Creamy Chocolate Power Shake

I enjoy a smoothie that is thick enough to eat with a spoon. It feels like more of a meal to me. Feel free to adjust the amount of milk, ice, or even frozen banana to reach the perfect thickness for you.

Yields: 1 (16-ounce) serving or 2 (8-ounce) servings

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Ingredients

3/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice), plus an extra glug or two to achieve desired consistency
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 large dates, pitted* (I use Medjool dates; use 3 if using a smaller variety)
1/2 a small avocado (or 1/4-1/3 a large avocado)**
1/2 cup ice cubes (about 8-10 cubes)
1 very ripe banana, frozen and broken or sliced into chunks
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch (1/16 teaspoon) of sea or kosher salt

Instructions

Pulse all of the ingredients a few times in a blender to get them started, and then blend until very smooth. Once the mixture is well blended, I like to give it about 30 seconds at the highest speed to make it really creamy.
Pour into one or two glasses and enjoy.

Notes

*I find that dates can take a little longer to pulverize if they are a little dried out or if the blender isn't a high-powered model. In this case, you may wish to chop them into small pieces or soak the whole (pitted) dates for 15 minutes in warm water, draining before using.
**This trick for How to Keep Leftover Avocado or Guacamole from Browning is pretty remarkable!

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