You wake up in the morning ready for your daily caffeine fix, and all you can think about is heading to the local coffee shop to grab yourself a sweet, creamy iced coffee.

A Frappucino doesn’t sound too bad for you, right? Wrong! The traditional recipe is full of refined sugar and artificial flavourings; just not what your body needs to fuel your day.

What you really need is a balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats (for more information on this, see How to Fuel Your Body in the Morning). Who knew it’s possible to achieve this combination in a homemade Iced Coffee Protein Smoothie!?

With a little organisation, you can stock your cupboards with fresh and nutritious ingredients and satisfy your cravings the healthy way. So many people say that they ‘don’t have time’ to eat breakfast, but with this recipe, that’s not an excuse – it takes less than 5 minutes to make!

So next time you’re feeling tempted by a shop-bought, ice cold sweet treat and you’re just not ready to surrender your morning caffeine fix, why not try making this simple recipe at home instead? It’s SO much better than the original, and full of goodness that your body will thank you for.

The Recipe

✓ Vegan

✓ Gluten free

✓ Dairy free

✓ Refined sugar free

Ingredients (Always use organic products where possible):

• One small cup of double strength coffee, cooled
• ½ cup of natural dairy free milk. I use Rude Health almond milk because it’s delicious and free from chemicals
• Two frozen bananas
• Two scoops of protein powder. I use unflavoured Pulsin Soya Protein because it’s completely natural, but a vanilla or chocolate protein would work equally well
• Two heaped teaspoons of nut butter. I use Meridian cashew nut butter
• Two heaped teaspoons of raw cacao powder. I use Organic Traditions
• ½ teaspoon ground vanilla seeds or pure vanilla extract (without ethanol)
• One/two cups of ice, depending on how slushy you like your smoothie
• If you prefer your smoothie extra sweet, you can add two medjool dates

Preparation – The Night Before:

• Brew the coffee and leave to cool, before storing overnight in the fridge
• Peel the bananas and chop into chunks, before placing in the freezer in a tupperware

Creation – In the Morning:

• Remove banana chunks from the freezer and place in the blender, along with cooled coffee
• Add all remaining ingredients to the mixture
• Blend until smooth
• Enjoy!

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s really versatile. Here, I’ve served mine as a smoothie bowl, topped with crushed pistachios, but you can also bottle it and take it on the go – perfect for those busy mornings.