I am going to admit that I am WAY late to the smoothie bowl game. Ryan and I have been into superfood smoothies for a few years now, thanks to Julie Morris's book. They're amazing recipes, they gave us awesome inspiration (and spurred us to buy a Vitamix) and we just kinda stayed in our little smoothie corner. I think I was even kind of smug about it... like, "Who do these smoothie BOWL people think they are?" I guess I saw myself as some kind of purist or something... ha! I'd admit that yes, they were pretty and amazing-for-you but I didn't see the point.
UNTIL I TRIED IT!!!
Oh my gosh, I'm hooked.
My likeminded foodie friend and fellow LoveIt EVV contributor, Emily Hunter (check her out at WellnesswithEmily.com), was going on the news and posted a desperate plea on Facebook the day before to borrow someone's Vitamix lid. I volunteered ours. Her segment was on smoothie bowls and she just made them sound so darn easy... basically you make a thicker version of your favorite smoothie recipe by adding less liquid. AND THEN she described them as almost like eating ice cream with lots of yummy toppings and, duh, I was sold.
So, when my girl Alisha (who, by the way, took my headshots!) came over for brunch the following day, that's what I made! And I've been making them every morning since.
Here's the best recipe I've come up with so far for the smoothie base, which is a loose interpretation of one of Julie Morris's recipes in Superfood Smoothies. I hope you'll try it at home!
Blueberry Maca Oat Smoothie Bowl
Makes one large smoothie bowl or two smaller portions
1 Cup frozen organic blueberries
1 Frozen banana (see below)
1/8 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp Maca powder
2 Tbsp Rolled oats (not the quick cook kind)
3 Dates, pitted
1/4 Tsp Spirulina powder (optional)
2 Tbsp Chia seeds
1/2 Cup Almond milk
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
To freeze bananas:
Peel bananas and break them into sixths. Place on a sheet pan and stick it in the freezer for a couple hours. Transfer banana pieces to a large freezer storage bag. You'll know that 6 chunks equals a whole banana when adding to smoothies. I do these by the bunch. My favorite is to buy the bags of super ripe bananas at Schnucks and freeze them all as soon as I get home from the store.
Blend the almond milk, dates, and oats until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend again until completely smooth and very thick. Use a rubber spatula to scoop the mixture out into a bowl, then smooth out the top using the spatula.
Top with your favorite superfoods! In the picture above, I used flax seeds, dried coconut, raw pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate granola, and bee pollen.
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