I start most mornings with a smoothie made in my beloved Vitamix and a cup of coffee made in my beloved French press. The problem with this arrangement is the daily decision of which to make first. Some mornings, it’s clear: I need coffee or the day can go no further. Other days, I feel like having a nice big serving of fruits and/or veggies in a breakfast smoothie, and getting that out of the way for the day. But as I’m drinking the smoothie, I’m usually like “but…..coffee….”

And some days (Mondays), the decision is just impossible. It was on a day like this that this breakfast smoothie was born. It’s basically a big ol’ serving of oats, almond milk, yogurt and banana. But, then there’s cocoa powder….and espresso powder. For the days when the decision is impossible, I bring you the Mocha-Banana Breakfast Smoothie: the fruit smoothie and a cup of coffee…all in one.

FYI: You will need to plan a little bit ahead for this one – the oats require a soak in almond milk overnight for the best smoothie consistency. However, if you want, you can make a big batch of this oat mixture on Sunday. Keep it in the fridge and use it as needed for smoothies throughout the week.

Yield: 2 servings

Mocha-Banana Breakfast Smoothie

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup plus 1/2 cup almond milk, divided
• 1 banana, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

1. In small bowl or jar, stir together oats and 1 cup almond milk. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. In blender, combine oat mixture, remaining 1/2 cup almond milk, banana, yogurt, cocoa powder and espresso powder and blend until smooth. Add ice and blend until smooth. This is a pretty thick smoothie - if you prefer a thinner consistency, just add a bit more almond milk and blend until smooth.