Chai Spice Hemp Smoothie

Technically, this isn’t a “chai” smoothie, since “chai” means tea in some languages, and there’s no tea in this…. but it does use the spices that are used in some variations of Masala chai – Indian spiced tea. Does that have enough qualifiers for you? 🙂

I actually cheated in this smoothie and used Vanilla Spice Hemp Protein powder (usually choose one from this great list). I love adding protein powder to my smoothies, and this is one of my favorites because it doesn’t have any stevia in it. Stevia is fine for some, but I can’t stand the taste, so I try to avoid it whenever possible. This one does have some sugar in it, but I’m willing to take that in exchange for no stevia.

If you don’t have this particular protein powder in your cupboard, you can replicate the flavor with a dash of vanilla, dash of cinnamon, dash of nutmeg, dash of ginger and a tiny dash of cloves.

The rest of the ingredients make this an AMAZING smoothie! As always, feel free to substitute with what you have on hand – if you don’t have all raw ingredients, non-raw will work just as well.

• 1 1/2 frozen bananas
• 2 dates (optional)
• 1 tablespoon raw almond butter
• 1 1/2 cups raw nut milk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla spice protein powder (or corresponding spices mentioned above)
• 1/2 tablespoon raw carob powder

Blend together until smooth and enjoy!