My son Gabe is 15 and I could swear he grows an inch every single day! OK, I admit, it’s probably an exaggeration but it really feels and looks that way! More than ever, I want to make sure and give him all the right fuel for his body to grow. So, I created this milk shake for him (I am happy to share!). It’s absolutely power nutrition! The “secret” ingredients which you would never know are in there–you just don’t taste them–are black lentils (canned is fine–click here for a brand I like) and rolled oats! In one fell swoop, I have fruit, whole grains, legumes, dairy and nuts all in this one shake….and he LOVES it!! It’s quick and easy to make on a busy school morning for breakfast, or as a snack to take to school in a thermos. I am so proud of this little recipe and it fills me with joy knowing it’s really contributing to his phenomenal growth! It is rich in protein containing an astonishing 18 g (no protein powder concoction needed here!), a huge 9 g of fiber, a substantial 1167 mg potassium and 391 mg calcium which is 30 % of the amount he needs at this age just from that one drink.
Click here for the vegan version of this!
- 1 cup organic skim milk (or soy milk)
- 3 Tbsp bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao- Ghirardelli)
- 2 Tbsp canned black lentils, rinsed and drained
- 2 Tbsp rolled oats
- 1 small ripe banana
- 1 Tbsp natural unsweetened almond butter (optional)
- 1 cup ice
- Place skim milk in a microwaveable cup with the chocolate chips and heat on high for 1 minute only!
- Stir Briefly and pour into a blender, making sure to get all the chocolate.
- Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth--about 30 seconds
Nutrition for 1 serving (3 cups) with the almond butter
Total Calories: 519
Total Carbohydrates: 67g
Total Protein: 18g
Total Fat: 22g
Total Saturated Fat: 8g
Total MUFA: 9g
Total PUFA: 3g
Total Fiber: 9g
Sodium: 114mg
Potassium: 1167mg
Added Sugars: 11g
Sibylle says
January 6, 2017 at 5:01 pmCatherine,
We have air from Siberia sweeping in on us. So tonight coming of our bikes feeling frozen solid and wanting hot, hot chocolate, I made a hot version of this shake. What can I say, the steaming hot version felt so good and was every bit as good, tasty and satisfying as the ice cold version ?. It warmed us up to the tips of every frozen toe.
(This time l added peanut butter (the 100% peanut nothing else kind, since we have run out of almond butter).
Catherine Katz says
January 7, 2017 at 9:30 amWOW WOW WOOOOOOOW!!! Brilliant Sibylle! I would never even have thought to do that! I LOVE IT!!! 🙂 🙂
Melanie says
October 3, 2016 at 11:19 amI found dried black beluga lentils at Stop and Shop (CT). Took 15 mins to make, and the Banana Chocolate Power Shake was out of this world!!! These lentils are my new favorite add in. Thank you for introducing me to them! So, so good!
Catherine Katz says
October 3, 2016 at 1:00 pmHURRAY Melanie!! That’s wonderful! I am so happy to have introduced them to you–just delighted that you love’em too! 🙂
Sibylle says
February 17, 2016 at 12:05 pmDear Catherine,
a fantastic fast breakfast. And my now become picky 18 month old eater gobbles it up faster then anything. It is also relatively mess free, since she (mostly) drinks it. If I give her a spoon to scratch out the last drop out of her cup, she will use that 😉 instead of her hand and feet and…
My husband was first concerned, that I give her chocolate many mornings. When I gave him the secret ingredients list he was amazed and is now happy with his girls’ breakfast (I have one too).
This morning, I did not have any chocolate chips, but I felt like the chocolate shake and not the strawberry version of this. I substituted the chocolate chips with 100% cacao powder (Dutch version) and two of the soft dates (inspired by many of your chocolate deserts). It tasted REALLY GOOD, though the original is still better.
Catherine Katz says
February 17, 2016 at 12:18 pmSibylle,
I just LOVE your wonderful feedback!!! I can just envision your little cutie gobbling it up, not to mention her chocolatey face!! I do agree with your husband that if you can swap strawberries for the chocolate every so often, it’s even better, just so that she grows to love the simple fruit flavors just as much as she does the chocolate, and you can then expand with even more fruit later on. What a lucky girl she is to have such great parents! 🙂
Verena Winiwarter says
December 27, 2015 at 7:53 amMy 24 year old daughter cannot eat lentils or beans due to severe intestinal cramps resulting from legumes. Any hope that she might enjoy such wonderful recipes as the chocolate cream or this shake nevertheless?
Catherine Katz says
December 27, 2015 at 10:19 amHi Verena,
The shake, definitely, but I would add 1-2 Tbsp of almond or hazelnut flour/meal to give it protein. The chocolate cream, I can’t answer because I have never tried it. Let me know how it goes, I always love to hear and care very much!
Verena Winiwarter says
December 27, 2015 at 10:24 amThank you for the speedy answer. I will try the chocolate cream for New Year’s Eve and think of something to add rather than lentils. Perhaps some normal tofu to give it a bit more standing or quinoa, but well blended to keep the creamy texture. I will report back.
Catherine Katz says
December 27, 2015 at 10:32 amYou are so welcome Verena! Are your referring to the chocolate pudding or to the creme au chocolat? For the creme au chocolat, I would definitely NOT use quinoa because it would give too much of its flavor and “grittiness” to this recipe, as you need to replace 1/2 cup of the lentils. Let me think about it some more and I’ll get back to you.
Verena Winiwarter says
December 27, 2015 at 10:38 amI am thinking of the Creme au Chocolat. Thank you for thinking about the problem! Going through my list of possible replacements for legumes, I am now considering chia seeds and steamed pumpkin. (I personally would not mind a slight pumpkin taste).
Catherine Katz says
December 27, 2015 at 10:38 amHi again Verena!
Because you are making this for New Year’s eve, you want it to come out just perfectly luscious on that night. So, here is what I would recommend: Assuming you are referring to the crème au chocolat, I would replace the 1/2 cup lentils with an additional 1/2 cup silken soft tofu. Because this is such a quick and easy recipe, you can try it first beforehand to make sure that will do the trick for your special evening. Does that sound like a plan?
Verena Winiwarter says
December 27, 2015 at 10:42 amAdding some more silke tofu sounds like an ABSOLUTELY PERFECT PLAN, merci bien! All other experiments can wait for later.
Catherine Katz says
December 27, 2015 at 10:56 amVerena–Parfait!!!
May I trouble you to let me know if that worked? You want the end result to be as creamy and rich as my photo looks (and tastes!!) so I am eager to know whether that will do it for you!
Laura Morey says
December 12, 2015 at 5:31 pmThis is delicious. I pick up these lentils at Target whenever I’m there just for this recipe.
Catherine Katz says
December 12, 2015 at 5:34 pmWonderful Laura! I love lentils! You may want to try them in my crème au chocolat, my flourless chocolate cake and…my turkey meatballs for that matter!!! I hide them wherever I can!
Brenda Raubenheimer says
November 9, 2015 at 2:11 amHi Catherine.
Sent you an email just now looking for this recipe and now I’ve found it! Looking forward to trying it. Hope i can find black lentils in South Africa. My question is, since we battle to get really good dark chocolate chips here, I will use a slab of Lindt chocolate, so could you give me an idea of the weight (preferably in grams) of the chocolate in this recipe?
Thanks so much,
Brenda
Catherine Katz says
November 10, 2015 at 6:58 amHi Brenda! I answered your e-mail directly but just in case, I’ll reiterate here. 1 Tbsp of the large bittersweet chocolate chips I use is about 10 grams. Also, don’t worry if you can’t find black lentils, you can use any other type of lentils as well, and if you can only find them dry, you can cook a batch, rinse and drain it and keep it in your fridge ready to go! Nothing is to stop you!!! I love your determination!!
Greg says
August 28, 2015 at 5:02 pmI now live 10 minutes from a Target – getting these and making this ASAP!
Catherine Katz says
August 31, 2015 at 9:27 amYay, Greg, let me know how you like it! Also, I recommend the flourless chocolate cake which also uses lentils!
Kathryn says
April 13, 2015 at 1:29 pmI don’t eat chocolate, do you think I could substitute fresh strawberries? Or maybe peaches or blueberries?
Catherine Katz says
April 13, 2015 at 2:21 pmHi Kathryn,
I don’t see why not! Fresh fruit is so naturally sweet and nutritious! You don’t even need to heat up the milk in that case–I’d love to know how it goes!
Kathryn says
April 15, 2015 at 5:57 pmThanks! I am going to try it. I am going to use almond or cashew milk, instead of skim, I think. I will let you know how it tastes 🙂
Denise says
April 12, 2015 at 2:09 pmThe shake is fantastic! It does taste just like a decadent chocolate milk shake. I am not a big lentil fan; however, I can’t taste the black lentils at all. I made the shake in the morning and it kept me quite full for several hours. This will definitely be my new go-to breakfast.
Thank you, Catherine!
p.s. I found the black lentils at Target.
Catherine Katz says
April 12, 2015 at 3:39 pmYAY!!!!! Denise, That’s what I LOVE TO HEAR! It’s so true!!!
Greg says
April 11, 2015 at 8:48 amBlack lentils are a little hard for me to get here…. but will keep looking!
Catherine Katz says
April 11, 2015 at 9:10 amHi Greg! I understand Target has them in their stores–They are in a pouch-here is what they look like: (http://www.target.com/p/simply-balanced-black-beluga-lentils-microwaveable-pouch-8-oz/-/A-14604272)
Greg says
March 7, 2015 at 8:30 pmDo you think this would this work with any type of bean?
Catherine Katz says
March 8, 2015 at 7:43 amIt might but you may actually taste it, which you do not with the lentils. My question to you is why replace the lentils in the first place. They are just perfect!
Corinda Lubin-Katz says
March 7, 2015 at 6:18 pmWow – fantastic!!! Cannot wait to try this 🙂
Catherine Katz says
March 7, 2015 at 8:10 pmYou are going to LOVE IT!! It has the same consistency as a milk shake made with ice cream!!!!