Back to weekly posting??! I don’t know…I’m not going to jinx it! :)
Three weeks ago, I had to have surgery on my wrist. There was a giant bump on it and while it had bugged me for a while, it recently got to the point where I couldn’t do chaturungas or weight bear on it for planks. I had to do something about it. I need yoga like I need air to breathe & it was getting in the way. I was even struggling to chop during my food prep. So I had surgery. & I completely underestimated the blow that the recovery would take to my overall productivity, particularly in the kitchen. I prepped a bit before surgery but figured it’d be no big deal. My surgeon even assured me that on a scale of 1-10, my husband’s cases were a 10 & mine was maybe a 2. So seriously, NBD. (I think the lesson that I learned was that nothing, and I mean NOTHING is “a big deal” when you are married to a heart surgeon…gushing blood? NBD. It’s not coming from your aorta. Get over it. A little bump? Just “pop it out.” HA. HA.) Well, the ganglion cyst I had removed ended up being the size of a silver dollar–so no small little invasion to my tiny wrist. I’m still splinted and immobilized, which makes food prep–a huge part of my life–a challenge. Enter: smoothies.
Over the summer I went home to visit my parents and used their Vitamix daily. I had long convinced myself that my eleven year old blender that I received as a wedding gift was FINE. Totally fine. But then…I used a Vitamix. Oh, it really is as awesome as every lucky duck who had one told me it would be. & I just couldn’t work it into our budget right now. But my incredibly generous parents decided to surprise me with one (this is the one I love!) & since the day it arrived, I don’t think I’ve used it any less than twice a day. It is AWESOME. It has literally saved me during this recovery!! So I have been experimenting. :)
My dear friend Dr. Christine Maren (are you following her blog & IG? You should be! She is a fantastic nutrition educator, and the person to whom I credit for my major family food overhaul) introduced me to this amazing vegan peanut butter shake a few weeks ago. It sure hit the spot. But she says all sorts of stuff about peanut butter and toxins and blah blah blah (Sorry Christine, nutrition is a value, but not a passion of mine so I will leave the enthusiasm & science to you!) and I started altering it to my taste. If you knew me back in Texas, then surely you saw me sleep deprived and holding a Frapuccino, which I downed almost daily. It’s been probably two years since I last had one & I haven’t found a yummy drink to replace it with, that isn’t loaded with sugar and junk. Until NOW! Is it a paleo frapuccino? A vegan frapuccino? I don’t know. I don’t like labels. & apparently you can only buy frapuccinos at starbucks, so I know it’s a whole lot healthier than those! I don’t always drink coffee in the morning anymore, so often I’ll whip one of these up around lunchtime with a little snack. So. Yum. I’ll call it the Almond Joy Frappé.
Please note: we eat a pretty low sugar diet, and I know my tastebuds have definitely changed since we moved toward what I like to call “Paleo-ish” eating. (More on that ASAP!!) I cook with natural sweeteners and very rarely use refined sugar. So I am now very sensitive to things that are sweet. This will not be super sweet if you are used to & love a sugary frappucino, but it is worth a try until you rework those taste buds. Those of you already eating mostly Dairy Free, Sugar Free & Gluten Free will hopefully love this as much as I do!
Almond Joy Frappé | Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Naturally Sweetened
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup cold brew concentrate**
- 1/4 cup filtered water
- 1 1/2 tablespoon raw cacao powder (a bit more, if I am being totally honest!)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 soft dates, pitted
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
- 3-4 handfuls of ice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Blend all ingredients except the coconut and ice in the blender. A high powered blender like a Vitamix is the best option. I use the smoothie setting on my Vitamix.
- Blend coconut flakes and ice. I use the smoothie setting a second time.
- & enjoy!
NOTES
**note: not ready to drink cold brew coffee. You want to use the concentrate, which you typically dilute 1:1 with water. I get mine at my favorite cold brew coffee shop, but you can buy concentrate at the grocery store. You could also make your own, which I used to do with my beloved Philz coffee.
You may wish to increase the coffee flavor by subbing the 1/4 cup of water with additional cold brew concentrate.
I like to use coconut flakes instead of shreds, as it leaves a little left to “chew” in the actual smoothie–kind of like the bits in a java chip frapuccino.
Now I wonder if I could come up with a pumpkin version…!!! ;)
