Maca & Mushroom Chocolate Avocado Smoothie

Here is a simple smoothie recipe that would be perfect for breakfast or a mid-day snack. Its full of healthy fats and mood boosting adaptogens. There are tons of recipes out there for Chocolate Avocado Smoothies (see Drea’s kid-friendly chocolate avocado smoothie recipe here), but what makes this one different and better than the rest is that it has Reishi mushroom, and maca inside.

I love using adaptogens in my recipes whenever I can fit them in. I use lots of different concoctions in my morning coffee, in yogurts, milks, and shakes.

You may be wondering what adaptogens are and why they are a great addition to your daily routine. Unfortunately, we all have some sort of stress in our lives, whether it be physical, chemical, or biological stress, our bodies can only hand so much. Many people start to have lasting effects of stress, from digestive issues, lowered immunity, heart problems, depression, and anxiety, just to name a few. So, this is where adaptogens come into play. They help our bodies “adapt” and resist the effects of stress, hopefully keeping those nasty side effects away. What’s so great about adaptogens is that they are readily available with a bunch of information, recipes, and ideas that make them all the more approachable.

I chose reishi and maca for this shake because of their mood boosting and anxiety soothing properties. As an anxiety sufferer, I am always trying to find natural ways to ease it. There are tons of other adaptogens that also help with anxiety, mental health, libido, immune system, stress, thyroid, and brain support. I have some wonderful information on adaptogens and superfoods on my site.

Lets get started on that shake!

Maca & Mushroom Chocolate Avocado Smoothie

What You’ll Need-
1-2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (great for immunity, and is full of antioxidants)
1 tablespoons coconut manna/butter (great for brain health)
1 tablespoon raw cacao nibs (optional; also great for immunity, and full of antixodants)
1 cup almond milk (or any other milk of choice)
½ avocado (great healthy fat source for brain health)
1 teaspoon of Reishi mushroom powder
1 teaspoon of Maca powder
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
A couple of ice cubes

How To Make It-
Measure and add all your ingredients into your blender. You can add more coco powder, syrup, and ice if you’d like things more chocolatey, sweet, and chilly.
Blend on high until everything is well incorporated. Pour into your glass and enjoy!

So simple, yet such a powerful shake! If you love adaptogens but don’t know where to start, I have a bunch of recipes on my site showing how incorporate them. It’s so easy to adapt them into your diet!

Notes from Drea:

• I wouldn’t recommend giving maca (or probably any adaptogens) to kids. The science is out there yet on how they can affect them. And even as adult I’ve felt serious effects from maca, so I’m just not comfortable giving it to my kiddo.
• I wrote about using maca in the past– I used to make a morning coffee drink with maca. But I no longer consume it. Mostly because I want to keep things as natural as possible in this healing process. But also because it makes you fertile, and I’m not trying to be more fertile over here. But! It can also give you crazy sex dreams– so that’s a fun party.
• You guys know I subscribe to a high carb low fat diet. This recipe isn’t recommended for that. Fats are hard to digest (especially if your gut has been torn up like mine/ you’re in the process of healing your gut–) but really for anyone. This is a great recipe for those who keep sugars down to a minimum– and perhaps on a keto diet? Though I’m not completely sure what the food rules are for keto diets, because I wouldn’t recommend one. For me, I’d probably leave out the coconut oil and sub the avocado for banana. Or maybe a bit of banana and a bit of avocado. Adjust the fat ratio accordingly to your diet/blood sugar needs!
• As far as food combining goes, this technically works. I wouldn’t have it before things like watermelon– but  other than that I think it would be fine for most times of the day– great as a healthy “treat” 🙂

Cheers and enjoy!

For more recipes, natural living how to’s and diys check out The Informed Mom.Find Katie on instagram HERE.
Shop The Informed Mom’s natural living shop here.
Click here for more natural health posts on ohdeardrea.