Photo Credit: ThisLexingtonLife.com
A few weekends ago I had the pleasure of attending the loveliest brunch with a group of bloggers here in Lexington! It was seriously like a dream! The Lexington Blogger Brunch event took place at The Barn At Springhouse, a gorgeous venue located at Spring House Gardens out in Nicholasville, KY. They were such gracious hosts and I highly recommend them for your next event – it’s so beautiful out there!

Lexington Blogger Brunch - Photos By Kirstie Dunston Photography

I wanted to make something delicious, guilt free, energy boosting, and refreshing to share with the group since I knew it would be a bit hot out that day! I tried these Funky Monkey Matcha shakes at a friend’s house not long ago and I have been obsessed with them since. Whole Foods Lexington out at The Summit At Fritz Farm was wonderful enough to provide all of the ingredients I needed so I could whip these up for the event! I’ve been learning a bit about all of the health benefits of matcha lately and I’m a little bit blown away by it!

Matcha is green tea in powdered form. So, instead of straining the leaves in hot water and discarding them, you are actually drinking the finely powdered tea leaves. A lot of people swear by the “calm energy” boost that it gives without all of the jittery effects that typically accompany a cup of coffee. I’m not giving up my coffee just yet but I am definitely exploring all of the different ways to enjoy my new found love for matcha. It is extremely rich in antioxidants called polyphenols. These antioxidants have been found to protect against cancer, heart disease, promote anti-aging, and even boost metabolism. Sounds pretty good, right?!

Photo Credit: ThisLexingtonLife.com
I snagged this matcha recipe from my friend Kalen, a consultant for Steeped Tea. You can find tons of other matcha recipes, including this one, on their website! This made the perfect dessert smoothie but I’ve also been loving it for breakfast as well!
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Ingredients (1 serving):

1 sliced frozen banana
1 cup almond milk
¾ cup ice
¼ cup peanut or almond butter
2 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp Steeped Tea’s Vanilla Matcha (original recipe calls for Banana Matcha – but I used Vanilla!)

Instructions:

Place all of your ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. I used natural organic peanut butter that was a little bit grainy so I had to blend a little longer and add more almond milk to get the “smooth” and desired consistency.

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If you’re dying to try our this recipe and want to get your hands on some matcha – get it here! Steeped Tea carries very high quality products and I wouldn’t get it anywhere else! I’m thinking about changing this up next tim with almond butter and almond extract – maybe a little bit of pumpkin spice once we’re in the fall?! The possibilities are endless!

Thank you so much to The Barn At Springhouse for hosting this beautiful event, Whole Foods Lexington for providing high quality ingredients, Kirstie Dunston Photography for the beyond GORGEOUS photos, and all of the other bloggers for every single contribution! I am so thankful for the wonderful creative community we are building here in Lexington! Make sure to visit their blogs to read about more details from the day! Food, fashion, music, venue, decor – it is all being covered!