The First Date Shake.

There was never really an official first date, I guess. Weston never had to ask me out or even ask me for my phone number. We were two people in a group of friends who got to know each other a lot before ending up alone at a dinner together. The rest of our friends were going to a movie that wouldn't end until after my high school curfew, so Weston offered to stick around and take me to dinner instead of joining them. And that was our first "date".

We sat across from each other for dinner on a rainy Friday night in February. I had just stepped in a massive puddle in the parking lot, wearing ballet flats, and sat shivering at the table (always the epitome of grace) when I ordered my dinner - "Just a chocolate milkshake, please."

Weston stared at me. "That's all you're having?" Um, yeah, Weston. When you're alone at dinner with a boy you've secretly had a crush on for like, a year, it's a little nerve wracking and I couldn't exactly think of stomaching actual food at that moment. I didn't care how rainy or cold it was or how wet the bottoms of my pants were. Chocolate shake for me. 

Lately, my goal has been to maximize the amount of whole foods that I eat and minimize the amount of  sugar loaded processed stuff. The first week was easy but by week two, my sweet tooth was not being satisfied by fistfuls of fruit anymore and that's when Weston came up with this.

It's a chocolate shake. Made with almond milk, cocoa powder, and dates. And therefore we've come full circle.

On my first date with Weston, I had a chocolate shake. And last week, he made me my first date chocolate shake!

(Please humor me, I'm incredibly proud of this realization.)

If you like frozen, dairy free, chocolatey treats that can be part of a balanced diet… here's what you do...

In a blender, combine:

1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup almond butter
12 pitted dates
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp coconut flakes
And ice - anywhere between a few cubes and a cups worth. The more ice you add, the thinner the drink will be. Just depends on your preference! I've been adding about two handfuls worth.

If you try it out let me know what you think!

And just for fun - since I shared a little bit about my first date with Weston… 

here's a picture from around that time, 6 years ago haha. Aye… look at these kids!