Are you getting as many green foods into your diet as you should be? If not, is it because of that infamous ‘greens’ taste? I used to have a hard time stomaching it as well. Thankfully, there’s an easy solution — just add chocolate! That’s exactly what this recipe does. It takes healthy green options like spinach and avocado and combines them with a couple of yummy chocolate ingredients. The resulting dark chocolate green smoothie is without a doubt the epitome of delicious and nutritious. It’s absolutely perfect for anyone out there who struggles with hitting their recommended daily intake of greens. On top of the greens and chocolate, this smoothie also includes a few other great ingredients that help to boost it’s nutritional content in a huge way. As far as green smoothie recipes go, you’ll be hard pressed to find a tastier option.

Pro Tip: Use Glass Bottles for Your Smoothies

I know it can be tempting to use a disposable plastic cup for your smoothies but please consider switching to a reusable cup or bottle instead! A canteen or glass jar works wonders for reducing waste and also helps to avoid letting harmful chemicals leech into your smoothie. You can’t go wrong with mason jars, but I also have a canteen for when I’m on the go.

Everything You Need In a Great Tasting Package

There’s a reason why it’s so important to include plenty of leafy green and cruciferous vegetables in your diet. Not only are they packed full of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but they also have proven benefits when it comes to keep certain types of disease at bay. A diet that is rich in leafy greens and cruciferous veggies has been found to be particularly beneficial when it comes to reducing your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. (1) For anyone who’s not a fan of eating green veggies, smoothie recipes like this one are a great way to start loading up greens like spinach. By adding avocado into the mix, you’re also providing even more cardiovascular benefits as well, thanks to its heart healthy monounsaturated fat content.

The other great benefit of this smoothie recipe is the fact that it’s so incredibly rich in disease-fighting antioxidants. Increasing the amount of nutrient antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E, beta carotene, omega-3, flavonoids, and others) has been found to be a promising method of helping to prevent several types of chronic disease like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. (2) With that in mind, many of the ingredients used in this smoothie recipe are rather potent sources of antioxidants, such as the banana (3), hemp seeds (4), and the fresh dates. (5)

Along with all of the nutritional benefits that we’ve already discussed, you’ll also be giving this smoothie recipe a double blast of chocolate thanks to the addition of both unsweetened chocolate almond milk and raw cacao powder. Both of these ingredients are capable of providing some remarkable benefits when it comes to your heart health on top of providing a decadent chocolate flavoring to this recipe. (6) In order to finish the recipe off after mixing in your two chocolate sources, simply add a small pinch of cinnamon and a bit of ice before blending everything together.