For those chocolate cravings, I have come up with a recipe that rivals Starbucks Chocolate Banana Vivanno in taste and definitely kills it with nutritional quality. This drink is sugar free. The sweetness comes from the banana and stevia in the protein powder.
Delicious Creamy Chocolate Banana Shake
1/2 cup almond milk
3/4 cup water
4 ice cubes
1/2 frozen banana
1 T. raw cacao (regular cocoa powder is okay too)
1 scoop protein powder (I used vanilla flavor – Dr. Turner recommends whey, but whatever you choose, make sure the sweetener is stevia)
Put all ingredients, except the protein powder, in your blender and blend until everything is pulverized. At the end, add the protein powder and just gently stir it in with a couple of pulses, as apparently the protein can be damaged by extensive blending.
Feel free to substitute your choice of milk and protein powder!
I am really sick and tired of feeling lousy because of chronic health problems, so I have decided to focus on looking after myself this year, put on my oxygen mask, so to speak, so I can be better able to fulfill all my responsibilities and care for others better.
I think most women can relate, especially when you have kids, work and complex schedules to coordinate. We often put ourselves at the bottom of the list. This isn’t working for me any more. I am finally fed up and ready for change, so I have joined a bootcamp run by a Toronto Naturopath, Dr. Natasha Turner. I believe most of my current issues are related to hormonal imbalance.
For two weeks, as a group, we are doing a detox. Verboten foods are dairy, gluten containing grains, corn, many oils, alcohol and caffeine, peanuts, sugar, citrus (except for lemons and limes) and red meat. I am finding this diet very easy since I have eliminated most of these foods from my repertoire already.
For those interested in Dr. Turner’s program, here is her book:
I have not been hanging out at Starbucks, since I have basically given up coffee and most prepared foods, but I saw this cup on sale for Boxing Day while visiting a book store and couldn’t resist. It has double walls and a reusable straw and is the perfect size for this shake, containing 20 oz. of liquid. I debated with myself a little before purchasing it, because I am trying to get plastics out of my life, but this one is BHA free and is not for warm or hot liquids, so bad chemicals are much less likely to leach into what you are drinking. Much better than disposable cups with straws for sure!