For the Pregnant Ladies

This post is dedicated to my pregnant friends. I am very lucky to have a few close girlfriends that are also pregnant right now.  I have known two of these women since college. The three of us ended up getting married in the same year to men who were also friends in college.  Now we three couples are all having babies this year.  I know it sounds a bit cultish, all this marrying and have having babies within months of each other, but it's been a huge blessing over the years. It is so nice to share life with friends who are experiencing life's big stages at the same time that Roy and I are. 

Although I've shared a lot with these women throughout the years, the main thing we talk about right now is pregnancy, of course. Since it is the first pregnancy for each of us, we have the same questions, fears, hopes, and desires. Of concern to a lot of pregnant women is diet. I know that for me personally, I want to eat as healthy as possible and mentally check off all the healthy things I ate in a given day. However, I also know that sometimes I want a brownie, hot fudge sundae.

I knew I had to come up with a way to satisfy my sweet tooth, without eating a lot of sugar.  One day I was blending up a fruit smoothie and I started to think, how could I get some chocolate in here?  Growing up my family and I would often drink smoothies made with chocolate almond milk and frozen bananas. So, taking that inspiration, my Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana smoothie was born.

I've realized that sometimes it's hard to get all the things I need according to the pregnancy diet - this much fruit, that many vegetables, so many servings of protein, etc. This smoothie helps me meet those guidelines, as it  has a serving of fruit, a serving of calcium and some protein from the peanut butter. Also, the cocoa powder adds that chocolate element without adding any sugar. I think the banana makes the smoothie sweet enough, but if you want it sweeter feel free to add honey. It's easy to make as long as you always keep a bag of cut up ripe bananas in the freezer.

This seems like a silly recipe to post because it's not really a recipe; it's me throwing things into a blender. But, I've been enjoying this smoothie several times a week, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it in case the mixture sounded appealing to anyone else.

Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

1 cup low-fat milk (or soy, almond, or rice milk if you prefer)
1 small frozen banana
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 -2 teaspoons honey (optional)

Blend all ingredients in blender until thick and frothy. Pour into tall glass and enjoy.

Serves one.