Need your morning smoothie to do double-duty as a wakeup call sometimes? Me too.

Last Saturday at the hospital, my co-worker and I started laughing when I said, “Oh wait, no—I’ve only had 48 ounces of coffee so far today.”

Only. 

Good grief.

I deal with a light touch of insomnia early on every spring, it seems, so it’s not surprising that my coffee habit is a little more need-based lately. Still, this smoothie is a tasty way to get the day started with a little jolt, regardless of whether you do decaf or all the way-all the way hghi-caf. All you do is swap out some or all of the liquid in your smoothie for cold brewed coffee—I make mine the night before and put in the fridge in a thermos. You can add the spinach or not, but why not get some greens in when you can make them taste like a frappuccino? Just saying…

Ingredients: 

• 4-6 oz cold black coffee
• 4 oz milk of choice (I used unsweetened coconut milk)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (optional)
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 cup ice
• 1 large handful baby spinach

Directions:

1. Layer ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.

Serves 1

How much coffee do you drink in a day? What’s your favorite coffee drink?