In the realm of fast, nutritious foods, the smoothie bowl is a pretty interesting development. Essentially, you take everything that you would normally drink in a smoothie, blend it up just a little thicker and pour it into a bowl.
Why? Besides the thicker, more satisfying consistency, smoothie bowls allow you to add all manner of whole toppings that would be extremely impractical in a drinkable smoothie.
Nuts, seeds, sliced fruit, oats and even chocolate chips can all be thrown on top of these bowls. It's really up to you.
Okay, so that's the basic what and why of smoothie bowls. Let's get down to the how with 5 recipes to get you started.
Mocha Smoothie Bowl
- 1/2 cup chocolate milk (of your choice)
- 1 scoop organic whey protein powder
- 1 packet instant coffee, if desired
- Ice cubes, as needed
Blend the ingredients together until they reach your desired consistency. Pour the mixture in a bowl and top as desired. Nuts, sliced banana, sliced strawberries and coconut flakes all work well here.
Brewed coffee can also be used in place of the instant coffee but you will need to adjust the amount of liquids to achieve the right texture.
Berry Crunch Bowl
- 1 cup chopped kale or baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 scoop organic whey protein powder
- 1 cup milk (of choice)
- 1½ cups frozen mixed berries
- ½ frozen banana
Blend the ingredients together until they reach your desired consistency. Pour the mixture in a bowl and top as desired.
Suggested toppings include berries, almonds, bananas and chia seeds.
Avocado Superfood Bowl
- 1/4 cup avocado, mashed
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup milk (of choice)
- 1 scoop organic whey protein powder
- 1/2 small banana, frozen and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup kale, firmly packed
Blend the ingredients together until they reach your desired consistency. Pour the mixture in a bowl and top as desired.
Coconut, cashews and pomegranate all make a perfect addition to this bowl.
Chocolate Hazelnut Bowl
- 2 frozen bananas
- ¼ cup hazelnuts, soaked 30 minutes
- 1 scoop organic whey protein powder
- 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
- ¾ cup milk (of choice)
- 3-4 large Medjool dates, pitted
Blend the ingredients together until they reach your desired consistency. Pour the mixture in a bowl and top as desired.
Banana slices, chopped hazelnuts, and cacao nibs are excellent here.