Chocolate Chip Mint “Ice Cream” Smoothie

Introducing…a green smoothie that tastes like chocolate chip mint ice cream!

No, it’s true!

So here in Seattle, the sun is starting to peak its head out and slowly visit us. Spring is in the air, and summer is just around the corner. With warm temperatures coming, our bodies are starting to crave refreshing and cold foods to cool off our bodies and nourish our souls.

One popular treat? Ice cream!

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate ice cream as much as the next girl, but I also know I need to balance it out with healthier options. Can I make a healthy smoothie that tastes like I am drinking an ice cream shake? Even better!

That is exactly what I did. Loaded with nutrient-rich spinach, banana, and raw cacao nibs, which are full of antioxidants, avocado, and almond butter. You’ll want to sip on this baby all summer long (without experiencing the clogging effects of all the dairy!)

Instead of adding peppermint leaves, I used a few drops of the doTERRA peppermint essential oil.

A few benefits of using peppermint essential oil instead of actual peppermint are:

• First, it is more accessible to use anytime you want to add delicious peppermint flavor to your tea, cocoa, or….. this awesome smoothie!

• Second, the oil is very concentrated, so you need to use very little to achieve that delicious peppermint flavor. Think of the savings!

• Third, essential oils last a LONG time so you can use them repeatedly; instead of going to your fridge to discover that the mint you bought last week is rotting in the fridge, sadly finding the whole smoothie is thwarted! Talk about disappointing…..

But hey, if you have a huge peppermint plant growing in your backyard, definitely feel free to throw in a few handfuls instead!

You need this smoothie to be nice and cold to contribute to that “ice cream” experience. Add a generous amount of ice to make it cold and frothy. Some people do not like to add lots of ice to their smoothie because they believe it waters down the smoothie and takes away from the taste.

That is you, isn’t it?

If you answered yes to the above question, then what you could do instead is, before making the smoothie put together a freezer bag of the spinach, avocado, and peeled banana and throw it in the freezer for a couple of hours….please just remember to peel the banana before you freeze it because frozen peel does not come off easily once frozen.

Believe me, I know. I learned the hard way.

And here you go, the perfect “ice cream” shake!

Click here if you need to pick up your own bottle of peppermint!