Banana Strawberry Chocolate Smoothie (for Stress Relief)

This banana strawberry chocolate smoothie is all you need for a healthy start to the day or a delicious and protein-packed snack. Its stress-relieving ingredients, such as dark chocolate, rolled oats, and pumpkin seeds, can help you endure stressful periods.

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Strawberries and bananas make a match made in heaven, banana offers creaminess and sweetness, and strawberries bring on fruity and low calories flavor. Add dark chocolate cacao powder, and you will be zipping on a luscious smoothie; it truly feels like drinking up chocolate-covered strawberries ice cream.

This chocolate strawberry banana smoothie was inspired by our basic yet flavorful banana strawberry apple smoothie and blackberry banana smoothie.

Jump to:

• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💡 Top tip
• 📖 Variations
• 💆 Why is this a Stress Relief smoothie?
• 🥤 More Strawberry smoothies
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

🧾 Ingredients

• Dark chocolate (dark cocoa powder): Delivers a rich, indulgent taste and contains antioxidants that can improve mood and reduce stress.
• Banana: Provides a creamy texture and natural sweetness, while also offering potassium to help manage blood pressure.
• Strawberry: Adds a fruity tang and Vitamin C, essential for immune support and stress reduction.
• Pumpkin seeds: Contribute a crunchy texture, magnesium for relaxation, and zinc for immune health.
• Maple syrup: Gives a subtle, earthy sweetness and an alternative to refined sugars, keeping the smoothie naturally sweetened.
• Soy milk (almond milk or oat milk): Acts as a versatile, plant-based liquid that adds creaminess and complements the overall flavor profile.
• Oats: Offer a heart-healthy fiber boost and help to make the smoothie more satiating, which can aid in stress management.

Optional: lemon juice

Strawberry banana smoothie protein: add a scoop of plant-based protein.

🔪 Instructions

To make this chocolate strawberry smoothie, I recommend you use frozen strawberries and frozen bananas; frozen fruit will make your smoothies creamier as you don't need to add more water or ice cubes, which tend to thin them up.

Tip: if your blender is not too strong, you can freeze sliced fresh strawberries so blending goes smoothly.

Step 3: Serve immediately in a glass and optionally garnish with cocoa powder or cacao nibs.

Add more non-dairy milk if you want to adjust it to be more liquid.

💡 Top tip

Add lemon or lime to strawberries to enhance their flavor. This can be very helpful when strawberries are not as sweet as expected.

📖 Variations

This strawberry banana chocolate smoothie can be easily tweaked to use what you have readily available in a healthy pantry.

• Strawberries – feel free to use frozen strawberries or frozen berries; it will make your smoothie recipes creamier. If your blender is not ice-friendly, let them soak for a couple of minutes in plant milk.
• Pumpkin seeds – you can add or sub for walnuts, as they also have great anti-stress properties and protein.
• Sweetness – if you use a very ripe banana and sweet strawberries, you may not need any sweetener, as their natural sweetness may be enough to sweeten your healthy smoothie. You can use your favorite wholesome sweetener, like agave nectar, date paste, or pitted whole Medjool dates.
• Plant-based milk – we like using homemade soy milk to increase the protein content of our smoothies, but you can also use your plant milk of choice. We regularly make our almond milk and oat milk at home and use them indistinctively in our smoothies. You can also use chocolate almond milk and skip the cocoa powder.
• More antioxidants – add chia seeds or flax meal to increase both the protein content and nutritional value of any of your smoothies. Bear in mind that they will also add some extra calories. We usually add one tablespoon for each serving. Both chia seeds, flax meal, or flax seeds will make the smoothie thicker, so you can add some extra ice cubes or liquid to keep the same consistency.
• Strawberry banana smoothie protein – we like adding a tablespoon of complement vegan protein powder when drinking it before or after working out. Instead of protein powder, to make a strawberry chocolate protein smoothie, you could use hemp seeds, which are high in protein and are also super creamy, making them a great addition to your vegan smoothie. This makes it a great post-workout drink.
• Rich chocolate flavor - make your smoothie even more chocolatey by adding a teaspoon of cocoa powder, using your choice of dairy-free chocolate milk, or using chocolate protein powder.

💆 Why is this a Stress Relief smoothie?

We developed this recipe when we were going through some tough times, and as we go by the mantra, make food your medicine, we started researching what foods we could consume to help relieve some anxiety.

Anxiety and stress can take a toll on our mental and physical health. Studies have shown that anxiety and stress are linked to several health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and sleep disorders.

Fortunately, several simple lifestyle changes can help reduce anxiety and stress. One of the most effective is making some healthy changes to your diet.

Luckily, we found that some of the best foods that can help manage stress are foods that are readily available in most grocery stores and farmers' markets.

Some of them are the ones we chose to make this delicious chocolate banana strawberry smoothie; you guessed them: strawberries, nuts, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and oats.

Let’s explore how each of these ingredients can help your brain to better manage stress and why.

Strawberries

While there are many ways to help reduce anxiety and stress, one method that is often overlooked is eating strawberries. Strawberries are rich in vitamin C, which has been shown to help reduce anxiety and stress levels.

In addition, strawberries contain folate, a nutrient that helps to protect the brain from damage. As a result, eating strawberries can help to reduce anxiety and stress levels and improve mental health.

They also have a significant amount of fiber, which is excellent for aiding constipation.

Read on: How to make your own strawberry juice»

Dark chocolate

According to research, dark chocolate contains high levels of flavonoids, which are compounds that have been shown to reduce anxiety and stress. In one study, participants who ate dark chocolate reported feeling calmer and more relaxed than those who ate milk chocolate.

Dark chocolate also helps to improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, both of which can be helpful in reducing anxiety. So next time you're feeling stressed, reach for a bar of dark chocolate - it just might help you feel better. (source)

Use dark chocolate to make vegan lava cakes for an indulgent dessert!

Nuts

Nuts are a natural source of nutrients that help improve mood and reduce anxiety. In addition, nuts contain healthy fats that help to protect against heart disease.

So, if you're looking for a way to reduce anxiety and stress, try adding a handful of nuts to your daily routine, peanut butter or almond butter. You may be surprised at the difference it makes.

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds are great for stress relief because they contain a high level of magnesium. Magnesium is known to help reduce stress levels and promote relaxation. In addition, pumpkin seeds are a good source of tryptophan, an amino acid that helps the body produce serotonin.

Serotonin is a hormone that helps regulate mood and can be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety. So, if you're feeling stressed out, consider adding some pumpkin seeds to your diet. You just might find that they help you relax and feel better. (source)

Oats

Of course, you can consume each of these fantastic ingredients on their own, but we wanted a stress-relief shot, with all of them packed in a single smoothie, that was not only delicious but healthy and could easily be part of our work-out routine, instead of just drinking it on top of our meal plan. (source)

That is why we decided we wanted to make a strawberry chocolate protein smoothie, which makes total sense because another great way to release stress is to exercise and practice mindfulness.

🥤 More Strawberry smoothies

We love the combination of strawberries and kiwis. It is refreshing light and filling.

If you feel like having almost a mocktail with tropical flavors popping up, make this Strawberry pineapple smoothie, made with coconut milk, for a super refreshing treat.

The peanut butter and strawberry smoothie, will gain your heart with its delicious creaminess.

Also, our latest creation is this delicious strawberry banana mango smoothie, made with almond milk; you will love it!

Finally, one of our preferred smoothies, made with mandarin orange and strawberries, is a delightful citrusy and sweet option to start your day.

⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

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