Creamy Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie (or Smoothie Bowl)

This easy recipe is reminiscent of mint chocolate chip ice cream, but made with healthy greens! It is also banana-free, for those who don’t like bananas, and instead uses avocado for a creamy texture!

If you prefer bananas or don’t have an avocado on hand, you can substitute frozen banana (½ to a whole depending on size and your desired sweetness) instead of the avocado, in which case you likely won’t need to add maple syrup to sweeten.

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Here’s how to make this:

Ingredients (for 1 smoothie):

½ avocado

¼ cup (packed) rinsed fresh mint leaves, de-stemmed

½ cup spinach

1 cup milk (I used This PKN original pecan milk)

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp peppermint extract

1-3 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to your desired sweetness)

2 squares of mint dark chocolate (I used Alter Eco mint blackout)

Steps:

1. Blend all ingredients except chocolate together until smooth. If making a smoothie, add some water, starting with ¼ cup, until it is thin enough to pour.

2. Add in 2 squares of mint dark chocolate, and gently pulse in the blender until the chocolate is chopped into small pieces. You want to have the chocolate chip texture and taste, so don’t fully blend the chocolate in!

3. Pour into a bowl or glass and enjoy! Top with a chocolate chunk and some fresh mint for garnish!