It’s Sunday night. You can be of two minds right now. Apprehensive about the week ahead and the many tasks it entails. Or as pleased as the cat that got the cream with the weekend that’s been. It’s your choice. You may even be lucky enough to have a wondiferous week ahead and be feeling just plain good about everything. Sunday nights can fulfil many purposes, however they are not for wallowing. If you’re anxious about the coming week, or forlornly pondering why it has to be that the weekend is over, pick something good that’s happened in the last two days and use it to perk your up your last few hours until that Monday morning menace of an alarm goes off. So what’s it going to be? This Choco-Banana Smoothie is mine.

Amidst the productivity of the last few days, I christened the blender/blitzer/nutri-bullet type thingo that I received as an early birthday present with what else but a smoothie. Uncertain as to how it would turn out: chucking in a bit of whatever was on hand, it was a most pleasant surprise to end up with a concoction that possessed a textural and taste resemblance to that of chocolate pudding/mousse. Hallelujah! However, that little notion of doubt came creeping in. What if it had been a complete and utter fluke? Could I recreate it? What the exact right combination was gone, gone, goooonnnnnnne for ever? Well, fear not. Round two (the following day, because smoothies = life) was almost as good, and only not ‘as good’ because the element of surprise had been omitted. Bingo. We have ourselves a keeper, people. Thick and creamy, smooth and chocolately, it’s the kind of smoothie best eaten with a spoon. And it needs respect. Take the time to savour it. Write a daily musing. Look at a pretty picture. Stare out a window. See if you can take longer than 10 minutes to consume it. That’s right, we’re talking about mindful eating.

This discovery was a feather in the cap for a pretty darn good weekend. We basked in the splendour of TayTay on Friday night, bringing a certain someone’s Taylor Swift concert attendance up to three. Once a little sheepish about this, that certain someone is now more than happy to fan-girl as hard and publicly as she wants. Speaking of being unashamed, the breaking in of Birkenstocks is very much a thing around these parts at the moment. Yup, that’s right. Hey, I see that judgement. Go try a pair yourself and maybe, just maybe, you might go ‘oh yeah, she isn’t crazy’. And while we’re going down the purchases line, boy was there was a bargain to be had this morning. One big, ripe juicy mango, smelling just like the golden glow of heaven was bought for one buckaroo. That’s right. $1. Hey, don’t laugh. It was a big deal. (See what I did there? Tehe). Remember, it’s the small things in life that can bring most joy!

And remember that when you’ve plonked yourself down on the couch on a Saturday night, all set to veg out and watch a film, only to discover that your laptop now has a vicious relationship with DVDs and prefers to spit them out with a vengeance rather than take them into it’s loving DVD-playing arms. Small things such as a bangin’ smoothie. Rather than throw a tantrum at the laptop, go make yourself one. You’ll feel better for it. (*Disclaimer: this smoothie was not actually consumed after the aforementioned incident, however we’re 99% sure you’ll feel better for having had one).

Whether you’re in need of comfort, a pick-me-up or just the reassurance that you’ve got something to look forward to on a Monday morning (smoothie anyone?), you’ve simply gotta give this Choco-Banana smoothie a go. You’ll feel damn good after it.

Choco-Banana Smoothie
Serves 1

Ingredients
1 largish banana, peeled and frozen. *Tip: Always have a few frozen bananas in the freezer!
70ml soy milk (or other milk)
3 tbsp natural yoghurt (for those with a sweeter tooth, use vanilla yoghurt)
¾ tsp cocoa powder

Method
Place the ingredients (in the order listed) in a small blender. Blitz for 30 seconds, stop give the container a little shake and then blitz for a further 30 seconds.

Scoop into a glass and serve.

Source: A Taste Without Waste original.

Printable Recipe