Spiced Banana Date Smoothie – Great For Pregnancy
No matter how cold it is, there is something warming about a banana date smoothie.
It’s the creaminess of the banana, the sweetness of the dates, plus the intoxicating flavors of additions like cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and cardamom. I’ve added spices to this smoothie to make it not only warming, but extra delicious.
If you love a decadent smoothie, check out this dark chocolate smoothie, mint chocolate chip smoothie or the classic strawberry PB and banana smoothie.
This smoothie feels right no matter what time of year you’re drinking it—refreshing in the summer, healing in the winter. Though some—like Chinese Medicine practitioners—might be against taking cold drinks when it’s cold out, no one can argue against the benefits of spices any time.
Smoothie Ingredients
This smoothie is so delicious in so many variations, but keep in mind that bananas and dates can both easily be outshined. If you really want to balance the flavors here, start light on the spices. You can always add more, but you can never take away.
Every banana is different
The greener your banana, the lighter and less sweet your smoothie will taste. Dates, however, provide ample sugar, so there’s no need to wait for your banana to turn brown. Whatever its condition, it’ll work. If you have frozen bananas, you can go light on the ice. If your banana is fresh, you’ll need about 6 standard ice cubes.
What Are Dates?
Originating from date palm trees in the Middle East, dates are small, round yellow fruit that grow on sticks. They can be eaten fresh, but around the world they are more familiar in their dried form, which is soft, brown, wrinkled, and deliciously sweet.
Pregnancy and Dates
There are many reasons people may eat dates medicinally, but no demographic hears about dates quite as often as pregnant women. Prospective studies have shown significant positive results comparing women who regularly ate dates in late pregnancy with those who didn’t. In the group that did, findings included higher likelihood of spontaneous labor, higher cervical dilation upon hospital admission and higher proportion of intact membranes.
Plus, the date-eaters had shorter early labor, significantly less need for pitocin and less intervention overall. So drink your date shake, mama!
For some more interesting info on what to eat (and avoid) during pregnancy, check out my article in Monterey County Now.
Soaking Dates
As far as a smoothie goes, dates need some time to soak. No, not in your drink, but beforehand, in a small bowl of very hot water. You don’t want a ton of water, because you’ll be adding it all to the smoothie to keep the date juice that seeps out. Just enough to get the dates soft enough so they won’t end up as chewy specks dotting your drink.
But Make It Spicy
What spices you add are up to you. Cinnamon is the most mandatory for me. I also enjoy a pinch of cardamom, and as much ginger as possible before changing the smoothie’s taste. I also like a squeeze of vanilla, but be careful here. Even two teaspoons turns a smoothie into a pretty different thing.
Balance With Protein
My rule with foods that are high in sugar is to eat them with fat and fiber so my blood sugar doesn’t spike like crazy. In the case of the banana date smoothie, which is a fair amount of sugar (although totally natural and unprocessed), I like to add peanut butter to balance it out. If you haven’t noticed yet, this smoothie is all about balance.
Lastly, there has to be some kind of base. My first choice is homemade almond milk or homemade cashew milk and a few spoons of yogurt (extra fat and protein), but the recipe works great with milk alone.
More Breakfast Ideas…
This chocolate chip granola with nuts and dried fruit makes a fast and delicious breakfast or a perfect topping for this banana date smoothie. It’s crunchy, delicious and a total staple in my kitchen.
Spiced Banana Date Smoothie
Ingredients
- 6 ice cubes skip if your banana is frozen
- 1 banana frozen
- 2 dates
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 tbs peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Remove seeds from dates if they aren’t pitted. Place the dates in a very small bowl and top with a 2-4 tablespoons of boiling water. Let soak for at least 10-15 minutes to soften. When they are very soft, chop into small pieces.
- Place all ingredients in the blender. Start with frozen ice cubes or banana, then milk, then peanut butter, and then everything else (when toppings land in the milk, they won’t stick to the side of your blender).
