Chocolate Peanut Butter, Banana, and Oat Smoothie

Not quite ready to make the switch to eating oatmeal for breakfast every morning? Try it in your smoothie! It sounded weird to me at first, but after my first gulp I was sold. Healthy? Check. Easy to make? Check. Tastes amazing? Check. Easy way to get a half serving of whole grains in the morning? Check.

Now, is this the world’s lowest calorie breakfast? No, sadly peanut butter is higher in calories than I would like to admit. But in one smoothie you get over 25 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, tons of iron and calcium, and it’s low in cholesterol. For me, that’s worth the extra time on the treadmill!

Chocolate Peanut Butter, Banana, and Oat Smoothie

Slightly adapted from Joy the Baker

This is a chunky smoothie. Some people don’t like that though and if you’re one of them, there are two easy ways to make it fit your preference. You can grind the oats in a spice grinder (or well cleaned coffee grinder) until they’ve been ground into a fine powder. Or alternatively, soak the oats in the milk overnight and blend in the morning – you’ll get a thicker smoothie, but this method has fewer dishes to clean.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk of choice

1 banana, cut into chunks (frozen is ideal)

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 tablespoons old fashioned oats

Equipment

Immersion blender or blender

Instructions

Add all ingredients to immersion blender/blender and blend until no banana chunks remain. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!