Let’s Eat a Smoothie Bowl

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Happy Wednesday!

I’m happy! By the time you read this post, I will be on a plane to Bermuda (free)!  Posts will still go up and I will check in, but I’m on vacation – the first one since my transplant!

No dialysis! No strict diet! It still takes some getting used to…

There will be pictures later next week or early the next week.

Smoothie Bowls

I promise, I’ll get away from juicing and smoothies for a while after this post! LOL

Smoothie bowls are so pretty with their vibrant colors, creative streaks, and of course the delicious taste! However, there are other benefits, especially how good for you it can be when replacing a meal or snack.

All the Vitamins and Nutrients

The first reason more people should be eating smoothie bowls is that they contain a lot of ingredients. Nearly all the ingredients have health benefits, from fresh or frozen fruit, to protein-rich granola and fat-burning chia seeds.

You can adjust the content of your bowl depending on what you need (or want) more of. For example, if you need more vitamin C in your diet, you can choose fruits and vegetables that contain more vitamin C, then add those nutrients in a delicious breakfast bowl.

Control the Nutritional Content

If you’re concerned about too much sugar, calories, or fat in your smoothie bowl, not to worry! It’s very easy to control exactly what the nutritional content is for every bowl. Smoothie bowls often contain fruits, nuts, seeds, dairy, and veggies, all of which are loaded with the vitamins and minerals your body needs. You may have any combination of nutrients, but often antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, and many other essential nutrients.

If you want to reduce the sugar, decrease the amount of fruit you use, and make up for it with protein powder or adding in more yogurt or milk. To watch your calories, avoid using full-fat milk and use low-calorie fruits and vegetables. This allows you to easily customize the smoothie bowl to fit your needs.

The Flavor Options Are Endless

No matter how picky of an eater someone is, they’re going to find a smoothie bowl recipe they like! The great thing about smoothies in general is that it is easy to control the flavors and add any fruits or vegetables to satisfy anyone.

If you are making one for your kids, choose their absolutely favorite fruits and toppings, and they are sure to enjoy it more than cereal. It tastes sweet without all that added processed sugar from their favorite bowl of sugary cereal. You can’t go wrong with a good smoothie bowl.

Aren’t They Pretty?

Don’t forget about the fact that smoothie bowls are downright beautiful. These bowls make it so easy to be creative and really enjoy what you’re eating. Making the bowl is fun and eating it will be even better. If you’re someone that likes to Instagram your food, it’s perfect.

This also makes children and teens more willing to try them, which is great if you want them to eat lower-fat and more nutritious foods every day. Let the kids pitch in to help with the bowls, especially with arranging the toppings. This goes a long way in encouraging them to eat more fruit and vegetables.

Benefits of Smoothie Bowls

Here are some additional benefits of eating smoothie bowls.

Try New Things

Smoothie bowls provide the perfect opportunity for you to try new things in the bowl or on top as toppings. While you may not have another use for cacao nibs, chia seeds, maca powder, and hemp seeds, they’re frequently used in smoothie bowls. There is a variety of interesting ingredients you can use, from acai packs for the thickness of the smoothie, to using coconut shavings or goji berries on top. Think of all the different ways to try these new, fun, and healthy ingredients for your smoothie bowls.

Encourages Healthy Eating

Also consider the fact that because smoothie bowls are fun to make and of course pretty to look at, you are more encouraged to eat healthy. You’ can post the pretty picture while you get the nutrients you might not have otherwise enjoyed.

Getting Your Daily Fruits and Veggies

If you are struggling to get your daily amount of fruits and veggies, a smoothie bowl is a great way to increase it. It is a simple smoothie bowl you eat with a spoon just like a bowl of cereal, but you are really loading up on the vitamins and minerals. One smoothie bowl could have a cup of kale, an entire banana, full serving of berries, and nuts and seeds, which is going to be great for your body and your mind.

Easy Formula for Building Your Smoothie Bowl

Here is an easy formula to follow when building the perfect smoothie bowl.

1 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 green 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 into a thin liquid too quickly. You want your smoothie bowl to be nice and thick, so it’s 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
• Mango

2 Add in a Thickening Ingredient

Next 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. 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 helps add nutrition, flavor, color, and thickening to the smoothie. You can usually find them at health food stores, although your regular grocery store might also have them.

3 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’re 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 add a little too much liquid, just add in more fruit and thickening ingredient.

4 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 well for the top of smoothie bowls, as well as berries and other sliced fruit.

Increasing the Health of Your Smoothie Bowl

We have discussed some top-line issues about making your bowls better for you. Here are some more specific tips to making your bowl the best it can be!

Use Fruit/Veggies that Are Nutritious but Low in Fat

You can use any fruit in your smoothie bowl, but if you’re really going for the most health, consider the nutrients of the fruit you are adding.

For example, strawberries are a popular choice for these bowls due to their loads of vitamins and nutrients, among them are vitamin C, folate, iodine, potassium, copper, vitamin B6, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids. They are also extremely low in fat and calories.

Bananas are another good choice, because they’re an amazing source of fiber and also help thicken up your smoothie base. However, bananas have a number of carbs, so if that is a concern for you, you should skip.

Including more veggies like kale or spinach often keep your smoothie lower in fat and carbohydrates as well.

Go with Low-Fat Toppings

The toppings themselves are also going to make or break the amount of nutrition in your smoothie bowl. Don’t just add toppings that are pretty, as they might not be the healthiest option.

If you are concerned with the fat or calorie content, you might want to stay away from granola. It can be rather high in calories –- especially store-bought versions. Some healthy and low-fat topping alternatives are berries, chia seeds, or pomegranate seeds.

Choose Your Liquids Wisely

When choosing your liquid, make sure you don’t use anything that will add more calories without added nutrition.

Fruit juice is great, but it can be high in sugar, which you might not want. Try just adding plain water instead. If adding a “milk”, consider with almond milk or non-fat cow’s milk. If you are concerned about carbs, replace the regular milk with almond milk – which significantly deceases the number of carbs in your bowl.

If using a yogurt, choose Greek yogurt over regular yogurt. If you see yogurt in a recipe and just want to replace it for any reason, you can try a low-sugar yogurt, like the Triple Zero yogurts from Oikos. These do have some carbs, but they are considerably lower than your traditional yogurt.

Add Protein Powder

You also need a thickening protein when preparing your smoothie bowl. Protein powder is one of the best thickening proteins you can use!

This also boosts your energy and metabolism, plus it’s low in fat compared to other thickening additives. It’s wonderful for muscle recovery if you decide to eat your smoothie bowl after a hard workout.

Add a little vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate-flavored protein powder to the blender when preparing your smoothie to increase its protein and nutrition at the same time. There are low-carb protein powders available as well.

It is important that you know what your goal is when composing your smoothie bowl, so you can select your ingredients to build yours to suit you.

Do you eat smoothie bowls? What’s your favorite flavor combination? Tell us in the comments!

Have a lovely day!

Loving Life—The Reboot!

Dominique

Disclosure: Some of the links in this pst are affiliate links meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you buy something using the link.