Let me tell you first thing, I’m not a health expert. I have probably done more than my fair share of research in the area of nutrition and health, but I don’t consider myself an expert. On anything really. That said, I think this is a pretty healthy shake. For one, no ice cream.

I started making these when I went off all sugar and caffeine for several weeks to help my adrenals heal and hopefully reduce or eliminate the panic attacks. After a couple weeks, I was really missing something sweet. So I decided to try the raw cacao powder and see if it would answer my chocolate cravings. It did and it did not trigger panic attacks. I’ve been drinking them ever since.

A quick rundown of the ingredients:

• Raw Cacao Powder – A good (and yummy) source for antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium. For more info and a yummy looking granola recipe, check out this post over on The Health Minded.
• Chia Seeds – These tiny little seeds are awesome for fiber, calcium, omega-3’s, and many other minerals. They are also surprisingly high in protein. Check out the handy graphic over on Body Unburdened to learn more.
• Banana – The classic yellow fruit is good for fiber, potassium, vitamin B6, manganese, and magnesium.
• Coconut Oil – This stuff is awesome. Basically, it’s a GOOD fat that can actually help you lose weight and in a myriad of other ways.
• Raw Honey – Also an antioxidant, raw honey is full of vitamins and minerals.

I like to make this shake in the morning and pair it with a couple eggs fried in coconut oil and a piece or two of sourdough toast. I tend to eat later in the morning and this will hold me through lunch. I’ll have a snack in the middle of the afternoon and be good until dinner.

I was also adding raw almond butter to the mix, but then there was a huge recall for salmonella, which I came down with a small case of. It was really good, but I haven’t been able to add it back in since. I am considering finding a protein powder that I like. The Tera’s Whey brand looks to be highly recommended.

Healthy Chocolate Breakfast Shake Recipe

Maybe now is the time to tell you that I tend to not follow recipes when I cook. I do when I bake, but cooking lends itself to eyeballing amounts for me. Since I do love you all, I went ahead and measured out some ingredients to give you all an actual recipe.

I use the single serve cup of my Ninja blender to make these. I highly recommend that blender, Costco had a great deal that came with the 72 ounce pitcher, 3 of the 16 ounce single serve cups, and the food processor bowl. The single serve cups use a different blade than the pitcher and do a nice job of blending tiny seeds like chia and flax.

• 1 medium banana
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk – dairy, almond, or coconut
• 2 T. chia seeds
• 1-2 T. raw cacao powder
• 1 T. coconut oil
• 1 t. raw honey (optional)

Place all in blender cup, in the order listed. Blend until smooth.

Enjoy!