I had a KILLER workout. I was energized, motivated, and had the endurance to really push myself to the limits and go beyond my current peak! I love those days. The ones where you not only feel like you could tackle the world, but in some ways, you actually do. After I showered, I realized I really needed a refuel to backfill all that energy for the rest of day (it was still morning after all!) For refuel, it's got to have banana, protein, healthy fats, and great taste. I've got it! Chocolate-Almond Protein!
Sustainability Spotlight: "Oatmilk is on the rise!" At least, that's what business analysts are seeing. Oatly (my favorite oat milk!) reached a $2 Billion dollar valuation mid-2020 and has been trending ever since. According to an article from Business Insider, oat milk is becoming a staple in American kitchens (and restaurants) due to the taste and its minimal environmental impact. The BBC's environmental impact calculator notes that oat milk as compared to another popular plant-based milk (almond) only uses 1/8th of the amount of water for production. Also, for those health-minded, oat milk is unsweetened vs. many options of almond milk are sweetened to be palatable (most unsweetened can be bitter). For more impact charts and graphical data on plant-based milk comparatives and comparatives with dairy milk visit the following BBC link: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46654042. Overall, I utilize oat milk almost exclusively in my sustainable kitchen with minor forays into cashewmilk or coconut milks where I need some flavor boost or Oatly is sold out (yay for becoming mainstream; boo for being so popular that it is hard to come by sometimes). The flavor and texture is most like dairy milk but WAY more sustainable than dairy and definitely the top contender for "most sustainable" in the plant-based aisles. If you are just venturing into the vegan lifestyle, try Oatly (it's really the best option!) first and you may not look back!
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen cauliflower florets
2 scoops of chocolate protein powder (Garden of Life - Plant-based Sport)
1 ripe banana
2 large serving spoon scoops of smooth almond butter (~1/4 cup)
2 cups of oat milk
Optional Garnish: dash of cocoa powder
Directions:
Place all ingredients (cauliflower through oat milk) in the order shown above in a high-powered blender.
If you have a Vitamix with smoothie button, turn on and wait for the blender to automatically stop. Proceed to Step #4.
If you do not have a Vitamix with a smoothie button, turn on blender on low and gradually increase in increments of 20 seconds each all the way up to the highest setting. Use a tamper or scrape down sides as needed and blend until smooth (~4 minutes).
Pour into glasses and top with the optional garnish(es) noted above. Serve & enjoy!
With love & hope for a better future for all of us - Jamie