If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know by now that I am a smoothie-lover at heart. So, you can imagine my excitement when Zola sent me a case of their different-flavored acai juices to try in some recipes and give a little review! Zola also makes coconut waters, if acai isn’t your kind of thing. However, I’ve included a phenomenal recipe in this post that you can try for yourself, in case you aren’t totally sure about what to do with acai juice just yet. While you’re at it, check out Zola’s Juice Shop Recipe Contest where you can enter to win a Vitamix Blender, $200 off your groceries and a 1-year supply of Zola. Visit their page for details, and stay tuned for some future acai recipes on here and my Instagram

If you’ve ever tried acai and mocha before, you’d know it’s a terrific combo. This is a protein-packed shake that uses the Vanilla Blast Organic Brown Rice Powder made by Growing Naturals. What I love about this powder is that it’s made with sprouted, organic ingredients, is allergen-friendly and boosts a whopping 24g of protein in just one scoop! The vanilla flavor helps add sweetness to smoothies and shakes, and the powder has such a smooth consistency that I find myself adding even half a scoop to a lot of my blended drinks.

This smoothie also includes Mocha coffee concentrate from Chameleon Cold Brew. As usual, this coffee is completely organic and fair-trade along with being super delicious even on its own! In fact, this entire smoothie is organic as long as you use bananas that are. Some of the other ingredients that I used are Maca Powder, stevia, and of course Acai Juice from Zola. I know coffee and acai berry doesn’t sound like the greatest pairing but trust me, it really works in this smoothie!

The acai juice and protein powder add a sweetness that helps balance out the more robust, rich flavors of the maca powder and the coffee. Just a fair warning though, this is definitely a morning/breakfast shake. Unless you don’t get jittery or feel a strong buzz from caffeine, I would advise you not to make this smoothie close to bedtime. The acai, cold brew and maca all act as great energizers, but if you find that you are very sensitive then maybe go easy on those. You can use a decaffeinated coffee and leave out or use less of the maca powder. Feel free to experiment until you get your perfect smoothie in terms of flavor and consistency!