Oh me, oh my. What a glorious bowl this is!
I’m not a huge fan of smoothie bowls. I find them to be rather sweet and a little addictive, so I try to avoid them. But, when they’re made with wholesome ingredients and natural sugars found in fruit, I’m not opposed to having one once in a while.
In this instance, I had some homemade granola bars laying around and wanted to use them more creatively. So, taking instruction from a recipe I saw online, and from my days working at a juice cafe that pumped out heaps of smoothie bowls, I made my version of a green smoothie bowl that I think you’d rather enjoy!
I love it for so many reasons. It takes almost no time to prepare, it’s a step up as a light breakfast or snack, really packing in nutritional value and filling me up for at least a couple of hours, it’s not overcomplicated, and it blends bulk recipes together leaving less waste behind. Also, the benefits of the ingredients are hardcore!:
Chlorella: This natural detoxifier and cellular regenerator is packed full of chlorophyll that will alkalinize your body, boost your immune system, and oxygenate your cells. It’s also high in protein and minerals, making it an easy addition to smoothies and replacement of protein powders (if you’re like me and don’t really love protein powders, that is).
Maca Root Powder: A natural hormone rebalancing superfood, this nutty-flavoured powder is ground from the root and rebalances your hormones, stabilizing your energy. Like most adaptogens and herbs, it’s best if used over time and results are typically seen within two weeks. No, you don’t have to eat a smoothie bowl daily, but this is a great way to add it to your diet. It also keeps it cool and as close to its natural form as possible. (Yay!).
Chia Seeds: These guys truly are the best, except when they get stuck in your teeth! Still, they’re worth the battle. Mix these guys in with your smoothie bowl well and let them sit for a minute before eating so they can expand and congeal a little bit with the rest of the dish, getting all fibrous and gelatinous, ready to adhere to internal waste and expel it for you.
Homemade Granola: I have yet to find a store-bought granola that ticks all my boxes (high quality ingredients, minimal dried fruit, filling, low cost, minimal packaging). That’s why I make my own! This time, I used homemade granola bars and broke them apart as granola, which is essentially the same thing (don’t let marketing tell you otherwise!).
Try it and I swear you’d think you’re in the tropics, soaking up some sun. Soon, that’ll be us here in Canada. Soon!
RECIPE: Tropical Green Smoothie Bowl
servings: 1
time: 8 minutes
taste: sweet & crunchy
action: hormone balancing & satiating
INGREDIENTS
smoothie:
1 medium frozen banana
1c frozen mango
1/3c homemade hemp seed mylk
1/2t chlorella powder (or spirulina)
1t maca root powder
toppings:
1T chia seeds
1 clean granola bar (or granola of your choosing)
INSTRUCTIONS
Place frozen fruit, mylk, chlorella, and maca in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
NOTE: It will be thick, so you’ll likely need to use your blender’s tamper stick, or stop blending to hand mix contents between blending.Place contents in a bowl and top with toppings, breaking up the granola bar into chunks first.
NOTE: To keep the smoothie colder for longer, pre-chill a bowl in the freezer overnight.Mix contents together to incorporate, then eat up!