Sneak some extra nutrition into your morning with this Chocolate Black Bean Protein Shake. Full of fiber, protein and chocolate-y goodness, you won’t even remember there are beans in it!
For those of you that don’t know, besides blogging I work at my local WIC clinic 1 day each week. I love being able to help women and children learn more about their health, well-being and nutrition. Besides health and nutrition education and help for breastfeeding mothers, WIC provides certain nutritious foods for growing families. One category of foods WIC provides is legumes – usually in the form of dried or canned beans or peanut butter.
Beans are the number one food item I get asked about as to how to use them in cooking. (You can learn how to use dried beans, including a dried to canned beans conversion, from a previous post here.) Many of my clients are at a loss when it comes to how to cook with beans, or how to use them so their children will like them. I’m lucky because my toddler LOVES beans. He would eat plain beans for dinner if I would give it to him (and sometimes I do!). At the WIC clinic, I do have a handout I give my clients with a few bean recipe ideas, but I am always looking for new and creative ways to use beans.
Beans are a nutritional powerhouse. Legumes, including beans, are excellent sources of plant-based protein. They are a great source of nutrients such as iron, zinc, potassium and folate. They are also an excellent source of dietary fiber. Because legumes have a similar nutrient profile to foods in both the protein and the vegetable food groups, they may be thought of as either a vegetable or a protein food! You can read more about the health benefits of beans here.
Sneak some extra nutrition into your morning with this Chocolate Black Bean Protein Shake Share on XFor this recipe I wanted to go outside the box a bit and showcase the versatility of beans! This recipe is so easy to make, you just throw all the ingredients in your blender and push start. I know you are thinking beans in a drink is disgusting, but let me tell you, when you taste it you wouldn’t even know there are beans in it. You will taste the chocolate, some banana and a hint of nut butter – but no beans. It’s like eating dessert for breakfast, but it’s healthy!
Tell me in the comments, what are YOUR favorite ways to cook with and enjoy beans?
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Chocolate Black Bean Protein Shake
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 smoothies 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sneak some extra nutrition into your morning with this Chocolate Black Bean Protein Shake. Full of fiber, protein and chocolate-y goodness, you won’t even remember there are beans in it!
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon nut butter
- 1 cup black beans (no salt added), drained and rinsed
- 1 banana, sliced and frozen*
- 1 cup ice
Instructions
- Place ingredients in blender in the order listed. Blend on high for 30-60 seconds, or until smooth.
- Pour into 2 serving glasses and enjoy!
Notes
*I like to slice a banana then freeze the slices. If you do not use frozen banana slices you can add 1/2-1 cup ice to help make it more of a smoothie/frozen consistency.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ~2 cups
- Calories: 378
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 133 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 57 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 7 g
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