As the yoga pant-clad woman in the shop at the beach passed my dragon fruit smoothie bowl across the counter and shoved a compostable spoon down the side, it was love at first sight.
I know I’m being dramatic when I say that smoothie bowls changed my life, so I’ll just say that smoothie bowls changed breakfast…and lunch…and sometimes dinner.
See, I used to spend the time before breakfast each morning trying to decide if I wanted cereal or a smoothie.
Cereal has been a lifelong love for me, and smoothies are my hot new thing. Each day, I ask myself if I should go with my roots or start up the blender. Now I don’t have to choose.
If you’re not already onto them, let me tell you about smoothie bowls. They’re just what they sound like—a smoothie dumped into a bowl. But there’s more.
Once you don’t have to worry about slurping your smoothie up a straw, the game changes. Now, that already delicious bowl of blended bananas, blueberries, and açai, has become a canvas for you to cover with superfoods, like cacao nibs, mulberries, and goji berries, or you know, CHOCOLATE GRANOLA. And pecans. And cherries. And everything. It’s a smoothie…aaaaand it’s cereal.
One other difference I’ve noticed between smoothies and smoothie bowls is the fact that people (read: other bloggers, like The Minimalist Baker!) tend to pack smoothie bowls with nutritionally dense ingredients like they’re going out of fashion, which I’m totally on board with.
It’s a superfood smorgasbord!
But I’ll be honest. I’m not convinced about the magical, mystical properties of ancient superfoods.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m ALL about trying new fun ingredients, like caramel-y mulberries, bitter goji berries, very GREEN spirulina, and earthy açai powder. But that’s just it, these ingredients are fun to me because they’re new (to me). Superfoods are like a new foodie playground filled with brand new toys.
But even if I’m not sure they’re as drastically transformative as some of the marketing makes them out to be, I do think that superfoods, like açai, have a lot of nutritional benefits, especially for vegans and people eating plant-based diets.
A lot of superfoods, like spirulina, can provide nutrients that people who don’t eat animal products might have a tough time coming by.
And Nourish NYC’s Marissa Lippert, M.S., R.D. says that “Açaí berries are jam-packed with a type of antioxidant called anthocyanins, thanks to their dark purple-black hue. Anthocyanins help prevent disease, like heart disease and cancer, and overall inflammation” (Refinery29).
I’m sold.
And what she didn’t mention is the fact that açai tastes like a cross between tart berries and dark chocolate.
::faints::
Try this smoothie bowl yourself and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #thatsplenty. If this is your first foray into smoothie bowls, then welcome. If you’re an old hat at smoothie bowls? You should have told me sooner. See you on the IG.
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 banana
- ½ cup grapes (or other juicy fruit, like berries)
- 1 Tablespoon açai powder
- Optional Toppings:
- ¼ cup granola (try this homemade version: http://crandlecakes.com/2014/12/14/gingerbread-granola-vegan/)
- ¼ cup fresh blackberries
- ¼ cherries (pitted)
- Small handful pecans
- Optional: 1 Tablespoon cacao nibs
- In a blender, combine blueberries, banana, grapes, and açai and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a bowl and put on the toppings listed, or others of your choice!
And if bananas are out of the question for you, swap in ½ cup coconut milk or some cashew cream (soak cashews for 2 hours, then blend with water until smooth).
The Waco Vegan is no longer updated. You can find me over at RandleBrowning.com instead.
I love acai bowls! I’ve never had one with grapes though. But I definitely can see why you would use them. So I’m going to have to mix it up and give your smoothie bowl a go, with grapes 😉
Meg, frozen grapes are so perfect for smoothies and smoothie bowls! They’re like ice cubes…but grape flavored! 😛