What happens when you combine my love of green smoothies with my love for cherries? Something special, my friends, ESPECIALLY when you add the undeniably goodness of raw chocolate aka raw cacao. It’s kinda like a dark (green) forest cake all blended up but way healthier. (Hey, Summer Stunner Detoxers..you can have this!)
This smoothie is definetly a seasonal beauty….cherries are only going to be around for a few more weeks. For the best flavor, choose the dark red/black ones. I added in some wonderful superfoods as well. We got some chia seeds for extra essential Omega-3’s and linoleic acid (and tons of other benefits) and Maca, which can not only increase your libido (hey now!) but can also help us women balance our PMS and Menopausal symptoms. A smoothie that can give me great skin, great nutrients, great immunity, a great mood, maybe a great %#*!?…well, let’s start blending!
How to Make This!
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup frozen and pitted cherries
- 2 tsp. chia seeds
- 1 heaping spoonful maca
- 2 heaping spoonfuls raw cacao powder (Nativas brand is best!)
- 2 drops of vanilla extract or some vanilla beans
- 2 drops liquid stevia (doesn’t have to be liquid)
- 1 tbls. almond butter
- One serving size (like a scoop) of a chocolate flavored vegan protein powder…I love Vega Whole Food Optimizer! (optional)
- Ice (optional)
- BLEND these ingredients
- Now add 2 large handfuls of clean, organic spinach (less to start if you are building up to greenness!
- BLEND again until smooth (no pretty color here, sorry)
- Add more stevia, cherries, or almond milk to suit your taste, pour, and enjoy!
Hope this one become a favorite for you…it sure is one of mine. And for all of ya’ll who are now hip to maca, you can thank me later (wink, wink).
P.S. Not what you thought would be on a detox? Want to join us? It’s not too late! Click here to get on the goodness.
I’ve never tried maca or chia seeds before. This sounds interesting. Can I substitute the artificial sweetener for sugar?
Hi Polish Mama! Thanks for checking out the post! I think you will love both maca and chia…they are staples in my home now. 🙂 Stevia is not an artificial sweetener…it is an herb. If you were to do a sugar, make sure not to do regular processed sugar. Best bet would be coconut sugar.
Hi Anita! You have such a fun blog! I just started blogging – and actually I came up with a chocolate cherry smoothie too and posted my recipe – so funny…you did one too! 🙂 Maybe you and I were MEANT to be friends 🙂 Course, you’re cherries are probably much fresher than mine cause you’re on the WEST coast (you are a blessed woman!…though I do like the East Coast…even if we don’t have fresh cherries at our farmer’s market 😉
I love your food prep videos too – am hoping to figure out how to put those on my website…if you have any tips on how to do this please let me know!
Thanks, Lisa!! Blogging can be so much fun…I gotta get back on my schedule. I love my West Coast produce, but I love the East Coast! Food prep videos ain’t easy…I use iMovie to edit.
Hello there, great blog! Why do you want the cherries frozen instead of fresh?
Hey Noah! Glad you like the blog! I get fresh cherries then freeze them because I like the texture frozen fruit gives to my smoothies 🙂 Sad that cherries are outta season…but figs are here!
Thank you for the reply. I followed your recipe and adjusted for what I had available in my pantry (no Maca or organic Cacao — yet). I also used scoops of Optimum Nutrition’s Milk Chocolate (my personal modification) and I really enjoyed it. Tonight I used frozen cherries to see the difference, and I must agree that I liked the frozen texture more.
Glad that worked!
You must log in to post a comment. Log in now.