A spicy smoothie?! Have I gone mad? Yes. Yes, I have. Like nearly everyone else, I am starting out the year with a goal of losing weight. My fridge is stocked with fruit, I’m letting Chris finish all of my Christmas candy, we bought a treadmill, and “Eye of the Tiger” is playing in a constant loop in my head. (In a week, I’ll probably be demanding that Chris give me back my Christmas candy and using the treadmill for cat racing, but let’s focus on the present!) I always feel like I have to work twice as hard at this whole weight loss thing because my metabolism is jacked up–eleven years ago, I lost 100 pounds (yes, really!) and while I kept most of it off, it’s been hard because once you gain and lose that much weight, your metabolism is never the same. Enter: cayenne pepper.
- ½-1 cup water or coconut water
- 1 cup packed spinach
- 1 banana
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-2 tsp spirulina powder
- 2 medjool dates, pitted
- Handful of fresh mint leaves or ¼ tsp pure mint extract
- 1 tbsp cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips (optional)
- 3 ice cubes
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and purée until smooth. Serve.
Photo Credit: yummybeet