A smoothie bowl, also known as an acai bowl, provides all the healthiest smoothie ingredients you are used to, in a thicker smoothie with delicious toppings. It not only changes the way you eat smoothies, but is great for replacing other breakfast items like cereal or oatmeal, but providing just as many nutrients.
Here is an easy formula to follow when building the perfect smoothie bowl.
Start With Your Fruit or Veggies
Like all smoothies, you want to start by choosing your fruits and veggies. Vegetables don’t need to be included in every smoothie, but adding some kale or spinach is a good idea when you want a greens smoothie or simply one with added nutrition.
For the fruit, try to choose frozen fruit, since it helps to thicken up the smoothie and keeps it from turning to a thin liquid too quickly. You want your smoothie bowl to be nice and thick so it is easy to eat with a spoon.
While you can use any fruits you want, here are some popular options:
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Blueberries or raspberries
- Mango
- Honeydew melon
- Watermelon
- Papaya
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries
- Apples
- Oranges or lemons
- Pomegranates
- Mangos
Add in a Thickening Ingredient
Next up is the thickening ingredient! Many people choose to make this their main source of protein in the smoothie base, such as yogurt, protein powder, or even tofu if you like it. Nut butter is also an excellent choice, such as peanut butter or almond butter.
You can also make this a traditional acai bowl by adding an acai packet to the base. These either come in a freeze-dried powder or frozen smoothie pack, which help add nutrition, flavor, color, and thickening to the smoothie. You can usually find them at health food stores, though your regular grocery store might also have them.
Choose Your Liquids
All smoothies need at least a little liquid since it helps the blender to break up the fruit and other ingredients. Just be sure to add less liquid than you normally would for a smoothie.
If you are watching the sugar and calorie content of the smoothie base, using water works just fine. You can also use coconut water or coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, or any type of dairy liquid.
You may also want to use some fruit juice for added flavor, but be careful not to add too much. If you end up adding a little too much liquid, just add in more fruit and thickening ingredient.
Top it Off!
The last step of the smoothie bowl formula is the topping! You can use one or multiple toppings, depending on how you want to present the bowl.
Many bowls use a sprinkle of chia seeds for the interest in color and texture, along with cacao nibs, muesli, granola, or shredded coconut. Any type of nuts or seeds work really well for the top of smoothie bowls, as well as berries and other sliced fruit.
Related:
Free 3-page Report "80 Healthiest Foods"
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