Freeze-Dried Mint-Chocolate Green Smoothie

Did you know cocoa is good for you?  The flavonoids in unsweetened cocoa powder lower inflammation, relax blood vessels to lower blood pressure, and are a good source of iron, magnesium, and zinc.  Unsweetened cocoa powder is also rich in polyphenols, which are antioxidants linked to better cholesterol and lower blood sugar levels.  (source)  Plus, there are almost 2 grams of fiber in 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa. (source)  

Which is exactly the amount in this Freeze-Fried Mint-Chocolate Green Smoothie!

 

I was so happy with how my Freeze-Dried Fruit Smoothies turned out that I wanted to try a green smoothie using only dry freeze-dried ingredients.  So I combined two smoothie recipes I like and made some pantry-friendly ingredient swaps, and viola!  

I am loving that I can still make smoothies using only freeze-dried ingredients.  It's pretty amazing!  I love this tasty, healthy backup to fresh-ingredient smoothies.  This blog is intended to help us eat well in a pinch or in an emergency, and I am pretty happy that smoothies make the list!

Because this smoothie recipe lacks the classic frozen fruit (not being pantry-friendly), it may be thinner than you are accustomed to.  If you want to thicken it, you can add any of the following pantry-friendly ingredients:

• a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal
• navy beans, mashed
• tapioca
• a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

This recipe makes one smoothie, so multiply these ingredients as needed to serve more people.

Check out those bubbles--this picture is straight after mixing!

FREEZE-DRIED MINT-CHOCOLATE GREEN SMOOTHIE

PREP TIME:  8-10 minutes
COOK TIME:  0

INGREDIENTS

• 1  1/2 c. cold milk (either shelf-stable or rehydrated from powdered; see options here)
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
• 1 Tbsp. protein powder (preferably chocolate flavor)
• sweetener equivalent to 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. mint extract
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried Greek yogurt (or vanilla, if you prefer; both available here)
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. freeze-dried spinach (I like this brand; also available here)
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• if desired, add a thickener such as a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal, some mashed navy beans, tapioca, or a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

DIRECTIONS

Stir together all the ingredients in a smoothie-maker cup.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow the freeze-dried ingredients a little rehydration time.  Process with the smoothie-maker until smooth.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.