Peppermint Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl (Paleo)

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY, YOU LUCKY HUMAN! Are you wearing your green? I woke up this morning feeling like a CHAMP because I took the last test of my undergraduate career yesterday, so I wanted to make myself somethin’ festive to celebrate my good mood.

Since I won’t be having corned beef and cabbage this year, I opted for something better – a peppermint smoothie bowl! Long gone are my high school days of living at McDonald’s to slurp down a Shamrock Shake every day after class in March. Even though I loved McDonald’s growing up (I really made a 180*…), if I’m being totally honest, I never even liked the Shamrock Shake. I just bought it because I felt obligated to enjoy it since it was seasonal and therefore “special.” At that time, I really didn’t care that I was basically poisoning my body with those frightening ingredients. Times have changed.

This morning I woke up and thought… Forget the Shamrock Shake. I want a PEPPERMINT SMOOTHIE BOWL. My first instinct was to make a peppermint patty kinda smoothie, but I can’t have cocoa/cacao during the “protocol” I’m currently on. Instead I went for the next best combo – peppermint vanilla. It’s underrated. And I added coconut, obviously, because we know I’m obsessed.

This was honestly so delicious that it completely blew my mind, which is why I had to immediately hop on the internet and share the recipe. Everyone needs to make this ASAP. I’m probably a little too excited about it. I like my smoothies thick and creamy, and this guy exceeded my expectations.

It tastes more like mint-vanilla ice cream than anything else, so you literally feel like you’re eating dessert. DELICIOUS. The key to getting a thick, ice cream-like smoothie is to use frozen fruit and veggies. Pretty basic advice, but it really is the key.

This is also a very sneaky, easy way to get a bunch of vegetables into your meal without noticing it. I promise, you will not taste the veggies! If you’re cooking for someone who doesn’t like healthy food, make them this and don’t tell them what’s in it. I made it for my roommate who is NOT into healthy food, and she told me it was definitely like eating ice cream. You know it’s good when it’s roommate approved.

I also (of course) used my favorite Vital Proteins Vanilla Coconut Collagen Peptides. If you haven’t read my post about why I love collagen so much, read it here! #NotSponsored. In short, collagen is amazing for gut health, hair and nail growth, skin elasticity, joint pain, and more. If you don’t have the Vanilla Coconut Collagen peptides, I included some options for substitutions in the recipe below!

This smoothie definitely put me in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit and had me ready to bust out some good old Irish dancing – I mean, I was pretty good back in my day. 😉 I’m pretty sure this is going to be in my breakfast rotation long after St. Patrick’s Day, though…

If you love peppermint, try this out! The coconut is barely detectable… it just gives it a smoother flavor! This is paleo, but it can also be made vegan. Gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free… FULL OF VEGGIES.

Peppermint Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl

Serves: 1

Time: 5 minutes

Peppermint Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl (Paleo)

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen cauliflower
1 cup frozen kale (or spinach if you want a milder flavor)
1 cup frozen zucchini (or 1 more cup of frozen cauliflower if you don’t have zucchini)
1 cup brewed peppermint tea (let it steep for as long as you can for max peppermint flavor)
1 scoop Vital Proteins Vanilla Coconut Collagen Peptides (If you don’t have the vanilla peptides, you can use the regular Collagen Peptides with 1 tsp vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla protein powder if you don’t have the peptides! And if you don’t have any protein powder, just add the vanilla by itself.)
2 tbsp coconut butter
1 tbsp chia seeds
3/4 cup ice
Toppings: Unsweetened coconut flakes + anything else you want!