Every once in a while, I feel like I need something really indulgent. I love ice cream. In fact, I love anything made with ice cream. Ice cream covered in sprinkles, swirled with toppings and bits of anything, sundaes, pies and cakes. If it has ice cream then I will usually like it. Of course, this makes my struggle to maintain my dairy-free diet a nightmare. (Foolishly, I sometime ‘forget’ about being dairy-free just to eat something that looks amazing, and then I pay for it later. Really pay for it.)

So, when I am being good but still want a treat or something which really makes me feel like I am having something rich and indulgent, I have this. It uses all the ingredients I usually have already and is really easy to make. So easy, it might get made more often then I admit to. Like that afternoon slump in between lunch and dinner, when you just want to eat anything you set your eyes on! It also has the added benefit of being really easy to give the kids. They think it tastes ‘yummy’ and completely unhealthy – just like the chocolate Nakd bars my kids insist are ‘chocolate bars’ and they sneak into their beds in the night. I am not going to tell them otherwise.

Now this is not as thick as my other smoothies and is more like a milkshake (okay, not like a thick milkshake either), but you can make this thicker if you like by adding frozen bananas if you prefer, or add another couple tsp of Chia seeds (you can also add them to the almond milk for 10 minutes before you make your smoothie to make it really thick).

Makes 1 serving (or 2 little ones)

• 1 Banana
• 3/4 cup Almond Milk (or other type of milk)
• 3 Medjool Dates
• 1-2 Tbsp Cacao Powder (I found I liked 1.5 Tbsp best!)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Powder (or you can use vanilla essence)
• 1 tsp Chia Seeds

Peel the banana and remove the stone from the dates. Add them to the blender with the other ingredients and blend until you have a creamy, thick drink. Serve immediately.