I go through aggressive smoothie phases. I’ll make one every day for six months and then stop making them for just as long. Banana is my classic, my go-to, and the way I make mine is a nod to a bunch of different friends who have shared smoothie tips along the way over the years.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to do with a banana smoothie is to make sure that you have a least two peeled frozen bananas in your freezer to make it. It is best if these are overripe bananas with lots of tiny brown spots. I wrap mine in foil and like them best when they’ve been in the freezer for at least 48 hours. A bonus hack from a friend is to wrap and freeze all the half eaten banana pieces your children leave laying around.

2 frozen bananas

1-2 cups of milk of your choice (almond, oat, coconut, MALK)

1 tsp chia seeds

2-3 tbsp raw almonds

½ tsp cinnamon

dash of salt

5 unsweetened dark chocolate chips

OPTIONAL: ½ scoop vanilla protein powder (I like Truvani) or a tablespoon of peanut butter.

1. Slice frozen bananas every half inch and throw into a blender/bullet with chia seeds, cinnamon, almonds, salt, and protein powder/peanut butter (if using).

2. Pour in about 2/3 cup of milk and pulse in your blender/bullet.

3. If your blender is having trouble mixing you can add another ¼ a cup of milk at a time until you reach desired consistency. If you prefer a thicker, milkshake-like smoothie consistency like me - go easy on the milk addition!

4. Top with the chocolate chips or with extra cinnamon, chia seeds or anything you prefer

The caveman isn’t much of a breakfast guy unfortunately but he makes up for it with his coffee game. Morning drink buffets are common in our house so he would serve this up with a shot of espresso or an iced americano.