- 2 TBSP hemp hearts
- 1 TBSP peanut butter
- 1 TBSP cocoa powder
- 17 g dark chocolate chopped
- 1/2 TSP cinnamon plus more for sprinkling
- 1/2 TSP vanilla extract
- 2 handfuls of ice
Instructions
- Set 1/2 TSBP of the hemp hearts to the side. Combine all other ingredients in a high powered blender, and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into a glass, and sprinkle cinnamon and reserved hemp hearts on top. Enjoy!
And now, it’s giveaway time!
Bob’s Red Mill is giving one reader a 16 oz bag from their Nutritional Booster line. The winner will get a choice of Chai, Vanilla, Chocolate or the Protein & Fiber Booster.
The contest will be open for a week, and I’ll randomly select a winner on 7/28. Enter to win using any or all of the methods below now!
You can also get a coupon for Bob’s Red Mill products here. I use so many of their products, and actually just used their almond flour + arrowroot for baking earlier today!
Disclaimer: This #SummerStrong campaign post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill 
through my partnership with Fit Approach. As always, all opinions expressed are genuinely my own. I appreciate your readership and your support of the brands that support me!
I love Chai, and I have never seen protein power in that flavor! I am going to have to try that!
You had me at cake batter!! We have air con in our apartment in Brazil but it gets so so so hot there during the summer and I hardly ever turn it on since it isn’t central air but rather a unit that just makes the room really cold. I prefer to open the windows. I’ve completely adjusted though. When I got to the US it was only like 75 and I was cold!
I’d love to try the chocolate! Sounds delicious!
I want to try the chai flavor because it sounds different than usual protein powder flavors!
I would love to try the protein and fiber booster.
Hah! Your pool is warmer than your house. So much for jumping into the pool to cool off, huh? 🙂 Guess we’ll just have to drink a lot of these awesome smoothies. I love Bob’s Red Mill, but I haven’t tried their protein powder yet. I clearly need to get on that…and soon. Thanks for sharing!!
Yeah, but the pool somehow still feels refreshing at 85 degrees! 😉
definitely cake batter!!!
I want to try the Chai Protein powder.
Oh that looks so refreshing. We don’t have any air con here (hardly anyone in the UK does, as we rarely need it), so in this heat we have been having, I have been drinking lots of smoothies.
Oooh yeah that makes sense since your area typically doesn’t get too hot. That’s why people in SoCal don’t have air either – however, sometimes the temperatures do spike up. And then I’m melting in my house! 😉
OMGEEEEEE Looks so so so so so so so so so tasty!!!
Definitely want to try the chocolate.
I am a chocoholic so for sure the chocolate flavor!
I’d like to try the Protein & Fiber Booster.
chocolate sounds good!
It was over 100 here today! I could have definitely gone for one of these smoothies. Love that it packs a punch of protein from the hemp seeds and peanut butter. BRM hemp seeds are the best! <3
I would love to try the chocolate protein powder!
The featured recipe looks delicious. I’d love to try it.
I would like to try the fiber and protein flavor that way I can flavor it anyway I would like.
I would love the chocolate, but I am focusing a bit more on fiber right now. I would choose the Protein and Fiber.
I’d like to try the chocolate
First I’d try their Chocolate Protein Power. The smoothies look cool and delicious!
I would love to try chocolate powder
The protein and fiber booster sounds awesome!
I’d like to try the Protein & Fiber Boost.
Chocolate.
I like to try the Chocolate Powder in some pancakes or waffles.
I would pick the chocolate flavor. 🙂
I would like to try the chocolate flavor in a smoothie.
I want to try the Choclate Powder most of all!