Too Easy: Date and Almond Butter Smoothie

Easy recipe today, because I want to talk about something that’s not so easy…

You’re not “supposed” to talk about politics for fear that it may offend someone, but when a campaign has literally built itself upon offending others, and pure hatred, I can’t (and won’t) avoid the subject. It’s undeniable now—Donald Trump is on a path headed straight for the Republican Presidential nomination.

And seriously….HOW?! This is something that is fully and absolutely unconscionable to me. It used to be a bit of a joke.. “Oh that crazy Trump! He’s actually running! Check out all these silly memes about him where we poke fun of the crazy shit he says!” But the severity and reality of the situation has torn away the humor and replaced it with fear and hopelessness. How is so much of this country supporting a man who advocates violence, who is wholly misogynistic, who has publicly denounced entire populations of peoples, and has advocated for bombing families…

I’ve read convincing opinion pieces for why he has support, and yet…it still breaks my heart into a million pieces to know that this racist, sexist demagogue is someone that millions of Americans can apparently relate to. This is not about sane policies. This is a man with virtually no political experience who is garnering the support of those with little education, and political ignorance. His inability to pose logical and possible solutions to issues, and his history of dodging questions by instead asking his own oddly seems to work to his advantage, rather than hinder him. This is mind-boggling and disheartening to me.

Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or anything else, no one should be supporting this man. Many Republicans have already publicly denounced him, and I would hope that if he does end up the Republican nominee, that Republicans stand together against him. This video from an ad for the 1964 presidential election has recently been passed around again, because the sentiments in it are echoed so similarly in this election:

Okay. Rant over…I almost just apologized for it, but I saw what I wrote and deleted it. Because I’m not sorry, and I will not apologize for speaking out against hate.

But, let’s cool it down with some delicious smoothies.

One of my favorite snacks ever is sticky, sweet dates, stuffed with almond butter. The flavors work together in such an addictive way. It’s sublimely satisfying.

I wanted to recreate this flavor combo in a smoothie. This is actually fairly similar to my Nutty Fig Smoothies. Both have a fruit and nut element, but I think I may like this one even more. I added banana, because banana in smoothies is awesome. I also used a small amount of non-dairy creamer for added creaminess and flavor. The kind I use is an almond milk creamer with hazelnut flavoring—YUM!