Gotta love a nice and simple smoothie where nearly all the ingredients make the recipe title. That's what you'll find in this Chocolate Maca Banana Smoothie. Easy, chocolate-y, super thick satisfaction. Couldn't ask for anything more in a smoothie!

Whether you drink smoothies on the daily or whip them up when you need a silky, refreshing treat, I bet you're going to love this one.

Me? I swoon over a good smoothie, but I gravitate towards drinking smoothies as a treat.

I mean, I could drink smoothies every damn day. But as a food blogger and recipe adventurer, I can't be chained to my blender alone. Plus, I don't want to be dependent on smoothies as a meal replacement—I like sinking my teeth into a hearty meal too much.

But Fargo's been hot, and smoothies hit the spot. As of right now the forecast this weekend features our first 100+ degree day, so an icy, refreshing smoothie is just what I need in life.

Side note: most people are surprised to hear North Dakota isn't a permanent frozen tundra. Nope...our summers are nice and hot. We just also get really cold winters. A taste of both extremes.

Anyway, this chocolate maca banana smoothie is just simple enough that my heat-addled brain can throw it together in no time!

I could sit here and type up a nice long explanation about each ingredient. But let's keep it simple. I always have this stuff in my pantry. I wanted something thick and cold and chocolate-y. This happened. And then I made it a couple days later. And again.

If I'm making a recipe that frequently, I know it's worth sharing with all my fine internet friends.

Plus, it gave me an opportunity to craft these pictures. Honestly that's one of my favorite parts of having a food blog—I get to hang out in the kitchen experimenting with food and creating a new subject that I can photograph. As I make a recipe (even something as simple as this smoothie), I think about how I want to portray it in front of my lens. Sometimes I hit the mark and sometimes I fall short, but it's all part of the process of learning and practicing and growing.

Oh, before we get to the recipe, I've got to throw out a life tip. I buy bananas every week, but I rarely eat them on their own. I'm not much of a snacker. But I continue to buy them week after week. When I do want a snack, they're available, but if I don't get to them I peel 'em and toss them into a bag in the freezer. That way I always have bananas available for smoothies, "nice" cream, and banana bread. And they always get used—no banana waste here!