Choconana Coffee Smoothie

I have been going crazy over iced coffee during this coronavirus quarantine. My husband makes a big pot of coffee in the morning and I don’t know what he does but he makes the BEST coffee. I’ll even drink it black! Which is crazy for me.

The best part is that we often have some leftover that I will put in the fridge or freeze into coffee ice cubes. I can use these for an almond milk iced latte or coffee smoothie! I really need my pick-me-up in the afternoons verses the morning. And it’s a universal truth that hot coffee is for mornings and iced coffee is for afternoons, so this whole frozen coffee arrangement works well.

I have to put a BIG disclaimer in here. I really try not to drink coffee every day. Coffee is very acidic which can disrupt our bodies’ pH balance. The caffeine content in coffee can also have long term effects on your sleep and energy (this video explains it really well). That being said, it’s safe to have on occasion, especially if you make it yourself without adding a lot of refined sugar to it!

What I’ve found is that when I add a bit of protein to my afternoon coffee pick-me-up, my energy is sustained for a lot longer! Especially as it gets hotter, frozen blended coffee is such a satisfying afternoon treat. Here’s what you’ll need to make a really good, healthy blended coffee:

Coffee Ice Cubes

I tried using cold coffee and regular ice cubes to make a frozen coffee once and it was a far cry from the super creamy, delicious, blended drinks you get at coffee shops. This is mostly due to the power of their blenders and because they often use sweetened milk powders to get the creamy sweetness without diluting the drink like regular creamer or milk would do. But do I want to put dehydrated sugar milk into my body? Not really. Using frozen coffee ice cubes will give you the strength of the coffee without making your drink watery!

Milk

You’ll have to choose your milk carefully when it comes to blended coffee. It’s best to use one with more fat which is why I used raw whole milk for this one. But coconut and cashew milk are super great options too! If you are trying to make your coffee lower-calorie, use almond milk but only a little bit. This will give some creaminess without watering it down.

Sweetener

The only sweetener I used for this one was a frozen banana and protein powder! These serve a double purpose in making the drink thicker. Coconut sugar, stevia powder, and maple syrup also make AMAZING iced coffee!

Now that you know the basics of frozen blended coffee, experiment with your own flavors! I’ve posted my recipe for a chocolate, banana coffee smoothie below!

Choconana Coffee Smoothie

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

~4 coffee ice cubes

~1 frozen banana

~1 scoop chocolate protein powder

~1 tsp cocoa powder

~1/4 cup raw, coconut, cashew or almond milk

~Cold coffee (optional)

Directions:

Freeze some leftover coffee for at least 2 hours. Add all ingredients to a blender. Start out slow and then quickly move up to the highest setting and blend for 15 seconds. Add more cold coffee or milk if it is too thick. Serve and drink quickly!