Snacking is everything.
It’s the thing we associate with socializing and movie-watching. It keeps us going until the next meal. It sustains us on road trips, airplanes, and really looooong days at work.
I had a conversation with a coworker about healthy snacking the other day. She admitted to being stumped sometimes as to what to give her kids. She wanted options that are easy, filling, lower in sugar, easy for small hands to hold, and lunch-packable….pretty much what most grown-ups want, too (except for maybe the small hands part). I had several posts planned ahead and realized that they fit into the category of healthy snacks. A series is born. For the next few weeks, I will be featuring snacks than can be thrown together quickly (some might even pass for a meal in a bind).
Dates are something I usually have on hand in my pantry. They can be chopped up to make granola bars, these date nut bites, or this brussel sprout salad. The trick to making this smoothie, well…smooth is to use really fresh dates (which can usually be found in the produce section or dried fruit section of your grocery store). If your dates are a bit old, you can revive them by placing them in a shallow bowl and covering them with water for 30 minutes.
.
Ingredients
- 5 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/3 cup creamy almond butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup coconut or almond milk
- 1 1/2 cup ice cubes
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. If too thick, add milk a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.
Makes 2 shakes.
