This smoothie satisfies a sweet tooth and has a nice dose of protein and fiber to keep you satisfied. I have been eating very similar to the Paleo diet the past couple weeks. I did not have much trouble cutting out dairy or grains but cutting out sugar has been a huge challenge for me. I have been having serious withdraw cravings and cannot get it out of my head. That is where this shake was born.

A few weeks ago I tweaked the recipe several times and took the pictures. Shortly after I was put on bed rest due to a lower back problem and here I remain for the foreseeable future. The only reason I was even able to write this was because a dear friend let me borrow their laptop (and I cannot even make them anything as a thank you!). So, here I am poking away over a couple days to try to keep myself from going completely insane from boredom. Let me just tell you: it is difficult to type lying down and in between waves of medication drowsiness. So please bear with me if much of this is not even comprehendible.

This shake has saved me during this time and kept my diet on the straight and narrow. That might sound silly but the emotional eater in me wants to eat cakes, cookies and basically anything that will push me off track. Being on several medications has left me with no appetite and I am sure you can imagine how hilariously difficult it is to eat lying on one’s side…even more so than typing! Being able to make this in a couple of minutes and return to bed has been extremely helpful for me. What is even more awesome than a quick and delicious way to get some healthy calories? Not much that I can think of, except for my buddy Sawyer who has been by my side the entire time to snuggle and keep a look out. I was lacking in pictures of this smoothie so I am going to brag on him instead.

If you do not like dates you can use a banana, maple syrup or honey to sweeten this up as well. My favorite thing about smoothies is the ability to customize them to your preference. Add some extra cocoa to make it even more chocolate-y or protein powder for a satisfying breakfast.

Chocolate, Date & Almond Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened unflavored almond milk
2 Tbsp. almond butter
1 Tbsp. dark cocoa powder
1-3 Medjool dates, pits removed
½ tsp. vanilla extract
6-8 ice cubes, optional
1 cup fresh spinach, optional

1. Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.