Smoothie bowls (and warm weather in the northern hemisphere) are all the rage, so when Angelica from @thepeacheepear offered to create one for us, we happily pulled out our immersion blender. Read her full post below!
__
It may not officially be summer yet but the temperatures sure do feel like it is. Up here in New England the weather has been in the high 80’s -low 90’s. That’s official beach weather right there!
With the warm summer days come all of the fun activities along with the easy and refreshing foods. Where I live we have four seasons so when it gets warm outside we’re ready to head out and enjoy the outdoors. That means less time in the kitchen and more fun outside!
We do a lot of smoothies, overnight oats, salads and wraps in the summer. I also like to cook outside on the grill and do my meal prep that way. I grill enough chicken and veggies to last for a few days and worry less about making daily meals.
Açaí smoothie bowls are perfect for this time of year. They’re really easy to make and super refreshing. They call for frozen fruit, little milk, some protein, and whatever toppings your heart desires. Perfect breakfast for those hot summer mornings. Sometimes I even make them for lunch.
Açaí berries have many health benefits. It is a superfood that aids many different aspects of our health. Some of these benefits include:
• Immune system booster
• Improves vision
• Assists in weight loss
• Promotes healthy skin
• Increases energy and lowers fatigue
• Promotes heart health
• Improves mental clarity helping stay focused
• Promotes healthy sex drive (helpful if trying to conceive)
The base of an açaí bowl is a frozen banana, another frozen fruit, 1/2 cup liquid, frozen açaí packet, 2 tbsp protein, and any veggie if you would like. You blend it all together, serve it in a bowl and top it with your favorite toppings. Then use a spoon to eat.
You can get fancy with your açaí smoothie bowls and use a wide variety of exotic fruits, veggies and superfoods. Different combinations can give you different beautiful colors making your bowl a true work of art. If you do a quick search on Pinterest you can find endless recipes for açaí bowls.
This recipe is very basic and uses ingredients that are easy to find. In fact, you probably already have most of these in your pantry. This bowl is done in little time and takes little effort to assemble. It is great to make for a filling and delicious breakfast to get your day started.
Along with the recipe for açaí bowl I have also included my homemade granola recipe. Granola is usually one of the toppings that is used on any smoothie bowl. This adds more protein and crunchiness to your bowl making it that much more delicious!
My homemade granola is easy to make and makes a large batch. You can use it as your smoothie bowl topper, on chia pudding parfaits, or with almond milk and banana like a bowl of cereal. More easy breakfast foods perfect for the summer!
Mango-Banana Açaí Smoothie Bowl (Plus Homemade Granola) Recipe:
Ingredients:
Granola-
• 4 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 3 cups mixed raw and unsalted nuts & seeds (for this bowl I used sliced almonds, crushed walnuts, and sunflower seeds)
• 1 cup flax meal
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup honey (to make completely vegan replace with 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
• pinch pink salt
Açaí smoothie-
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 frozen mango
• 1 frozen açaí packet
• 2 tbsp flax meal
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• Any toppings you wish (here I used kiwi, mango, banana, coconut chips, and chia seeds and homemade granola).
Method:
Granola-
1. Preheat oven at 325 degrees
2. In a small sauce pan heat maple syrup, honey (or apple juice), coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and salt until everything melts completely.
3. In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts and seeds, flax meal.
4. Pour melted mixture over dry ingredients and mix well making sure everything is well coated.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour mixed oats and spread evenly.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes.
7. Let cool and store in an air tight container or mason jar.
Açaí Smoothie-
1. Blend together all ingredients for smoothie.
2. Pour in a bowl. Top with granola and any additional toppings of choice.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeacheepear/
