When it comes to breakfast Ryan and I have two distinct needs. Ryan needs coffee. I need to be full so I’m not hangry (hungry+angry) one hour later. This smoothie does both things. Tasty, filling, and caffeinated. I like peanut butter and banana together, and I know that’s a sandwich combination usually associated with Elvis. I think a catchier name for this smoothie might be something like the caffeinated Elvis. Or maybe jumpin’ Elvis? Whaddya think?

Regardless, it’s such a good combination of foods because the protein from the peanut butter keeps you full and the banana adds a nice sweetness. Frozen bananas are especially delicious and creamy in smoothies and I highly recommend you throw some bananas in your freezer right now. Ok don’t just through bananas in your freezer, but peel them, cut them up into blender friendly pieces and store them in a tightly sealed food storage container. The smoothie also contains yogurt & milk so in one drink we’re getting three food groups. How’s that for a balanced breakfast?! Final bonus, this stores well in the fridge and doesn’t separate like most smoothies. You can drink half one morning and save the other half for the next. Yummy and efficient is the best recipe combination.

Now, I was a little nervous about combining banana and coffee – it seemed weird. And then I remembered I’ve actually had this combination before. Every summer until we moved to London (and pretty much every summer of Ryan’s whole life) we went to the beach in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. In the mornings we’d go to Coffee Talk (because as you might remember from the top Ryan needs coffee in the morning) to get breakfast and on the last day of our trip we’d buy a bag of bananas foster coffee. The delicious sweet, sort of fakey banana scent was intoxicating and the overall flavor was enjoyable and caramel like. We’ve been sad to miss out on Stone Harbor this year. Even worse, my family went to Cape May (the next beach town over from Stone Harbor) at the same time so we double missed out on the beach! This smoothie is my tiny tribute to those beach time coffee runs.

Messy level: Slightly more messy than a regular smoothie only because you have to make some espresso or coffee and then let it cool. Alternatively you could use store-bought canned espresso or coffee, but then you don’t have control of how much sugar is in those drinks. Still, a smoothie is always an easy clean up.

Caffeinated Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 frozen bananas (unfrozen is fine, but frozen gives a creamy texture)
• ½ cup smooth peanut butter
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup espresso, cooled
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredient to a blender and blend on high until smooth.
2. Taste. If needed, add further ingredients to suit your taste.
3. Pour into a glass and serve with a draw. Drink and feel happily full and caffeinated.

3.3.3077

 

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