Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie is packed with protein, fiber and vitamins, has the best chocolate raspberry flavor and has a hidden secret ingredient (beetroot powder) to help with your workout!

I shared awhile ago on Instagram that I've been running again! My dad and I meetup two mornings a week and run about 4 1/2 miles each time. It is a great part of my workout routine and when I get home, I jump in the shower and then am starving afterwards. This Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie is the perfect post-workout recovery drink!

After a run, I like to have something on the heartier side to eat and a nutrient-dense smoothie is one of my favorite things. It is a great mix of protein and carbs and fills me up for a couple of hours. I like that it is hydrating as well and I drink this along with my water and coffee in the morning.

So what is in this chocolate raspberry smoothie? Frozen raspberries which are full of fiber and vitamin C. They also have small amounts of other vitamins like vitamins A, calcium and zinc. I use a chocolate protein powder or cocoa powder along with collagen peptides protein for the yummy chocolate flavor with a boost of protein. I will share options for each in the recipe so you can use what you have on hand. I used 2% milk but feel free to use any milk you like.

I typically throw in a giant handful of baby spinach or frozen spinach but I didn't want to color to be funky so I skipped it this time. This smoothie is so loaded with flavor. My daughter stole my smoothie from because she loved it so much.

The secret tricky ingredient is KaraMD UltraBeets which is a beetroot drink powder. Beets may be useful for runners for increasing blood flow to muscle fibers which can help you to run faster. Some studies have shown that beetroot helped runners feel like they are putting in less effort to running than without the beet powder.

How I got the idea to use beetroot powder for running is because my sister's fiancé Joe drinks beetroot juice for running. Everyone can be having a glass of wine at the family bonfire and Joe is drinking beet juice for his run the next day! Might as well try it right! When you blend in this beet powder with the other flavorful ingredients, it doesn't taste like beets at all. Trust me, I was totally scared of that but you really can't taste the beets. The KaraMD UltraBeets powder is cherry apple flavor so it is already less strong tasting than unflavored beet powders.

I also like the KaraMD Revive Reds which I used in my Berry Chia Oatmeal. I also like the KaraMD ProBio Amplify probiotics.

Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie

Yield: serves 1 Author: Amanda Hernandez