Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Smoothie

This post is sponsored by got milk? in partnership with local California organizations that educate kids about the importance of proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. 

I don’t know how it goes down in your house but I buy milk by the gallon and we go through multiple gallons per week. My boys have always craved dairy based drinks like smoothies and milkshakes and even more so when they are in training. During water polo and swim season, the blender rarely makes it back to it’s place in the cupboard. I know it’s an intense craving when they take it upon themselves to whip up these concoctions. This is serious business.

I came up with this recipe in an effort to duplicate Boy #3′s favorite smoothie from our local smoothie joint. He was my taste tester and I got the big seal of approval from the expert. It’s an indulgent tasting, yet very wholesome snack that is perfect for after school, before or after practice, or any old time the craving strikes.

To get the thick, creamy result we are after, it’s important to use frozen bananas. When you buy a bunch, just throw a few in the freezer so you’ll always have them on hand when you need them. In addition you will need milk, nonfat vanilla yogurt, creamy peanut butter, and chocolate syrup. You’ll also need about 1 cup of ice.

Let the frozen banana sit out for a couple of minutes to soften to the point where you can safely run a knife down the length of the peel. You should be able to pull the peel off once it has thawed just a bit.

Everything goes into the blender.

Add about 1 cup of ice. Process the mixture until it is nice and smooth.

Pretty nifty glass don’t you think?

When making batches of these, I discovered a neat trick. If you freeze the mixture for an hour or two, you end up with a soft-serve style dessert that is incredible! So, if you whip up a batch and have leftovers, be sure to pop them in the freezer to check this out. As a matter of fact, you may want to mix up a batch just for this purpose because it is SO good this way! Any freezer safe container with a lid will do.

Pop it in the freezer and after an hour or two here is what you’ll have. A creamy, dreamy, nutritious frozen dessert.

If you keep in in the freezer for several hours you will have a more icy, but equally delicious frozen treat.

As part of the most recent got milk? campaign, the California Milk Processor Board has created this fun set of two very cool, retro looking, limited edition milk glasses.

The real milk glass has a very short ingredient list consisting of just two items, milk and vitamin D3.

In contrast, the “imitation” milk glass with it’s long and hard to pronounce list of ingredients.

The glasses are on sale now through August 5 for $15, including shipping and handling, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to THINK Together, Bay Area Community Resources, and the Central Valley Afterschool Foundation. These community-based organizations support nutrition education programs for children and their parents across the Golden State. What a great way to bring home the message about the pure, simple nature of real dairy milk, help support a great cause, and get some cool new glasses to boot! Click here to order.

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Smoothie

Yield: 2 smoothies

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana, peeled
• 1 (6 ounce) container nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup reduced fat (2%) milk
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 1 cup ice

Directions:

Place all ingredients, except whipped cream, in a blender in the order listed. Process until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish with whipped cream, if desired. Frozen dessert method: Pour into freezer containers, cover, and freeze for at least one hour or more.

As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher Program, I received a stipend and got milk? glassware in exchange for my participation in this program.