My First True (Healthy) Love : Smoothie Bowls
In case you haven’t noticed, I have a thing for smoothie bowls.
One might say I’m obsessed, and with good reason, if you ask me. For the record, I’m not someone who’s always maintained a healthy diet, or for whom this whole “clean eating” thing comes naturally (if it does for anyone, I’m not quite sure). In fact, this is the first time in my life that I feel like I have a healthy relationship with food in general, and a lot of that is thanks to smoothie bowls.
Strawberry - Vanilla - Protein Smoothie Bowl :
Frozen banana, frozen strawberries, frozen coconut milk cubes, scoop of vanilla plant protein powder, agave, dash of vanilla extract, splash of coconut milk, and blend it right up!
And here’s why:
It’s not that I ever disliked fruits and vegetables, but fruits were a snack, not a meal, and the concept of a vegetable was always in the form of a side dish, or an add-on, to an otherwise starchy, carb- and meat-heavy meal. The idea that a meal could consist of entirely plants was outlandish, boring, and unappetizing.
Smoothie bowls were the gateway to a much healthier lifestyle for me. When I started playing around with smoothie bowls, I realized that there were fun and creative ways to put ingredients together to create dishes that satisfied my cravings without relying on processed or pre-made foods, and this realization changed my whole concept of food preparation, and, consequently, body nourishment.
I learned that there are ways to hide some of those vegetables that I wasn’t naturally drawn towards (the trendy superfood, kale, for example), in the form of a tasty, chocolatey frozen delight. I also learned that I could satisfy that after-dinner ice cream craving with frozen bananas, cacao, and agave, and wake up feeling energized the next morning, instead of bloated and lethargic.
Over time, as I found myself feeling better and better, I began to get over my fear of plants as the primary components of my everyday diet, and expanded my dishes to include big nourishing salad bowls (I’m talking popcorn bowl-sized salads), buddha bowls, plant-based soups, curries, noodle dishes, and more.
Smoothie bowls helped me transition from a picky, processed food eater, to a healthy plant-eater, and I will never turn back.
Strawberry - Banana - Beet “Nice Cream”
Frozen strawberries, frozen banana, beet root, frozen coconut milk cubes, agave, dash of vanilla extract, splash of coconut milk, blend it up, pop it in the freezer for ~ 1 hour, serve in a cute bowl, & enjoy !!
So, here are some of my go-to smoothie bowl tricks that helped me make that transition to tasty plant-based nourishment:
Get a good blender. It doesn’t need to be one of those trendy, super expensive Vitamix blenders (although they look really cool and I definitely want one someday); I use a 1200 Watt Ninja Kitchen System (comes with blender, food processor, and NutriNinja for about half the price of a Vitamix), and it has served me loyally throughout this journey.
Use a frozen nut milk, instead of ice, as the base for your smoothie bowl. I do this by freezing either coconut milk or almond milk (or a blend of the two) in ice cube trays. This helps to give you that thick, ice cream-like texture that makes the smoothie bowl such a delicious treat. When it starts to melt, instead of becoming watery, it becomes even richer and creamier, and makes you want to lick the bowl right down to the last drop.
The same goes for frozen fruit. Using frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit helps to give you that icy smooth texture. Keep in mind though, this doesn’t mean buy the prepackaged frozen fruit at the grocery store (unless that’s your best option); I still recommend buying fresh fruit, and once it’s ripe, cut it up and store it in a freezer-safe container. Some good fruits for this are bananas (best when they’re overripe and speckly), mangoes, and berries.
Vanilla extract is my secret ingredient. I use vanilla extract in just about every smoothie bowl I make. Without adding extra sugar or syrup, vanilla extract gives the smoothie bowl that rich treat-like flavor that, when combined with the tips mentioned above, makes it feel like ice cream for breakfast. Just make sure it’s pure vanilla extract and not vanilla flavoring or something like that.
Play with different sweeteners until you find one you like. For me, it’s agave. Sometimes I’ll swap out agave for coconut palm sugar, but agave is consistently my go-to. Other healthy options include raw honey and maple syrup (the real kind, not Aunt Jemima).
Last but not least, make it pretty! This may sound silly, but this really did the trick for me. Find a pretty bowl that you like (I have both a bamboo and a coconut bowl that are my favorites), and then go crazy with toppings! You can use chopped up fruit, nuts, seeds, granola … whatever floats your boat! I found that taking time to make it look like a masterpiece made me more likely to do it again and again, plus it can become a sort of creative outlet. Maybe it’s just me, but hey, whatever works! Just find what suits you and go for it.
Anyway, these tricks have really helped me make the transition to a much healthier, happier lifestyle. I hope they will for you, too! As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions. If you try any of the suggestions I’ve made please let me know how it turns out - I always love to hear your feedback!
Mint - Chocolate Chip - Matcha Smoothie Bowl
Frozen bananas, frozen mango, fresh mint, green tea matcha powder, frozen coconut milk cubes, scoop of vanilla plant protein powder (optional), agave, dash of vanilla extract, splash of coconut milk, & blend. Stir in chocolate chips after blending & sprinkle with crush chocolate / cacao nibs, coconut flakes, or any other topping of your choice !! This is also a great one to add in some of those other greens, like kale & spinach.
