Chocolate Peanot Butter Cup Shake

Here\’s a tasty dairy-free chocolate almond butter shake recipe. It\’s nutrient dense, peanut-free, low glycemic, kid-friendly, cleanse-friendly, and a real crowd pleaser. It can be a great start to your morning or a yummy afternoon treat.

Almost every morning I start my day with a shake. It\’s a habit I picked up after my first (and so far only; let\’s be real) cleanse last year. Starting my day with a nutrient-dense shake has been a great way to add an extra dose of greens, superfoods, probiotics, and protein to my diet – and to the kids\’ diets as well. Those kids are little disease factories; they need every help they can get fighting off all those nasty germs.

On a typical weekday morning, like many of you, I rush around the house like a crazy person. I have two kids to feed and yell at serenely guide through our morning routine. There are lunches to pack (theirs and mine), clothes to put on, teeth to brush, the list goes on; I\’m exhausted just thinking about it. Actually sitting down to eat food off a real plate never really happened for me. Switching to shakes in the morning was an easy change, because I can sip it while I\’m putting on makeup or take it with me in the car. Or hold in one hand as I shout at the small people to get their shoes on right this minute for the umpteenth time. Now I actually get breakfast, liquid though it be, instead of just feeding everyone else. Score!

Moving away from using dairy and sugar in my shakes was a challenge at first. Flavored yogurts used to be a go-to ingredient for smoothies around here. But after trying dairy- and sugar-free recipes I found in cookbooks, other blogs, and on Facebook, I started experimenting on my own. Now I have a growing list of smoothies that are a hit with the kids, and are loaded with good stuff.

Many of my recipes involve chocolate. Because, you know. Chocolate. It makes everything better. For me, keeping a clean diet going means finding things that feel like an indulgence, but really are just good for me. It\’s a voluntary suspension of disbelief.

I call this one \”Chocolate Peanot Butter Cup\” because it has chocolate (see above). And it tastes peanut-butter-cup-ish but the nuts in it are not peanuts. Get it? Pea-not. Mmm hmm. Clever, right?

You can\’t even taste the spinach. I promise.

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What to do with leftover smoothie? Try making some healthy popcicles with your own popcicle molds for a tasty dessert!