SHAKE UP Breakfast Time! Chocolate Breakfast Shake

It’s delicious, nutritious, and easy to make. Here’s a quick run-down of the ingredients:

• You’ll get potassium from the banana.
• Lots of fiber from the flax + it helps reduce cholesterol and helps stabilize blood sugar. And, my opthalmologist recommends it for eye health.
• Almond “milk” is made from almonds, water and a little sweetener. It contains no cholesterol or lactose. (We seem to have developed a lactose intolerance as we have aged!) The commercial product we buy is enhanced with vitamins, has 50% more calcium than regular milk and contains just 60 calories per one cup (compared to skim milk at 90 calories per cup). Besides that, it tastes really good and has a long refrigerator shelf life.
• Occasionally I will tap into Barry’s ever present supply of Nutella® (hazelnut-based sweet spread made from ground hazelnuts, skim milk and cocoa) but most of the time I just use plain cocoa which produces a chocolaty taste without too many extra calories.
• Personally, the almond milk and sugar from the banana adds enough sweetness for me, but if it’s not enough for you, add honey or agave syrup (a naturally low glycemic sweetener - it is 1½ times sweeter than sugar so just a little adds a lot of sweetness).

Chocolate Breakfast Shake    Makes about 2 cups
1 banana
¾ to 1 cup Almond Milk or use regular if preferred
1 tablespoon ground flax meal (I use golden flax meal)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder or use 1 to 2 tablespoons Nutella® for a richer flavor
About ½ to ¾ of a glass of ice cubes (use the glass you’ll serve the shake in)
Agave or honey to sweeten, if needed

1. Put banana, milk, flax meal, cocoa and Nutella® into blender. Add lid and blend until well mixed.
2. Stop blender; add ice and blend until ice is finely chopped.
3. Taste and add agave or honey -- just enough to sweeten, if needed. (If you use almond milk and Nutella@ they both have sweetners in them so you may or may not need additional sweetness.)