Photos by Emily Caruso
When I was in college, I often started my day with a weight loss shake. I'm not gonna name names, but they rhymed with GrimFast. They were pretty disgusting (and kind of tasted like the can they came in--because really, who doesn't like a gritty metallic chocolate flavored shake first thing in the morning?), but they were quick and I was trying to lose weight, so I'd chug them as quickly as I could and then wash them down with a big glass of water. Inevitably, a few hours later, I'd start obsessing about lunch, so much so that I had trouble concentrating in class. Guess what? Those dinky little shakes aren't very sustaining.
As I've gotten older, I've become a little more conscientious about the foods I eat. Shakes like that just aren't going to cut it anymore. Even if they did taste good (and they don't--I mentioned that, right?), I try to eat natural and whole foods now. But I do miss their convenience--a breakfast in drink form is easy to take with you or, as is often the case with me, drink while you work.
A good smoothie works in most cases, but sometimes all that fruitiness is just a little too virtuous for me. I wanted something that tasted like an indulgent treat, while still being healthy. It needed to be creamy and rich and obviously, it needed to be chocolatey.
Since chocolate breakfast shakes have been done a million times, I thought I'd try making this a Mexican chocolate breakfast shake.
The first time I tried it, I added a little bit of cayenne, but I settled on adding some of cinnamon alone instead when I made it again--it still gave the breakfast shake that Mexican chocolate flavor, without the weird hot pepper kick.
I mean, hot pepper kicks are great and all, but maybe not so early in the morning.
Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Shake
This Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Shake is delicious, healthy, and unlike those sad weight loss shakes, it will keep you satisfied until lunchtime.
And hello, it's Mexican chocolate! That little bit of cinnamon makes chocolate taste even better. And if you love that cinnamon flavor, you'll want to check out this Mexican horchata too!
This December, we're republishing updated recipes from Oh My Veggies' first year. This post was originally published on May 10, 2012.
Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup almond soy or coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Agave nectar honey, maple syrup or other sweetener, to taste (optional)
- 1 small banana cut into pieces and frozen overnight in a freezer bag
Instructions
- Combine the oats, milk, cocoa powder, cinnamon and sweetener in a resealable bowl. Stir together, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Add the banana and oat mixture to a blender and blend until completely smooth. If the shake is too thick, add more milk for a thinner consistency; if it's not sweet enough, add more sweetener.
vanessa says
lol, grimfast. this looks great!
Kyra says
I never thought about using oatmeal in a smoothie. Do you ever add protein powder?
Kiersten says
I haven't added protein powder, but I'm sure it would work. You could use it in place of the cocoa...
Jackie @ Domestic Fits says
This looks fabulous, I would definitely start my day with one of these guys
Kiersten says
It's definitely the perfect way to start the day! 🙂
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
This is such a creative idea! I've had my share of Grim Fast and the can taste is not so pleasant but they are convenient. I'm going to have to give this one a try. I wouldn't have thought to refrigerate the oats in liquid so they'd be smoother.
Kiersten says
I made it a few times and it tasted so good, but the texture just wasn't right. I was trying to figure out how to fix it and that's when I decided to try refrigerating them and it worked! I'm going to have to try this in other flavors too now. 🙂
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
Feed me, feed me!
Genevieve says
Even though I'm not a chocolate lover, this still looks really good! And it does sound like it would be more filling than a typical smoothie with the addition of the oats. Have you tried it with chocolate flavored almond milk? Sometimes I buy flavored soy milks like cappuccino and chai - I like using them in smoothies.
Kiersten says
Yes! I love the chocolate flavored almond milk. Usually I buy the plain unsweetened though, but the chocolate is delicious, especially when you warm it up a little bit. 🙂 I don't think I've ever seen chai soymilk though!
Genevieve says
Yeah, the unsweetened almond milk is what I drink on a regular base but its nice to have a treat sometimes! The chai one might only be available in Canada...the one I like is So Nice Vanilla Chai, it comes in single serve packs http://www.sonice.ca/products/single-serve
Kiersten says
Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen that brand. I've seen matcha soymilk, but never chai!
Candace says
Another wonderful breakfast recipe that I can't wait to try! Since I haven't been able to get any champagne mangoes, my oatmeal is just not the same. I think chocolate will take my mind off of it. 🙂
Kiersten says
Well, I hope you like it as much as the oatmeal! 🙂 Since I first came up with this shake recipe, I've been switching off between this and the coconut mango oatmeal. I'm going to be very bummed out when champagne mangoes go out of season again!
Candace says
oh, I'm quite sure that I will! It's chocolate! If only I could find some of the champagne mangoes up here. They are nowhere to be found. I even have friends looking for them for me. I've tried regular mangoes and if I can get a good one, they work. Most of the time I cannot get a good one. Pears do not work for me and the blueberries that I've gotten were too tart. The fact is that I tried it first with the best and once you have the best, it's hard to settle for anything less. 🙂
On to the chocolate!
Kiersten says
Even Whole Foods doesn't have them anymore around here, but our little local grocery store does, which is shocking to me. (They also have Meyer lemons--still!) They only have about 10 of them in a basket with the exotic fruit (you know, the section no one ever touches--ha!), but they've been $1, so I pick up a few every time I go. I've also recently tried a Tahitian mango, which is similar to the champagne ones. Here's an interesting post about different varieties of mangoes--now I know why the regular ones taste so meh in comparison: http://fitandfed.net/2012/04/15/champagne-ataulfo-mangoes-best-how-to-cut-prepare/
Candace says
Lucky you! Meyer Lemons are long gone here, I'm sad to say. I thought I saw some mangoes in one of those exotic fruit baskets that no one ever touches in my store; but they were some kind of papayas. Usually the papayas that I've seen have been much larger. These were the size of a champagne mango. I've never been a huge papaya fan so I didn't pick one up. Maybe I should have since they look so different. Thanks for the link. I'm going to read it now.
Mary @ Fit and Fed says
Candace I feel your pain, hope you find some more! And thanks for the link love, Kiersten! I'm still on my mango kick and want to try a few more recipes before they are gone-- rice with mango, macadamia nuts and saffron for one.
Kiersten says
Ooh, that rice recipe sounds so good! I think this is the longest I've seen champagne mangoes at the grocery store (usually it seems like they're there for two or three weeks and then they disappear for six months!), so I'm trying to take advantage of it too!
Mary Beth Elderton says
This looks wonderful! I have been having a smoothie most mornings--since I got my new blender 🙂 But this looks like a great change from the fruit, OJ, and yogurt I usually have.
Kiersten says
Smoothies are a great way to start the day, but sometimes chocolate is better. 😉
Dulcinea says
WOW! You had me at almond/coconut blend. I can't wait to pick up the ingredients to try this this weekend. Thanks!
(Just one small tip though, I would avoid, as in A.V.O.I.D., regular consumption of agave nectar. It's tasty, but it has more fructose than high fructose corn syrup. The evidence seems to be accumulating that consuming high levels of fructose promotes production of triglycerides that have several bad health effects. For more info check out Robert Lustig's article on this in the New York Times 'Is Sugar toxic?' -- note this isn't part of some fad diet, there's real science behind it.)
Kiersten says
That almond/coconut milk is so good! Unsweetened almond milk is a staple in my kitchen, but the almond/coconut milk might just replace it. 🙂
I thought that some agave nectar was okay? As in, some brands are highly processed and bad bad bad, while other brands are not as processed and better for you. I like to include a vegan alternative to honey in my recipes, but I'm definitely going to look into this more. Thank you for the tip!
Mary @ Fit and Fed says
Kiersten, I use Raw Organic Blue Agave from Wholesome Sweeteners and I feel fine about using it when I want a sweetener without a strong flavor of its own (but don't want to use refined white sugar). Here is a link to the producer, and no, I have no association with them: http://www.wholesomesweeteners.com/AgaveFactsVSFiction.html
I think the whole anti-agave meme is overblown. Too much sugar is bad, sure, but there's a big difference between getting fructose by drinking a bunch of soda every day and getting it through apples or by using agave in the occasional recipe that has other whole ingredients. The soda will give a lot more sugar and a lot less other nutrients.
Kiersten says
I'm going to have to check out that brand--thanks for the link! I use Madhava, which I believe is minimally processed as well. I also use honey, maple syrup, and regular sugar in my cooking/baking, but I do try to limit all of them. Moderation is best with anything!
Mary @ Fit and Fed says
Dulcinea, that's actually Gary Taubes article in the NYT magazine, and it's not the first controversial article on diet the man's published there-- the man has an agenda. Very into the meat-heavy Atkins/Paleo style of eating. Here's an article about him and his theories from someone who knows him: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2011/05/16/thin-body-of-evidence-why-i-have-doubts-about-gary-taubess-why-we-get-fat/
Dulcinea says
Hi Mary,
Thanks for correcting that. Yes, I've read lots of Gary Taubes' stuff and, while I find it interesting (I'm not a nutritionist, but I do cancer research and sometimes look at dietary patterns) too find some of his agenda a little on the alarmist side.
That said, there is a body of research about the health effects of high fructose (and it doesn't matter whether it's 'pure' or 'refined', it's just a chemical so it has the same structure regardless). To be technical, it does promote lipogenesis by the liver and has been linked to poor lipid and glucose control. As a body, I think the research in this area has been inconclusive for various reasons. The deleterious effects did seem more consistent at very high fructose consumption levels (not what you could get from eating whole fruit all day long unless you were prepared to chew for a long time). Low to moderate consumption of agave nectar is probably not bad for you, but because of the very high fructose concentration in agave nectar, I personally have decided to put it quite a bit further down my list of preferred sweeteners.
(For perspective: Someone once showed me a cartoon with a bunch of scientists standing by a blackboard. One of them was excited because he had made a discovery. The caption was his exclamation: 'LIFE is carcinogenic')
Dulcinea says
Correction: I mean to write 'the health effects of high fructose CONSUMPTION'
Kiersten says
I think this is why people get so confused about nutrition--there are so many conflicting theories, diets, etc. It's no wonder so many just give up! I try to use any sweetener in moderation though, including agave.
Natalie says
Looks delicious! I bet adding a bit of avocado would make it even more sustaining, kind of like the avocado chocolate pudding I see a lot (but have yet to try!)
Kiersten says
Are you ready for this? I have never had avocado! Not even guacamole! 🙂 I don't know why, but I'm kind of afraid to try it. I have seen those pudding recipes though, so I bet you could add it to this too with similar results.
Natalie says
Oh my, you have to try it!! 🙂 As a kid I always avoided guacamole because I thought it looked so gross, but now I love it and everything to do with avocados. Maybe trying one in just a sandwich would be a good place to start, just make sure it's ripe (if you do have any desire to ever try one!)
Kiersten says
There are a lot of foods I shamefully haven't tried (like fresh tomatoes and coffee!) and I even thought about doing a series on here with me trying all these foods that every other grown person in the world has had, but then I chicken out. 😉 I'm such a bad food blogger!
Joan Hayes@chocolate and more says
This sounds so refreshing, love the added cinnamon and of course the mini chocolate chips on top!
Kiersten says
Yeah, normally I don't add the chocolate chips on top, but the picture needed a little something. 😉
Virginia from That Bald Chick says
I am so bookmarking this! I am a smoothie fanatic, and this look YUM!
Kiersten says
Thank you! I hope you like it if you make it. 🙂
Brenda Williams says
This sounds really good. Looks beautiful in the photos too.
Kiersten says
Thank you! I have such trouble figuring out how to stage pictures of drinks!
Aylin @ Glow Kitchen says
Mmmm that looks too good to be true! I wonder what it would taste like with a little chili pepper too 🙂
Aylin @ Glow Kitchen says
ha, yes, you added cayenne! i must try this!
Kiersten says
I wasn't crazy for it with the cayenne, which was surprising to me because normally I love the chocolate/hot pepper combination. Maybe the banana flavor threw me off?
Carol @ Always Thyme to Cook says
Looks delicious, great way to have something good on the go! I'll make these for my kids, perfect for on the way to school! They'd love the sweet and the heat!
Kiersten says
They are very kid-friendly! In my final version, I didn't include the cayenne because I didn't care for how it tasted, but you can always add a pinch if your kids like the spicy/sweet combination. 🙂
Toni @ Red Carpet Mama says
That sounds interesting. I would never have thought to put cayenne or cinnamon into a chocolate shake.
Kiersten says
The cayenne isn't in the recipe--I tried it and didn't like it in this. Usually I love cayenne and chocolate together though!
Jesica @ Pencil Kitchen says
Ugh.. Those shakes are lies in a box. I hate that i even bothered to try and they weren't cheap!
Kiersten says
I know! I love that they're all, "They'll keep you full!" Lies! Maybe if you have a stomach that's the size of a thimble it will keep you full.
Jenn @therebelchick says
I have to tell you, I am not a vegetarian, and I always assumed vegetarians ate boring and dull food. Your blog has proved me wrong there. LOL Half of the things you write about are things that I would LOVE to eat!
Kiersten says
Thank you for saying that! That's kind of the idea behind my blog--I want to show that vegetarians aren't all about eating tofu and salad for every meal. 😉 And that you can eat vegetarian food without everything being fake burgers, fake chicken, etc.--most of those fake meats are nasty!
Yadsia @ShopCookMake says
I'm definitely making this tomorrow morning. Minus the chocolate because I don;t have any. But it will be a nice experiment. Next time I'm in whole foods I'll get some raw cocoa powder and make this again.
Kiersten says
I hope it's good without the chocolate! Maybe add a little vanilla to it?
Emma says
Its times like these where I wish I could flash freeze a banana so I could have this right now for desert! Looking forward to having this in the morning!
Kiersten says
Well, if you're really impatient, you could freeze it for an hour or two instead. 😉 I hope you like it if you make it!
Zsofi says
I'd love this for dessert! Or breakfast. Or anytime of day. I'm a fan of oats in smoothies--also protein powder. I find the pp makes them stick to my ribs, so to speak.
I was particularly struck by those really pretty straws!
Kiersten says
Yeah, you can really have this anytime--there's never not a good time for a chocolate smoothie. 🙂 I'm working on another smoothie recipe that uses protein powder!
Here's where I got the straws: http://www.etsy.com/listing/75208149/25-grey-barber-striped-paper-drinking. They come in lots of different colors too.
Katie says
that looks great - and pretty healthy, too!
Anne says
This looks great, I never thought of soaking the oats before using them in a smoothie.
Kiersten says
It definitely makes the smoothie a lot smoother than using oats that haven't been soaked. But either way works. 🙂
Maureen @ Wisconsin Mommy says
This sounds like a great twist on my usual morning routine!