When life gives you lemons brown, speckled bananas, freeze 'em quickly and make a sweet, creamy smoothie.
This year has already brought with it an immense amount of excitement, positive experiences, and inspiring opportunities for which I'm so ecstatically grateful. On the flip side, there have also been a handful of stressful and tough moments that were completely unexpected. Life has a way of keeping us on our toes. Just when we settle in and get comfortable, something gets tossed in our direction that loosens the freshly-firmed ground under our feet.
Loss, love, stress -- whatever the unexpected 'something' is -- jumps out at us from the closet of life. Sometimes it leaves us breathless and shocked, other times it leaves us with a warm heart and feelings of contentment. I find this juxtaposition of competing emotions to be tricky to navigate as it tends to feel all too bittersweet. But the older I get, the more I realize that the only way to get around these experiences is to go right on through them. Live them, feel them, and let them go.
And another thought: sometimes the most ordinary moments turn out to be our most cherished, don't they? Lately, I've been focusing on living mindfully and soaking in those everyday occurrences. A nuzzle from a furry companion. A kiss on the head from a loved one. A door held open by a stranger. A giggle-filled phone call with a friend. A warm meal at the end of a chilly winter's day. That's the good stuff.
Alright, end seriousness and cue the recipe.
This smoothie is comforting, creamy, frosty, and sweet. It's enough to make me slow down, sip, and just appreciate all of its goodness. As with most smoothies, it's also the easiest thing to make. You'll just add a frozen banana (keep 'em spotty, please -- easier to digest), raw cashews, dates, water, ice, and a pinch of sea salt to a blender. Blend on high for a quick 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is super smooth, pour into a glass, drop a straw in, and drink it up. I'll be honest, this one traverses into dessert territory with its caramel-like flavor and sweetness, so it teeters perfectly between meal categories (e.g., breakfast, snack, dessert). Just the way I like my smoothies.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Cashew Caramel Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- ¾ cup filtered water
- ½ to ¾ cup ice
- ¼ cup raw cashews*
- 2-3 medjool dates, pitted
- optional: 1/16 teaspoon sea salt**
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender, and blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Add in more ice, if desired, and blend again.
Notes
**The sea salt brings out the sweetness and adds a salted-caramel vibe to this smoothie.
Celeste Jackson says
Meaningful post....thanks for your inspiration and the recipe which I believe I have all the ingredients for tomorrow morning.
Michelle @ Modern Acupuncture says
Can't wait to try this tomorrow! Haven't had medjool dates in the longest time... time to bring 'em back!
Ashley says
I hope you enjoy it, Michelle! Oh man, life without medjool dates just isn't as sweet (quite literally) -- bring 'em back for sure! :)
Kelly says
Insanely good! I added 1/4 cup of g-f oats and used 1 cup of almond milk instead of water. I squirted caramel sauce from The Date Lady on top. Delish! Thanks so much!
Ashley says
Ooh, "insanely good" is the kind of feedback that makes me smile! So glad you enjoyed it, Kelly. Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your thoughts and adjustments!
Brynna says
This smoothie blew me away! So delicious and guilt free! I skipped the salt and I like the density of using the fresh bananas so I opted for that instead of frozen. It was So So good, Thank you for posting yet another awesome recipe!
Ashley says
So glad you're enjoying this recipe, Brynna! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your feedback and adjustments—it means a lot. xo
Melissa says
Done this smoothie today and it was love. ❤️
Your blog has become my fave for delicious smoothies on the go. Thank you so much!
Picky Eater says
I'm trying to love bananas...and beets.
The thought of consuming one is freaking me out imagine both. I will be consuming them though. #prayforme
Ashley says
Best of luck! Hope it goes well! xo
Chloe says
Oh my heaven <3 this is so good thanks for another amazing smoothie recipe! I'm legit drinking it right now and it's hard to imagine life feeling any better haha
Ashley says
Aww, Chloe! What wonderful feedback to receive. So glad you enjoyed the recipe, and happy to hear it brought a bit of joy to your day, too.
Constanze says
Awesome drink! But I made a twist to it. I put an apple in it. Put 1 cup of cashews, 6 medjool dates, I added additional chopped dates, 3 big bananas, a lot of water and a cup of ice.
Ashley says
Happy to hear you're enjoying the recipe, Constanze! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback and adjustments—means so much. :)
Christin says
Just made this smoothie & it was good. Thank you for sharing. Xoxo.