Valentine's Day Chocolate Berry Smoothie Whole30 Paleo Compliant

Happy Valentine's day! This morning I woke up craving chocolate covered strawberries which is a big problem since I have only two days left on Whole30. I thought I would start the day right with a tasty smoothie. This smoothie captures the essence of my favorite treat by adding fresh fruit and raw cacao nibs along with some healthy spinach for good measure. What is great about it is it's low in sugar and a huge boost of antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber. I realize that Whole30 doesn't really recommend smoothies as a suitable meal but honestly if you keep the fruit in check I personally think it is a healthy breakfast. Eggs get old and sometimes you need a treat! Am I right?!

I love using spinach in my smoothies because it's such a mild green it doesn't add a gross green taste or bitterness like some others *cough..cough... kale*.  I don't prefer juicing because you need the fiber to fill you up and keep the sugars from being absorbed as quickly. Juicing just doesn't do that for you. I also try to stay far away from super sweet or fruit heavy mixtures. Obviously you can tweak this as much or as little as you'd like that's the great thing about smoothies! It is also a wonderful way to use up the huge bin of organic spinach I get from Costco lol! Another great green add in is Spirulina powder you can get it online here. It adds a ton of vitamins and a little kick of protein without changing the flavor.

I recently got an a new blender after my cheap old personal blender's motor conked out.  It was a scary couple of weeks there. I spent a lot of time looking up what blending system would work best for me. I really only use it for a smoothie or protein shake so the high powered super expensive ones were overkill. I don't need a huge pitcher of margaritas so the super large family ones weren't for me either. The last one I had was a cheap black Friday special and while it was alright it only lasted a year. When I found the Oster Blend-N-Go My Blend it was perfect! The reviews were good, the price was right, and you blend right in a sports bottle! How cool is that?! It really has worked great for me. My boyfriend even ordered his own bottle to use for his daily protein shake before the gym.

To start you are going to need organic spinach, frozen or fresh blueberries, frozen or fresh strawberries, unsweetened almond or cashew milk (homemade preferred), *date paste or honey , and cacao nibs. Add them to your blender and blend until smooth. Since fruits vary in taste depending on the season you may need to adjust proportions up or down.

Ingredients:
1 c. Spinach
4 large Strawberries
1/2 c. Blueberries
1 1/2 c. Unsweetened almond or cashew milk
2 Tbsp. Raw organic Cacao Nibs
1 Tbsp *Date paste (for Whole30) or Honey (for Paleo)
1 tsp Spirulina powder (optional)

*Date paste should be made ahead by adding an equal amount of hot water over your dried dates and mashing with a mortar and pestle or the back of a wooden spoon. Don't try to just blend or you'll end up with chunks. For an even smoother consistency you can use an immersion blender once the dates have softened.



I really loved this smoothie and it totally fixed my craving for all things chocolate on a day like today! I hope you enjoy it too!