Chocolate Covered Blueberry Protein Shake

 This Chocolate Covered Blueberry Protein Shake is packed with antioxidants, fiber and protein to keep you full so you can power through today, not to mention the calcium content is off the charts awesome. It’s also amazingly delicious and perfect for breakfast on-the-go, a mid-morning pick-me-up or as a semi-healthy dessert when your late night chocolate craving hits.

Smoothie and Shake Obsessed 

Have I mentioned that I’m obsessed with smoothies and shakes? I mean I just did a guest post with my Blueberry Pie Latte Smoothie last week AND I started an Instagram account dedicated to mouth-watering pictures of healthy vitamin-packed-blended beverages.

I just love that I can use smoothies and shakes to deliver nutrients into my system in a yummy, frosty package. I wouldn’t typically sit down and eat a bunch of blueberries (I’m super picky about my berry texture/taste), nor would I spoon plain cocoa powder or oatmeal into my mouth (I’m very particular about oatmeal as well and can only eat it when it’s sweetened). Aaaaand I know we could all use another handful of greens in our day, which are super easy to throw into a smoothie.

It’s like taking the healthy components of a meal and whipping them up into one yummy, portable drink.

Disclaimer: This conversation is sponsored by Silk, but the opinions and text are all mine. Get a coupon here.

Healthy Shakes Can (and should) Be Tasty

Welp, I have another shake recipe for you today. The weather is getting warmer (if only slightly warmer here in the twin cities) and it just seems like time to bust out some frosty protein drink recipes.

This one was a fun discovery as it was the first time (I think) that I added cocoa powder to a smoothie.

Did you know that cocoa powder tastes pretty amazing even without tons of added sugar? Well let me tell you: it does.

I will say that I am a moderate dark-chocolate fan, so maybe this is what sways me that it does taste good…but really I’m just excited that I don’t have to add chocolate syrup or chips to something to make it taste chocolate-y.

I’m sure the Silk Vanilla Almond milk (Get a coupon here!) helped a tiiiiiny bit, too.  At least I know it adds more flavor than regular milk would.

I think these photos are also the first ones on the blog using my spiffy new Nikon D5300. I’m getting a little better at using the newer version (I upgraded from a D3100) with the help of Mr. Dave who was uber excited he got my old camera. He’s now 10 times better than me and is photographing things like individual drops of water falling from the faucet. That’s a good thing though because it’s giving me lots of foodie photo ideas for the future!

Chocolate Covered Blueberry Protein Shake Recipe

Okay, back to the chocolate covered blueberry protein shake. This one is packed with antioxidants which is just a fancy way of saying that they help fight free radicals (or stuff thought to be hurting our cells). And free radicals are everywhere, so I don’t know about you…I’d rather be safe than sorry.

It also has some sneaky greens in it. Whenever I have a darker colored smoothie, I love throwing some spinach in because you seriously can’t tell with the color and the blueberries, cocoa and Silk Vanilla Almond definitely cover up any kind of “green” taste as far as this palate can detect.

Of course you can add greens to any smoothie, but in combination with certain colors/fruits…it can come out looking like gray grossness…even if it still tastes awesome. We eat with our eyes, so I definitely try to make my food look at least a liiiittle appealing.

I also have been adding whole oats to my smoothies because they don’t add any taste but DO add some healthy soluble fiber (as do the blueberries). I mean seriously, this protein shake packs a punch of fiber…30% of your daily recommended intake!

Then there’s the calcium content. When I plugged this into my recipe tool, I just realized the calcium was off the charts awesome. Woot. (packing foods with vitamins and nutrients makes me happy!)

This chocolate covered blueberry protein shake is perfect for breakfast on-the-go, a mid-morning pick-me-up or as a semi-healthy dessert when your late night chocolate craving hits.

[Tweet “Whip up a delish chocolate covered blueberry #silksmoothie to boost your nutrition! @lovemysilk”]

Note: The protein powder that I have been using at home for months now called Skoop B Protein is vegan (and I sell it, so there may be affiliate links in my smoothie posts), but you can always use regular whey protein. The only difference in texture is that the whey is going to create a fluffier shake whereas the vegan protein tends to taste more on the icy side. I also opt for a protein with either a vanilla or chocolate flavor because it always adds a sweeter taste.

Silk Vanilla Almond Milk

Silk Vanilla Almond milk also helps to add some sweetness to the mix. Of course you can go for the unsweetened version, but I’ve done that and found myself wanting something a touch more and/or feeling a little unsatisfied with my smoothie. The milk that you use really does affect the taste of the shake, whether it seems like a small detail or not.

(doesn’t this smoothie look like it’s floating? it’s actually a stemmed mason jar glass!) 

Another fun note about Silk milk…

I had a customer at the café ask what kind of almond milk we use. I rarely get this question—most people are delighted there is an almond milk option to begin with—and when I told her the answer (it was a competing brand), she was immensely disappointed. She listed the ingredients in the competitor’s milk that weren’t “healthy” (I tend to have I more balanced approach than she seemed to, but she did have some fair points with a couple of the ingredients) and raved over how Silk was her milk of choice. It made me proud to be supporting them in this post.

So tell me…What kinds of healthy goodies do you add to your protein shakes? What’s your favorite liquid to use?

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Grab a coupon here!

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