Happiness Smoothie!
I enjoy smoothies. It’s fun to experiment and also a great way to get down more nutrients in a single glass. My smoothies change with what I know I need nutrient wise and what I am doing in any given day.
Today my smoothie consisted of about 6-8 ounces of milk, one whole banana, 25 almonds, 1-2 tablespoons of raw cacao nibs, and a scoop of whey protein powder. All blended up in a high-powered blender until…well….smooth. Hehehehe 😉
FYI…..
Cacao nibs: Rich source of antioxidant flavonoids. Great for promoting cardiovascular health. It fights against toxins that we constantly face. The flavonoids in raw cacao nibs can help improve circulation and blood pressure. My favorite is it helps assist the body to repair and resist against free radicals; a toxin no one needs in their body. There are other benefits too, being a good source of manganese; which helps to oxygenate the blood and a fab source of magnesium which helps with brain power, (I so need that!). Cacao nibs are rich in sulfur and that means stronger hair and nails and awesome skin. Consuming cacao nibs helps with PMS and depression. It stimulates our endorphins boosting our mood naturally! There’s 5 grams of protein in an ounce serving, not to mention 7 grams of fiber.
Try them in smoothies, granola, cookies, just popping them into your mouth!
Are you a smoothie drinker? Any favorites?
I’m off to bike the hills in my neighborhood. I shoot for 5 miles; that makes me happy, 8 miles I am excited, 10 exhausted, but super satisfied. We will see what I can do today. The weather is beautiful. The sun is out and sky is blue; touched with white puffy clouds. It will be a good thinking day as I ride.
Have a happy day, Koko 😉 ❀ ✿ ❁ ✾
At Koko's Place 
It looks so yummy and very healthy :). Keep up the good job…
Thank you for your kind words. It was yummy. 🙂
What is a raw cacao nib? Please educate me!
They are from whole cacao beans; just peeled and crumbled. Easier to eat than a whole bean. But blended in a smoothie I could have used the whole bean. Cacao nibs, (peeled and crumbled) make it easier to use in other things such as cookies or sprinkled on most anything; like, ice cream! Hope this helps. 😀
What do they taste like? Cacao (I presume you mean Cocoa beans) can be very bitter. Is it almost like Cocoa powder in a tin or what? I am struggling to imagine what it might taste like!
Chocolate experts say that cocoa should be pronounced ka-kow. When you hear cacao (ka-kow); that usually is referring to the tree itself, the pods, and the bean inside of the pods. When you hear of cocoa (ko-ko) that is usually referring to the by-product of the cacao bean; which are the cocoa powder and the cocoa butter.
Cacao nibs and cocoa powder both come from “cocoa beans”. The difference is cacao nibs are still in the “raw” state. It hasn’t been cooked or processed, whereas cocoa powder has been cleaned, roasted, and processed.
As for the taste; I just did a taste test…I am probably not a good person to ask this as I can eat both plain and not mind it at all, since I do add both organic cocoa powder as well as organic raw cacao nibs to my yogurt and smoothies. The taste doesn’t come off as unpleasant. But If I had to describe it, I would say both have somewhat “bitter” taste. But again, I don’t mind that at all. I eat a lot of things for the health benefits. And actually now I enjoy the taste of them plain.
I hope this clears up a little about the differences in raw cacao nibs and cocoa/cocoa powder/cocoa butter, all stemming from the same little bean. 😀
Much appreciated. I have left comments on the current post!
😀
Smoothieeeeee! 😀
Yummmmy! 😀
I’m baaaaack!!! lol and this time with an award nomination for you http://thereviewsister.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/yay-i-have-been-nominated/ just click on the link (or copy and paste it) if you’re interested
I need to use Cacao nibs sometime!!
I had to acquire a taste for it but now I enjoy them. I’m used to eating things for the health if it. I even toss em in my oatmeal. Thanks for reading 🙂
Ya I am pretty good about stuff if I am eating it for the healthy reason 🙂
We’ve got to be, so we can make excuses for the bad stuff! 😉 Hahaha.
Yep!! That is definitely what I do 🙂
Healthy and Yummi 🙂 You made me wanna try this after working out! Do you think I could use this cacao nibs in Cupcakes? How do they taste? Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t put cacao nibs in cupcakes. Cacao nibs don’t melt. Though that wouldn’t keep me from experimenting with it in cupcakes. :). They are great paired up with nuts in cookies. If you try it in cupcakes let me know how it turns out. I will try a small batch this week. We can compare! 😀
That is very healhty and full of nutritions. I would love to have this in my daily diet plan. I am using Raw Cacao nibs these days
Oh good! So many ways to eat them! Thanks for stopping by.
This looks delish! Love all of your healthy recipes. I’m going to need to try some of these 🙂
I’ve got to post more soon. Life has taken up my time. Thank you for popping by!