Salted Caramel Mocha Smoothie

Cook Time: 10 minutes.

Looking for a pick-me-up on a hot day? Then here’s the smoothie for you. This low fat coffee beverage has a hint of coffee and all that salty-sweet goodness your taste buds are looking for. Don’t let this recipe pass you by, you’ll love its creamy goodness.

For 4 servings you will need:

• 2 Ripe Bananas
• 8 Pitted Medjool Dates (easily found at Eats if you are in Blacksburg, Va.)
• 2/3 c. Dannon Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla Yogurt
• 1.5 c. Silk Protein Nut Milk
• 1 Tb. Cacao Powder
• 1/2 ts. Sea Salt
• 1 ts. Vanilla Extract
• 12 oz. Coffee (freshly brewed and chilled)
• 1 c. Ice

Directions:

Brew the coffee! 🙂 This smoothie is so good chilled, so even if you have ice readily at hand, still take the time to chill the coffee. I like to brew the coffee then mix it with the milk and set it in fridge for a bit.

Once it’s chilling in the fridge, add all the other ingredient into the food processor when you are ready and then pour in the coffee + milk mixture.

Blend until smooth then add the ice and blend until thoroughly mixed. Ready to enjoy!

Fresh Organic Coffee: The Risks & Benefits

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Benefits: Coffee is good for you?! Millions of people across the world drink it every day, whether it’s good for them or not, so let’s see exactly what’s going on. First of all, the best type of coffee for you is black, organic and freshly roasted. It’s high antioxidant power won’t do you any good if it’s loaded with pesticides (among other things). That being said, the good kind of coffee is high in antioxidants and so helps fight against the daily pollutants that harm our bodies. There has also been studies which support that coffee may actually protect against alcoholic liver disease. It aids in physical activity by increasing the body’s alertness and improving mental and physical performance in the short term. Coffee also helps support cognitive function and has been used to alleviate symptoms of some brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s.

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Risks: The human body was not designed to rely on stimulants all the time. Limiting your coffee intake is really the healthiest way to go about it, as the caffeine is incredibly addictive. We have all had the withdrawal symptoms of that nagging headache, not to mention the anxiety, irritability, lack of concentration, fatigue and digestive issues that go along with being addicted to caffeine. Coffee has the real ability to overtax your body and burn out your adrenal glands. The life cycle of caffeine once you ingest it is about 12 hours or so, so the best time to drink it is in the morning or before lunch. If you drink it in the afternoon or evening, there is the possibility of it affecting your sleep cycle.

Nutritional Information

If you are keeping track of what you are eating, whether you have a health condition or need to lose weight and not sure if you are getting all the nutrients you need, this next section is for you. It’s always good to know what we are putting into our bodies, especially if we want to get healthy and stay healthy.

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