Chocolate Cherry Smoothie -

A cool, refreshing smoothie (perfect for a hot day), packed with the goodness of spinach, cashews, cherries, bananas, and seeds.

It’s Hot Folks!

In my neck of the woods, we are in an “excessive heat” wave – but that’s just basically the whole summer in Arizona. It’s not really something you get used to but you do learn some skills to cope.

One of the ways we cope is with cold smoothies. We like smoothies for breakfast. Todays Chocolate Cherry smoothie recipe is delicious in smoothie bowl form!

We also like smoothies for snacks after breakfast or lunch. I turn leftover smoothies into popsicles for a quick grab treat.

Dessert smoothies after dinner are also a favorite. We also like to bath in smoothies. Not really, but some days I dream of that. It’s just hot, ok!

Increase Your Daily Greens

I like smoothies for the cooling factor but I also love that I can pack in some nutrition into something that seems like a dessert. Greens are so simple to add into smoothies. I typically use spinach because of its mild flavor but you can add kale, collard greens or chard.

If you have a hard time digesting greens, you can sauté them for just 30 seconds or so, let them cool and then add them into your smoothie. Cooking them for just a bit can help break down the fibers, making them easier for your system to process.

All The Good Things

I love to add raw cashews to my smoothies. To help with digestion, you can soak them overnight. The cashews help make the smoothie creamier but also more filling. This is especially helpful when we are making it for a meal.

This particular recipe uses cacao powder which has flavonoids, magnesium, iron, and antioxidants. I prefer to use cacao in smoothies because it isn’t being cooked and it will retain its health benefits. If all you have is cocoa powder, it will work the same in the recipe without quite as many of the health benefits.

A favorite addition in this smoothie is hemp hearts and chia seeds. Both increase the protein as well as the omega 3’s but they are optional.

This particular smoothie won’t win awards based on color or looks but it will based on flavor. Are you as hot as we are? If so, go make yourself a smoothie!