Coffee… is it healthy or not? There’s all kinds of studies saying it is and isn’t. Truth is, one cup of coffee per day likely isn’t going to cause you harm, but when you’re using coffee as a false source of energy, health problems are likely to follow. There’s no substitute for a good night’s sleep and if we are fueling our bodies with caffeine, we are likely interfering with the depth of our sleep and our body’s signs telling us that we are tired. Bottom line, you can have your morning cup of coffee, just don’t have four! Too much coffee has been linked to raising blood pressure, LDL (bad cholesterol), homocysteine (elevated levels associated with heart attack and stroke) and overworking your adrenal glands by keeping your body in a chronic state of stress. To be fair, there are a few benefits to coffee, like antioxidants which fight free-radical damage and the ability to lengthen telomeres, but that still doesn’t mean we should drink it all day!
This recipe’s purpose is to omit the unhealthy dairy and sugar that most people add to their coffee by substituting plant milk and a banana to make a delicious smoothie in a couple minutes! I used cold brew coffee (which actually has more caffeine so I only use a small amount) for this but you could also brew coffee and chill it ahead of time. There’s a good tutorial on cold brew here.
cold brew coffee smoothie
serves 1
ingredients
1/2 cup cold brew coffee, chilled (directions here)
1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk of choice
1.5 frozen ripe bananas
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
tiny pinch of cayenne powder (I mean tiny, like 1/16 of a teaspoon)
tiny pinch of ancho chili powder (I mean tiny, like 1/16 of a teaspoon)
directions
blend all ingredients in high powered blender until smooth. pour into glass and top with cacao nibs.
