Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Smoothie


One of the benefits (among many) of having four sisters is that we often trade new recipes on a.  It's hard to get in a food rut when you have emails coming to you regularly with new ways to try food.  Usually the recipes are ones that one of us has happened upon, tried, and approved.  Every now and then, though, one of my sisters gets creative.  I'm not creative because, like I said, I'm a rules follower, which translates into recipe follower.  My sisters, though, got the creative gene.  This recipe is a prime example of such creativity on the part of my number two sister.  By number two, I mean two chronologically.  I don't have a favorite.  Duh.  It's also a prime example of why you should wish you have four sisters.  It's okay, though.  Not everyone can have four sisters.  That's why snacks and desserts is here.  To share the benefits of my many sisters.


You're welcome.


This morning I was making this very smoothie for breakfast.  The hubs asked what I was making and when I told him he said "is that the one with chocolate in it?"  A bit defensively I said, "I mean, it has some chocolate in it, but it's not like I'm eating chocolate for breakfast."  His response?  "And if you were it would be perfectly ok.  We're adults.  That means we get to eat chocolate for breakfast." 


All you single ladies out there, do yourself a favor and marry someone like my husband.


Ingredients*


1 banana -- frozen or not.  I cut mine into small chunks and freeze it the night before.  If your banana isn't frozen, just add a bit of ice.
3/4 cup milk (preferably raw)
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I use an 88% dark chocolate bar and chop it into chunks)



honey

Directions


Add banana, milk, walnuts, and honey to your blender. 


Blend until smooth.  Add chocolate chips and blend briefly.  You want to add the chocolate chips at the end because otherwise they'll sink to the bottom.

*This recipe is a very forgiving one.  I added specific proportions (after I figured them out!) because I figured some of my readers might be the same rules/recipe following kind of a person I am.  Feel free to experiment, though.  One of my sisters used greek yogurt instead of milk and left out the honey.  She (and her children) loved it.  One day I was short of walnuts so I added a spoonful of almond butter.