Smoothies are so two-thousand and like ten. Smoothie bowls however, are the new in thing. The smoothie bowl is popping up in every cafe that is trying to be hip & on trend this year. Move over using a straw to drink your smoothie, now we serve them in bowls, top them with all things wonderful and eat them with a spoon. I like it. Everything is so much better in a bowl.

Smoothie bowls are beautiful, delicious bowls of happiness, packed full of nutritious things. So much good.

Many are served using an acai (ah-SIGH-ee) berry sorbet, mixed with coconut water, frozen fruit, agave or honey, and topped with large amounts of nuts, seeds and more fruit. You would have seen them on Instagram. So pretty, so colourful, so I-totally-need-to-make-one-of-these.

   

   

But here’s the thing, if you’re not careful, whilst your busy topping your smoothie with all the bells and whistles, you can easily send the energy density and sugar content of your breakfast skyrocketing. Suddenly,  your nutritious smoothie bowl has become nutritiously decadent.

So, how does one make a smoothie bowl that is delicious and nutritionally balanced?

1. Start with some frozen fruit: bananas, berries, mango etc.  The frozen fruit provides natural sweetness & helps thicken the consistency of the smoothie.

2. Add some greens if you wish. If you struggle to get to your 5 serves of vege, a handful of spinach could be a handy.

3. Blend it with some protein: greek yoghurt, milk, a nut butter or protein powder. Make sure you are getting in some sort of protein – it will help with satiety and balancing out the carbohydrates for sustained energy release.

4. Top with a small amount of nuts or seeds or muesli. A few extra berries or slice of banana won’t hurt.

The ingredient you use in the smoothie will alter the consistency. I personally like bananas because they form an ice-cream like texture. Hence my obsession. I also like mine to stay super thick, so I’ll add a tub of chobani greek yoghurt, and freeze whilst I’m in the shower. If you prefer a runny smoothie bowl, adding milk or water with the yoghurt will thin it down. I’ve even used an avocado once and that makes it super creamy.

Keep in mind to try and balance out your carbohydrates, fats and protein. If you’re putting a dollop of peanut butter on top or blending some almond butter with the banana, consider using nuts/seeds sparingly and choose a different topping, like muesli.

To get you started, here are three of my favourite smoothie bowls.

Berry smoothie bowl

1/2 frozen banana

1/2-1 cup frozen berries

1/2 cup greek yoghurt

Toppings: pumpkin/sunflower/chia seeds + muesli + few extra berries or slices of banana

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Choc-banana smoothie bowl

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup greek yoghurt

1 tbsp chocolate protein powder/cocoa/cacao.

1 tbsp milk

Toppings: sprinkle of seeds & muesli

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Peanut butter & banana smoothie bowl

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup greek yoghurt

Toppings: peanut butter, sprinkle of granola. A drizzle of maple syrup & a sprinkle of sea salt takes it to the next level.

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There possibilities are simply endless for smoothie bowls. Now it’s your turn to get in the kitchen & whiz up something spectacular.

Happy smoothie bowl-ing!

Emma xo