Salted Caramel Frappuccino Smoothie

Happy Monday, friends! A heat wave is about to sweep over Ontario, so I’m dropping in with a morning wake-up call that is frosty, energizing, and packed with nutrients. Hopefully you can enjoy it as much as me over the coming days, weeks, and months! I’ve had to take a few days off from running due to a calf strain and am feeling pretty antsy without my favourite form of activity, but I’m trying to look at it as an exercise in patience and mindfulness. :/

I hopped aboard the coffee train partway through university to stay awake during some particularly draining classes and, while I have tried to keep my consumption to 1-2 cups a day, I am a huge fan and could realistically drink it all day long if it didn’t keep me wired at night.

The idea for this salted caramel frappuccino smoothie came to me last week as I was drinking a cup of hot coffee on a warm morning. #whythough? I try to steer clear of the blended drinks from mainstream coffee chains because refined sugar and dairy simply don’t make me feel good, but I had a sudden craving for something cold, lightly sweet, and very caffeinated. It couldn’t just be an iced latte, either. No, this was going to be the real deal. And that is how this blended bliss came into existence.

It begins with a few simple ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand:

-Frozen banana
-Medjool dates
-Maca
-Cashew butter or nut butter of choice
-Cold brew or cold coffee
-Almond milk
-Sea salt
-Vanilla extract
-Ice cubes

Then, everything gets blended together into creamy, icy deliciousness:

Pour, pour, pour into your favourite glass:

Sip, savour, and have a great day!

Salted Caramel Frappuccino Smoothie

Servings: 1
VEGAN
Gluten-free, Soy-free, Nut-free option

I large frozen banana
2 pitted Medjool dates, soaked if very hard
¾ cup cold brew coffee or brewed + chilled coffee
¼ cup almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice
1 tablespoon maca powder
1 tablespoon cashew butter, or nut or seed butter of choice (sunflower butter would be nice)
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large ice cubes

Directions: 

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth! Easy as a salted caramel frappuccino.
2. Pour into your favourite glass and enjoy as often as possible.