Ridiculously smooth and creamy, this chocolate smoothie packs a serious nutritious punch thanks to the help of a special secret ingredient. It’s vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and totally delicious!
Let’s talk about calorie counting.
A pretty common question I get from readers is “how many calories are in [X recipe]?” and my answer 97.5% of the time is that I’m not quite sure. I don’t calculate the nutritional information for my recipes, and the only reason I might know what it is the other 2.5% of the time is because a reader calculated it and left it in a comment, or another site featuring one of my recipes decided to include it as well.
It’s not that I don’t know how to calculate it myself or that it takes too much time… The reason that I don’t include nutritional information with my recipes is because I don’t believe in counting calories and I don’t want to promote it here on my blog. Spoons is calorie-free.
I can only think of a handful of instances where calorie counting might be beneficial, with all of them being related to specific medical conditions or professions. The rest of the time, and how it’s most often used (read: abused) these days, I think calorie counting is, at best, unnecessary and unnatural, and at worst, harmful.
It really is.
Take it from someone who used to spend up to two hours a day planning out meals, weighing food, and plugging it all in to online fitness trackers. I felt like a little kid who had just gotten her allowance and was trying to figure out what to spend the money on… Okay, I’m allowed this many more calories, this many more grams of carbs, and this many more grams of fat… what’s the best [read: cleanest/healthiest] thing I can spend that allowance on?
I was obsessed with calorie counting and the comfort it brought me. Not to mention the feeling of accomplishment that came with knowing that I ended the day under a certain number of calories.
And that’s one of the biggest problems that I see with calorie counting — it puts too much focus on the wrong kinds of things. You end up listening to dead numbers instead of your living body. You end up restricting and undereating because you can’t believe that you could possibly need that many calories to function (hint: you really do). You end up fearing food instead of seeing it for what it is — a beautiful (and delicious!) source of sustenance that lets you live the kind of life you want and deserve.
Take this Secret Ingredient Chocolate Smoothie, for example…
I have no idea how many calories it has. I could probably figure it out in my head based on the extensive ingredient library that years and years of calorie counting left me with, but I’d rather not let my thoughts go there.
Instead, I’d rather focus on the fact that it’s made with wholesome ingredients. That it’s refined sugar-free and sweetened with the natural sugars from dates and bananas. That it boasts an impressive dose of vitamin A thanks to the sweet potato, which you can barely just taste. That it’s delicious, filling, and soooo silky, smooth, and creamy that the fact that I didn’t stick a straw in it makes it look more like a jar of nut butter than a smoothie…
See? There are so many more important things to focus on than how many calories something has! How it makes you feel (both mentally and physically). How much of it your body wants and needs. How it lets you connect with other people… Counting calories makes you miss all that! And what’s worse is that it gets you completely out of tune with your own body, to the point where you stop being able to hear the signals it’s sending you.
I could probably go on and on about this topic, but this probably isn’t the proper time or place. So I’m going to get off my soapbox and tell you to stop counting calories if you don’t absolutely have to, grab a spoon, and dig right in!
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Secret Ingredient Chocolate Smoothie
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120 g) cooked sweet potato*
- 1/2 medium-size ripe banana, frozen (~50 g)
- 2 Medjool dates (30 g)
- 1 tbsp (5 g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 tbsp (16 g) almond butter (optional, but recommended)
- 1 scoop (30 g) protein powder (optional)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. This smoothie can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for later!
Notes
* You can use either cooked and cooled sweet potato that you roasted yourself or buy canned puree from the store. It equals about 1 small sweet potato or half of a larger one. The amount doesn’t have to be exact.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
Looking for more creamy smoothie recipes? Try one of these!
Oatmeal Cookie Dough Smoothie
Healthy Chocolate Mousse Smoothie
Salted Caramel Cookie Dough Smoothie
I am 100% in agreeance with you here. I’ve had my own issues with calorie counting and in the end found that in order for our bodies to function healthily, we need a good balance of everything – both good and bad.. and that means listening to what our bodies are telling us too – and not putting numbers on it. Delicious chocolate smoothie too!
Oh my goodness a sweet potato? That is definitely secret and unique. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I won’t knock it until I try it. I never would have thought to do that.
Looks great yet again Amanda! I want to start putting squash in smoothies…because it is like a sweet potato and is so good for you. Thoughts?
Squash would probably work just as well, Ellie! You’ll just have to experiment with the amount of liquid you add (since some squashes can be drier) and sweetener. But I think it’s a great idea.
I’m so pleasantly surprised that there’s sweet potato in this smoothie! I’ve never tried that before 🙂 looks delicious. I’m anti-calorie-counting, as well. Holla!
Sweet potato + chocolate = perfection! Love, love, love…
How many calories are in that? I’m on a 100 calorie per minute diet. I could have a sip per minute.
Don’t make me chase you with a wooden spoon.
Amen to the calorie counting. I admit that I downloaded an app a few weeks ago that counted my calories, but ONLY to see what I was eating out of pure curiosity. I was eating WELL over 2000 calories and not even batting an eye. I stopped using it, but it was fun to see how much fuel I put away.
As for blending a sweet tater into a smoothie? Best thing even. My latest obsession.
My face hit the screen. :\ That is all.
<3
Disclaimer: Spoons is not responsible for any damage to screens and/or keyboards 😛
Ooh love that this has sweet potato in it!
I’m not a fan of calorie counting either. Because if we eat good quality food and honour our hunger and satiety cues, then we can maintain our weight on our own. That being said, if someone is struggling to lose weight and they literally have no concept of what they’re eating, it may be helpful initially (but not for the long term).
Is it wrong I want to lick the outside of your jar. I mean really, you missed a spot. 🙂
You know my thoughts on calorie counting. It’s for the birds. I just focus on ingredients and how the food makes me feel, both physically and mentally, and ya know what? It works really well for me. Makes me pretty damn healthy too.
You can lick whatever you like 😉 And do birds count calories? How many calories in a breadcrumb?
You’re asking the wrong bird. 😉
Hi Amanda! Yummy! I’ve made a sweet potato smoothie before, and it was the best thing I’ve ever created at home! And you’re right about calories. I don’t count them, and don’t plan to. I went through a phase of putting my food in MyFitnessPal to see if I was eating enough protein, but I quickly got sick of the work that went into that. Good stuff here!
You made my day! I just roasted some sweet potatoes Sunday and was trying to figure out how to use them this smoothie is the perfect recipe! Great talk on calorie counting I agree. beautiful photos!
since we are on the sweet potato theme I will share with you my crazy way of eating them. brace yourself. I cut them into one inch cubes, roast them at 420 degrees on parchment until brown about 30-40 minutes? or so. take out of oven and allow to cool on pan. then……..yes then divide them into portions–1.2 cup to 1 cup and put portions in Ziploc bags…then…freeze….the deal is…eat them frozen! gasp! I just pull out a bag and wait about 5 minutes and then enjoy. it’s like frozen sweet potato ice cream bites. I love them. the thing about calories–it’s hard to break yourself from thinking about it while prepping food once you have done it for so long. however, I think when you begin to use food for you–to actually nourish your body, mind and spirit you stop misusing it to harm your mind, body and spirit. it’s a slow process but once you start learning to love yourself I think the process takes on a new urgency and purpose. I am s.l.o.w.l.y getting there–much thanks to people like you.
That actually sounds amazing, Heather! I wonder what frozen sweet potatoes would be like in a smoothie like this… Lightbulb! And it’s so great that you’re moving towards a better place. It’s definitely a bit of a process, but more than worth the effort.
I did not see the sweet potato ingredient coming!! I was totally reading your post and just trying to guess what it could be! Ps. I love that spoons is calorie free. I do occasionally count but it’s really nice to see that ‘its not what you’re promoting.
The smoothie looks good, has healthy ingredients, end of story. Love it!
Amen-no calorie counts! Also I happen to have some cooked sweet potato with no use sitting in my fridge-this came at the PERFECT time!
Holy moly – Sweet potato? That is pretty genius!! I bet it helps give it a great consistency. I’m definitely going to have to try this…if I can keep from eating it all, first.
It’s pretty crazy how smooth and silky it made it — I couldn’t believe it!
Yes… To all of that, but especially to this Smoothie!!!
no need to count calories for this, it’s all amazing goodness.. that’s key, right? YUM!
I could not agree more with you, lady! I have the same philosophy with my blog. Nutrition>calories.
I understand that it helps people who are trying to lose weight figure out portions but at the end of the day if you’re eating a 100 calorie muffin made with white flour, margarine and sugar then it’s pointless.
This smoothie looks amazing and I love that it’s so nutritious! And calorie-free. 😉
Right?! I was reading a blog where someone recommended eating a 100 calorie snack pack over a banana because the banana had too much sugar, and I died a little inside…
Yum I LOVE the sweet potato in this!! It’s lovely that you mentioned that Spoons is a no calorie counting blog!! You can tell by the ingredient list that this is full of wonderful nutritious ingredients, who needs to count calories!!
Sweet taters in a smoothie that involves chocolate?! MAGICAL. Hooray for you for not counting calories. I die a little on the inside when readers ask me how many calories something has. If I don’t post it then clearly I haven’t calculated it, so go do that extra step YO’SELF!!
Drooling…I cannot wait to make this before the weekend, since I have all the ingredients…I have never added a sweet potato to a smoothie, but it is going to happen. LOL…PS: your pictures are amazing! Thanks for sharing! XOXO
Thanks, girl! You’ll seriously be amazed at how smooth and creamy it becomes — I couldn’t believe it!
That as certainly not what I was thinking would be in there. HA, it looks really good though and as always thanks for sharing your unique and creative recipes Amanda.
I’m scared to comment because I feel like I’ll get ripped apart, but I do count calories. Not to a crazy extent, and not for hours every day, but I do. I gained a significant amount of weight after college, and was able to lose about half of it by going paleo, working out consistently, etc. But this last 20 or so pounds is NOT moving. (And yes, it’s a legit 20 pounds. My goal weight is at the very HIGH end of what someone of my height should be.. and I could honestly probably lose about 30 pounds but I don’t think I would like my body that way.) I have found that counting calories seems to be the only way that I’m slowlyyyy moving through these last 20 pounds. No, I don’t do it every day and I definitely do enjoy food, but if I don’t keep myself accountable in this way here and there, I will overeat.
With that being said, I ABSOLUTELY understand how counting calories can quickly turn into a downward spiral for a lot of people. I do not plan to keep it up once I’m maintaining my weight.
No reason to be afraid, Rachel! No judgement here! A lot of people say that calorie counting works for them, and if it works for you then that’s great — I’m all about doing what works as long as it makes you feel healthier and happier. Have you looked into other things that might be preventing you from losing weight? Food intolerances? Stress? Those can often play a bigger role than how much we actually eat.
sweet potato is definitely on the list of things I haven’t tried in a smoothie before – I think I’ll need to get on that! As for calorie counting – for me, it generally does more harm than good, so I avoid it. I’ll admit that I used it during the HA thing to make sure I was getting enough, but as soon as I got used to a higher intake of food I stopped. It’s tedious and I’d rather just focus on listening to my body!
Seeing this beautiful smoothie might just be the kick I need to get back aboard the smoothie train! It’s freezing here and I have zero cravings for any sort of cold drink. But this…oh this is perfection!
I haven’t yet tried sweet potato in my smoothies, but I know I’d love the flavour! I get scared it’ll make me bloated/gassy – that’s the only reason why I haven’t done it! Hahahaha TMI?
You’re used to it now, though, right? 🙂
HEY GUESS WHAT? I’M GOING BOARDING AT SUNSHINE ON SUNDAY. You kickin around at all? 🙂
Whaaaaat?! I’ll be in the mountains too, but in Jasper. Provided I can get rid of this back pain that’s crippling me today. Ouch.
Yum! I would love to add some sweet potato to a smoothie, that sounds amazing!
Calorie counting is the worst! I appreciate that you don’t post calorie counts with your recipes.
This looks so good! I never would have thought of adding sweet potato to a smoothie. I may have to try a vanilla version for my little one.
What???? Sweet potato ?? Shut the back door! I would have never guessed! I have got to try this!!! Thank you!
Love it! Sweet potatoes make smoothies soooo creamy. I went through a sweet potato smoothie phase last year at school. I didn’t hate it.
I’m with you on counting calories. That sends me down a path I don’t want to go. I’ve toyed with the idea of counting macros recently and then decided against it. I also don’t feel like wasting time on it. Nutty for Life will be a calorie-count free zone 4 life, too.
Glad to hear it, lady!
Totally agree with every word you said about calorie counting. MyFitnessPal, in my opinion, can be more detrimental to someone’s health than anything – I mean, counting calories for broccoli? Listing every morsel you eat and watching the numbers on there tick away till it says you have nothing left to eat? Not for me.
Confession: I used to weigh out and count the calories in lettuce. It was sad times.
Bravo!! I can’t calorie count either lest I get sucked back into the world of instead-of-food-I-just-see-calories, and eating becomes adventures-in-math-and-over-analyzing. This looks delicious!! I could really go for this smoothie and a handful of chocolate chips right now 😀
OMG WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!? And that totally needs all caps. But seriously. Girl! You disappeared! I was looking for your face on milk cartons 😛
This looks really yummy. I love sneaking unexpected ingredients into recipes like this!
Loving the idea but – can you taste the sweet potato?!
Amanda states you can barely just taste it, and the sweet potato + chocolate combo is a fairly popular good’ un!
Thanks, Sarah 🙂
I loved your soapbox talk! I totally agree that what we need to do is listen to our bodies. It will tell us when we’re hungry, when we’re full, when we need certain nutrients but only if we listen to it.
p.s. sweet potato in a smoothie! You’re a genius.
I couldn’t believe how creamy it made it! You seriously have to give it a shot!
I am so with you on the calorie counting thing! In most cases its more harmful than helpful. This smoothie sounds delicious!!
Sweet potato, whhaaat? I would never think of that, but I bet it gives a really creamy texture. Despite the snow on the ground right now, a smoothie sounds awesome!
Amanda- these photos are DREAMY…yum! Love your take on calorie counting and they are similar to mine. To an extent, I do think calorie counting has its merit such as for people who need to eat MORE. However I don’t think focusing on calories is enough when it comes to making food choices. Ultimately calories are just a measure of energy – they have no indication about a food’s nutrient content at all. I know the whole “calories in versus calories out” is often discussed for weight loss/weight gain but that’s far too simplistic- even if you’re eating at a calorie deficit, how your body processes the food is more to do with its quality. More emphasis definitely needs to be given on how a food’s nutritional content affects hormonal activity rather than how much energy it merely contains.
Totally agree, girl! I can see it working in some instances, but even then I think there are better ways of tracking than counting calories. And I love what you said about how foods affect our bodies, because that’s really what it all comes down to.
You can bet I’ll be making this! Except mine might be purple since I have a purple sweet potato, but oh well! This looks really kid friendly too, well minus the protein powder 😉
I’ve always wanted to try a purple sweet potato! I never seem to be able to find them in stores, though.