This protein + greens chocolate peanut butter smoothie is perfect for anyone that loves chocolate and peanut butter, but wants their nutrition too! It incorporates greens and healthy fats resulting in a nutrient-dense, balanced meal for any time of the day.

The internet is filled with smoothie recipes that are absolutely delicious, but have you ever considered how many calories are in them? Even green smoothies that appear healthy can be loaded with too much sugar.

The Smoothie Experiment

This past week, my interns and I searched the web for smoothies recipes promoted as being delicious and nutritious.

The smoothies that we selected – chocolate peanut butter, berry kiwi and island smoothie (just to name a few) – all had beautiful imagery that made us want to make them immediately. They included ingredients like  fruit, spinach, nuts and seeds.  As part of our experiement, we ran the nutrition analysis on them. Ever smoothie was over 400 calories, more than half were in the 500 calorie range.

Yikes!

Now, if you’re a 16 year old growing athlete, a 400 calorie smoothie is nothing. But for many people, 400-500 calories is a complete meal.  The biggest problem was that they were not balanced in nutrition.

I often tweak recipes to help my clients stay within their calorie range, so I really wasn’t surprised by what we found.  Fruit helps to cover the taste of greens, so many smoothies will incorporate 2-3 servings of fruit into a smoothie to cover the bitterness.  Nut butters and other added fats give smoothies flavor and texture. That’s great, as long as you are mindful of your portions.

Here’s the reality: Making a smoothie that tastes good is easy. Making a smoothie that tastes good with greens is a task. Making a smoothie that tastes good with greens and protein, which is also calorie controlled…..now that’s a challenge. Luckily, I love challenges.

This chocolate peanut butter greens smoothie makes the cut. You only need a few ingredients to make it. If you don’t like the tatse of greens, not to worry. The cocoa powder combined with the chocolate protein hide the taste. So, even though it has a green tint, you’ll taste a creamy, chocolaty smoothie that is both healthy and satisfying.

I finalized it with 200 calories, 20 grams of protein and packed with vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium – all nutrients active people need!  It’s also kid tested and mother approved. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

If combining your greens with peanut butter and chocolate isn’t your thing, check out this post on how to build a balanced smothie so you can make your own.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Protein + Greens Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

This protein + greens chocolate peanut butter smoothie is perfect for anyone that loves chocolate and peanut butter, but wants their nutrition too! It incorporates greens and healthy fats resulting in a nutrient-dense, balanced meal for any time of the day.

Author: Heather Mangieri, RDN

Ingredients

• .5 banana
• 1 tbsp PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 3 tbsp chocolate protein powder
• 0.5 cup skim milk
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

• Directions: Add all ingredients to a high powered mixer blend and serve. This recipe makes one smoothie

Notes

• Recipe Makes – 1 Smoothie
• Nutrition Facts: 200 calories, 30 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 20 g protein, 4 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 210 mg sodium, 6% DV Vitamin D, 20% DV Calcium, 15% DV Iron, 10% DV Potassium.

 

Did you try this recipe? Tag @heathermangieri  on Instagram and hashtag it #HeatherMangieriNutrition

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