FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE | high protein smoothie recipe

Hello my friends, it's Dani and today I have partnered with my friends at Mudwater and I'm showing you how to make my Frozen Hot Chocolate Protein Smoothie. Now for me the name of the game when it comes to eating well is simply focusing on whole real high quality ingredients that are as nutritious as they are delicious and this recipe is just that. Packed with nearly 30 grams of protein, good healthy fats, quality carbohydrates, this hot chocolate protein smoothie also gets an extra boost of flavor and energy from the addition of Mudwater. Now if you're not familiar with Mudwater, it's a Healthy Habits brand best known for its popular coffee alternative Rye's Cacao which is a blend of masala chai and four functional mushrooms. It provides the energy and clarity that you would get from a cup of coffee with a fraction of the caffeine so you are not left with the coffee ginners or with an energy crash. And while I'm not making a cup of coffee, the Mudwater is the secret ingredient for this Frozen Hot Chocolate because the flavor, it tastes like cacao and chai came together and had a baby and it is the secret ingredient for my Frozen Hot Chocolate Protein Smoothie. Yum! So the first thing that goes into the blender is a one cup of unsweetened almond milk or really any type of milk you prefer or have on hand. Whenever I'm making a smoothie or a protein shake, I always start with the liquid because that just helps everything to blend together very easily. Next I'll add in one frozen banana. Whenever I make protein shakes or smoothies, I love the addition of frozen bananas because it really helps to make the texture super, super creamy. If you don't love frozen bananas, you could also sub in some frozen mango. But for sure, whenever I'm at the grocery store, I pick up extra bananas so that I can let them get nice and brown on my counter and then pop them into the freezer. Remember, the browner your banana, the sweeter it is. And my inside tip for freezing your bananas is to peel them, cut them into quarters, lay them on a small sheet pan lined with some parchment paper, and then freeze them like this first. Once they are frozen solid, then I transfer them into a plastic baggie. This way they don't get mushed together and they're really easy to grab when you need them. Then I'm adding in one scoop or 26 grams of chocolate protein powder. Now personally, I like a good quality whey protein because it's super creamy. But if your preference is to stay plant-based, you could certainly choose a plant-based protein powder as well. Then you'll need one tablespoon of nut or seed butter. They all work. I'm using peanut butter today. And then one tablespoon of cacao powder for extra chocolatey goodness. And then last but not least, my secret ingredient, a heaping tablespoon of mud water. Not only does the blend of cacao and chai create the hot chocolate flavor that I'm going for with this smoothie, but mud water is intentionally made of lion's mane mushrooms, which are great for focus, cordyceps to help promote natural energy, and both chaga and reishi, which help to support a healthy immune system. Okay, from here, we're just going to pop on the lid and blend it until everything is well incorporated and it's nice and rich and creamy. Now keep in mind that mud water is also Whole30 approved, 100% USDA certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, and kosher. So it's a great option for many different dietary approaches. This looks so good. Now you can of course enjoy it as is, but if you really want to add some hot chocolate holiday flair, I recommend topping it with some whipped topping and a few chocolate shavings. Ooh, mmm. This is like a next level chocolate protein shake. While it's cold and creamy, it also has the warm, cozy flavors of hot chocolate thanks to the slightly spicy, earthy flavor that we get from the mud water. It is so good. I just cannot wait for you to give this one a try. Yum. Whether you're looking for a healthy coffee alternative without the jitters or the crash that you get from caffeine, or you're just really excited to try my frozen hot chocolate protein smoothie, Mud Water is offering everybody in the Clean and Delicious community a discount and a whole bunch of freebies. Simply visit mudwater.com backslash clean to get $20 off your subscription, a free frother, and free samples of their coconut creamer and sweetener. That's M-U-D-W-T-R dot com backslash clean. As always, thank you so much for watching. I'm Dani Spees, and I'll see you back here next time with some more Clean and Deliciousness. Cheers.