You might remember the big chocolate milk news story of 2011/12: that the best post recovery drink was, in fact, chocolate milk.

Real or hype?  The Globe and Mail did a great piece on this a few years ago. Beyond a doubt, chocolate milk drinking went sky high – but what the research showed is that any carbohydrate/protein fuel post recovery can help your muscles rebuild – but most of us don’t work out hard enough to need a “recovery” drink after exercise.

But who cares? This smoothie is delicious.

I am not a huge fan of dairy. Dairy can cause bloating in some people, so most of my smoothies are made with water, almond milk, cashew milk or coconut milk (hint: this smoothie is delicious with cashew milk, too)

The kids and I often have this as an afternoon snack. It is super simple to make

Smoothie Ingredients

• • 1 frozen medium Bananas- peeled, sliced, and frozen
  • 2 tablespoons Almond Butter
  • 1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
  • 1 cup filtered water
  • 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
  • 2 heaping tablespoons Unsweetened dark Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup Ice

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together in a blender / Vitamix. Enjoy with a spoon (like a Frosty or thin out with more almond milk!