The Coffee Protein Smoothie

I seem to mostly blog about smoothie or smoothie-items. I will try to branch out in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, here is my new favorite breakfast smoothie. I invented it in order to incorporate some coffee into my morning smoothie. Lets be honest, we all need a bit of a pick me up some mornings. However, I was finding it hard to drink a latte (my coffee of choice) after a big smoothie. Thus, this eye opener was born. It includes my required serving of veggies and half a serving of fruit plus healthy fat and lots of protein to get you to lunch.

 Ingredients

• 1-2 scoops of protein powder - I use Mt. Capra Double Bonded Protein. Try to find one without any artificial additives or added sugar. 
• 1 cup of strong coffee (I usually use espresso made with a 3 cup moka pot) 
• 1/2 cup low fat kefir or 1/2 cup of milk (almond, coconut, etc) of your choice (I have been using coconut milk kefir recently)
• 1/2 a frozen banana (If you do not like banana, you are substitute it with a natural sweeter such as stevia, coconut sugar, agave, xylitol or honey)
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1-2 Tablespoons of nut butter (I usually use peanut butter without salt)
• 3 ice cubes

Additions (optional)

• 1-2 tablespoon unsweetened coco power

Instructions

Put all the ingredients  in a blender and blend.

The peanut butter, banana and coffee are an excellent pairing. The only minus of this smoothie is that it is a bit of an odd color: kind of an olive green hue. The coco powder tens to conceal this a bit. Since it tastes excellent, I am willing to overlook the color in order to get in some greens with my breakfast. If the color really bothers you, omit the spinach.