It took me a little time to get into the world of matcha, mainly because of its really rich, earthy taste. It’s not for everyone, but it has some decent health benefits so I was willing to find ways to make it a little more appealing. Matcha is a powdered form of green tea and is said to have 10X more antioxidants than regular green tea; you have to drink a fair amount of green tea to receive its benefits (like 5 cups). It also contains essential nutrients like vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium. It does still contain caffeine (1 teaspoon contains 40mg of caffeine) so if you’re sensitive, you might want to proceed carefully and I wouldn’t be making myself a matcha smoothie before bed (about 3pm should really be your cut-off for any foods or beverages containing caffeine). You can read more about it’s potential health benefits by clicking here. In the meantime, here is my recipe for my simple matcha strawberry smoothie.

8-12 ounces of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of your choice)

One serving of your choice of protein powder (either vanilla or unflavored is recommended)

1 1/2 to 2 cups of organic frozen strawberries

1 Tablespoon of organic matcha powder (about 120 mg of caffeine, FYI)

1 Tablespoon of coconut oil

1/3 to 1/2 of a banana

Throw everything into a blender and blend on medium-high speed. I recommend starting with the least amount of milk and adding until your desired consistency.