Cocoa-Peanut-Butter-Banana Smoothie

We are on a smoothie kick at our house.  This cocoa-peanut-butter-banana smoothie tops our list of favorites.  It's sweet, chocolate-y, nutritious, and sooooo delicious! We use Greek yogurt because the nutritional content is higher than other typical styles of yogurt. Our favorite is Fage, but any brand will do.  A 1-cup serving of the 2% version has 46% of a person's daily value of protein. That's amazing! (I don't get paid to promote Fage, I just love it that much.  Seriously, this stuff is great.  Look for a post in the future about all the awesome things you can do with it.)

This snack that is very nutritious for you, too. Just to name a few of the health benefits... the milk, yogurt, and peanut butter have some serious protein and vitamins, and the peanut butter has the good-for-you mono-saturated fat that will keep you satiated. We all know bananas are loaded good stuff like fiber, potassium, vitamins B-6 and C, and other vitamins.  Even the cocoa has health benefits. Did you know that 1 Tbs of cocoa powder has 7% of your daily value of fiber?  Not to mention the antioxidant properties of the cocoa, honey, and peanut butter.  So here's a snack you can indulge in while being health-concious.

Cocoa-Peanut-Butter-Banana Smoothie
Serves 1-2

1/2 - 3/4 C Greek Yogurt
1 C milk (any milk can be used... cow, almond, soy, etc.)
2 Tbs honey
2-3 Tbs cocoa powder
2-3 Tbs peanut butter
1-2 frozen bananas

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend.  We actually use a large plastic cup or bowl and the stick blender (our favorite is the Cuisinart below, which is so versatile and amazing).

The great thing about this recipe (and smoothies in general) is that you can customize them to your own taste.  Want it sweeter? Add more honey.  Want it thicker?  Add more bananas and/or less milk.  Not a fan of peanut-butter?  Take it out.  The options are endless!

*One tip is to slice the bananas before you freeze them. It's easier to blend this way, rather than trying to blend one whole frozen banana.

Photo: A Musing Mamma