Coffee Smoothie

Coffee Smoothie is full of the good stuff...caffeine! The base of this smoothie is made of banana. It's naturally sweetened with dates and the coffee and cacao powder add the perfect amount of caffeine for a pick me up. It reminds me of a Starbucks Frappuccino or a frozen mocha without being overly sweet and without the sugar crash.

Last summer I completed an 8 week long elimination diet to see if it would reveal any triggers that would be causing rheumatoid arthritis pain. The elimination diet was very strict. I had to eliminate all nightshades, so no potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. In addition, I had to eliminate all sugar (except for honey and maple syrup), eggs, all grains, all legumes, all dairy, soy, preservatives of any kind, artificial dyes, and.....coffee. For someone being on a fairly restrictive diet anyways, removing potatoes and tomatoes was not a big deal, but coffee...I was dreading the day the diet started. I was a mom to a 2 year old and a 4 month old, I practically lived on coffee.

While I did complete the diet and I survived with no coffee for two months (I was very proud of myself!), when I did reintroduce it again, my craving came back full force. Before I would get away with drinking only one cup of coffee in the morning. I was a one cup coffee drinker for years and years. But once I reintroduced it after this diet, I know drink 2-3 cups a day. On bad days, I have been known to finish an entire 32 ounce French press before my husband even gets out of bed. This coffee smoothie is one I have been incorporating into my daily routine to help take the edge off my coffee cravings.

A note about this Coffee Smoothie recipe:

Save leftover morning coffee:

With all the craziness going on in the world, I've been saving any leftover foods and coming up with ways to reuse them in the next meal. My husband and I will go through about two French presses a day right now. Sometimes we don't finish the second one so I will pour the remainder in a mason jar and save for a smoothie for later.

Cold brew coffee works too:

If you don't have any leftover morning coffee or don't want to make a fresh batch, another option is to use a store bought cold brew coffee. My favorite cold brew is a local Traverse City, Michigan brand, Strong Brew Cold Brew Coffee. They make cold brew coffee, chai tea and CBD infused cold brew coffee.

Looking for more smoothie recipes? Try this spicy Chai Charger or refreshing Mint Smoothie