Have any of you taken one of the latest, of many, quizzes on Facebook? It’s the one where Facebook analyzes your pictures and posts and tells you which friend is your second half. The one who makes you whole.
As much as I don’t believe in those dang things, I’m always compelled to take the quizzes. This particular one told me that Alex is my second half. My beautiful—inside and out—daughter is my second half. For the most part I agree. But in truth, my second half is divided into thirds. There’s a section for my husband and son too, because without those three people there would be a huge gap in my soul.
It takes many parts to make a whole. Take away one of those parts and you’ll have a hole. Funny how that works.
Funny how FB got that quiz so close to right too. Alex and I sometimes freak one another out because we have the exact same thoughts at the same time, only we don’t live in the same house, so how can that happen?
For example, a few days ago I was looking through pictures of tropical vacations from days long past. I ran across some pictures of the kids and our neighbor’s kids sipping on chunky monkeys. Their faces were glowing from the sun and from pure joy.
Those chunky monkeys were so good that even the adults drank one every day on that vacation. Although we had a little rum slipped into ours. Shhhhh…….
Moving along, the next day Alex and I were talking on the phone for the fiftieth time since I’d looked through those pictures, and she told me that I should try the chunky monkey smoothie that she made that morning.
Me, inside my head: Wait, what?! I was just thinking of chunky monkeys yesterday! We really do share the same brain. Facebook was right! Deep breath. Pull yourself together.
Me replying to Alex: Wow, it’s so funny that you mention chunky monkeys because I just ran across a picture of you, your brother, and M and K drinking chunky monkeys in Mexico. How weird is that?
After a lot of reminiscing I asked her to text me her recipe, because I was in the middle of a run and didn’t want to stop to write it down. Isn’t is so cool that you can use your phone to take notes?
Did I just age myself with that last question?
When I got home from my run I scooted into my kitchen and made Alex’s vegan chunky monkey chocolate smoothie. Delicious!
It was chocolatey, rich, and creamy. There was a hint of banana flavor, but it tasted mostly like chocolate. The dates made it sweet, but not too sweet. This was a good smoothie.
It wasn’t exactly like the ones I remember in Mexico because those were a million times thicker and full of fat and sugar, but the flavors were pretty darn close. Well done my healthy and smart daughter. Well done.
Of course, me being me, I had to try making it with spinach and hemp seeds, because I will sneak greens into everything. And I needed the hemp seeds for protein because I had just completed an Insanity X video and a four mile run.
There’s no sneaking a cup and a half of spinach into anything. The chocolate chunky monkey turned green. You could call it a chocolate chunky leprechaun.
The good news, it still tasted like the original. Spinach has a mild flavor so the banana and cacao powder totally masked the flavor of the spinach.
This vegan chunky monkey chocolate smoothie is the perfect drink to make for you and your family on a busy morning. You can whip it up and take it with you and sip on a banana, dates, almond milk, hemp seeds, and cacao (or cocoa) powder. It tastes like a yummy, sugary, chocolatey treat, but there isn’t a speck of refined sugar in it.
You can also boost the nutritional values of your smoothie by adding spinach to the mix.
Here’s what you get from one vegan chunky monkey chocolate smoothie:
- Almond milk – 1 cup is only 30 calories. It gives you 45% of your daily value of calcium (1 cup of milk is 103 calories and only gives you 30% calcium), 25% of vitamin D, and 20% of vitamin E. I used Silk original.
- Banana – Great source of potassium, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, and fiber. Also a great source of energy.
- Dates – Great source of fiber, potatssium, copper, manganese, magnesium, and vitamin B-6.
- Hemp hearts – Excellent source of essential fatty acids and protein.
- Cacao powder – Antioxidants, prevents hormonal mood swings, lowers blood pressure, and more.
- Spinach – Great source of vitamins A and K, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, calcium, and vitamins B2, B6, E and C.
All of those healthy things in one delicious chocolate banana smoothie that tastes like it should be dessert, not breakfast.
This is going to be my recovery drink after every workout and long run. It perked me up after my intense morning of exercise, so much so that I could have done more. That’s pretty amazing because I was dragging before I drank it.
Don’t skip breakfast, it’s bad for you. Make this vegan chunky monkey chocolate smoothie and fuel your body and brain so you can do great things all morning. Then eat this for lunch so you can continue on for the rest of the day.
Tell me:
Who would your other half be?
Have you ever had a chunky monkey?
What’s your favorite vacation drink?
Alex and I love hearing from you. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think of our recipes. And let’s connect! Hop on over to Facebook page and give it a like, or follow us on Instagram or Twitter, and follow us and share this and other Veganosity recipes on Pinterest. We'd be so grateful if you did.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
Vegan Chunky Monkey Chocolate Smoothie
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
- 1 frozen banana
- 2 pitted dates
- 1 tablespoon of cacao or cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons of hemp seeds
- ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of finely ground sea salt
- 1 and ½ cups of spinach optional
Instructions
- Put the almond milk in the blender then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Note: The spinach will turn the smoothie green. If you don’t want a green smoothie then don’t add the spinach. I add it for the nutritional value.
- Enjoy!
Evi says
Facebook didn't have a difficult job to figure it out that Alex is your other half 😀
This chunky monkey smoothie sounds very yummy, love it!
Linda Meyer says
True! She's my mini-me. 🙂 Thanks, Evi!
Kathy Hester says
Easy and delicious will be the perfect way to start my day tomorrow.
Linda Meyer says
Yay! Let me know how you like it, Kathy. 🙂
Sina @ Vegan Heaven says
Yummy! This chunky monkey smoothie looks amazing, Linda, and what a cute story! And that monkey face! Haha! 🙂 Love it!
Linda Meyer says
Lol! Thanks, Sina. Sometimes I just can't help myself. 😉
Gin says
I love reading about you and Alex. My mom and I are very close too. Love this smoothie, it would be like starting the day with a healthy tropical AND chocolate shake!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! That's so sweet of you to say, Gin. 🙂 My mom and I are really close too, she taught me how to stay connected to loved ones. Yes, that's absolutely what this smoothie is like.
Lucie says
I adore chunky monkey anything so this is a total must! Oh and I love that you managed to sneak in some spinach; the more greens the better 🙂
Linda Meyer says
You can't get much better than chocolate and bananas, and the name is so cute. 🙂 Absolutely, spinach is my jam, I think I eat a pound a day. Thanks, Lucie!
haukehawk says
Banana and spinach go surprisingly well! I have this combo plus X in a smoothie very often! This one looks delish too 😀
Linda Meyer says
Spinach is so versatile. I add it to everything, it's kind of a problem-haha! Thanks, Howie. 🙂
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
Since you asked, I'll be honest and admit that my favorite vacation drink is the Banana Daiquiri. Guilty. Don't judge me. 🙂 And since my lazy butt self had started running again, this chunky monkey is appropriately named and has come into my life at the right time! Thanks to you both!
Linda Meyer says
You're the second person who named the Banana Daiquiri as their favorite cocktail. No judgment here. Hahaha! Good for you, running melts off the pounds faster than any workout I know. At least for me. Thanks, Rachelle!
Jenn S. says
Love this combo! I make something similar quite often. My kids call it the banana smoothie. Little do they know there are hidden superfoods in there! 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Sneaky mom! 🙂 What they don't know will just make them better.
Uma Srinivas says
Love dates in smoothie! yummy!
Linda Meyer says
Thanks, Uma!
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
this is my favorite combo!!!
Linda Meyer says
So happy you like it! Thanks so much. 🙂
Hedi Hearts says
hahaha love the name of the smoothie, my Sofia would slurp this up within seconds
Linda Meyer says
Thanks, Hedi! Kids love this drink, partly because of the name, and mostly because it tastes like a chocolate shake. 🙂
Christine (Run Plant Based) says
Cute story and this recipe looks great! I love making fun smoothies and constantly experimenting with how many veggies I can get hubby to drink.
Linda Meyer says
I think he'd love this. It tastes like a chocolate shake but it's good for him. Thanks, Christine!
Lisa says
Yum! I love the idea of a chunky monkey smoothie!
Linda Meyer says
Thanks, Lisa!
smokeytoes says
Cocoa and banana, what's not to love! I might be tempted to add a small spoon of peanut butter as well for a real dessert-like treat!
All the years I've eaten healthily, I've just discovered the beauty of hemp seeds. I'd love to see more recipes where you utilize them! And do they act like chia seeds, as a thickener?
Linda Meyer says
Yes! Peanut butter would be fabulous in this smoothie. Hemp seeds are amazing. They don't thicken like chia seeds and that's why I like them. I sprinkle them on oatmeal, salads, and popcorn. Thanks for the idea, I'll use them in some of my upcoming recipes. 🙂
Natalie says
Whoa whoa wait, did you say Facebook did something right?? 😮 That's a first! haha That's actually really funny and amazing that it paired you with Alex! Your brains combined certainly lead to delicious smoothies! I LOVE the flavors of chunky monkey (and fun name too :)) and i would probably go for the green version, I try not to pass up a chance to cram more spinach into my life. Definitely pinning this one to blend up soon 🙂
Linda Meyer says
LOL! I know, can you believe those words came from me?! 🙂 You know I'm all about the green when it comes to smoothies. The best thing about this recipe is that it tastes like chocolate but you get the benefits of the spinach too. Thanks for pinning!
Two City Vegans says
Don't you love recipes that only take 3 steps? Also, I usually hate those kinds of quizzes, but sometimes they are so accurate. 🙂 You guys awesome and so sweet.
Linda Meyer says
Awwww.... You two are so sweet for saying that. 🙂 Thank you.
I hate them and I love those darn quizzes. I have no self-control, when I see them I take them before I know what I've done.
Strength and Sunshine says
That monkey face 😉 Sometimes facebook and buzzfeed know all! It's crazy! hahahahaha!
My favorite vacation drink will always and forever be the (virgin) banana daquires (sp? don't know how to spell that one!) from my favorite seaside restaurant down in Wildwood (NJ). They are amazing and I would get one every time we went. I felt so cool as a 7 year old drinking one 😛
Linda Meyer says
Oh yeah, banana daiquiris are sweet! Haha! I used to love kiddie cocktails when I was little for the same reason. That and the maraschino cherries. 😉
Facebook, Buzzfeed, Amazon, they scare me.