The latest breakfast craze that is quickly replacing smoothies or even the fitness favorite overnight oats is the smoothie bowl— another great, high-protein and gluten-free breakfast meal to start your day. Smoothie bowls can be made with a variety of ingredients to make an assortment of flavors and tastes to suit your mood. Use these easy steps and try the recipes below to make your own smoothie bowl creations.
Pick Your Protein Base
Choose a protein source that will provide some thickness and creaminess. Some good base options are silken tofu, blended, non-fat Greek yogurt or non-fat cottage cheese. You can mix these with a few other protein sources such as chia seed, which expands with liquid, nut butters and even protein powder. Choose whey blends or casein and whey blends, which also thicken in liquid. Protein powder and nut butters can start to build your smoothie bowl flavor.
Add a Dash of Liquid
You can blend your protein base with a bit of liquid to cut the thickness if desired. Good options— coconut water, non-fat milk or try a vegan milk like soy, almond or coconut almond. You can also use fresh fruit juices like a splash of pomegranate or orange juice, depending on the flavor you want to create.
Add Fruit and Veggies
Choose from fruits that will keep your bowl with a creamy pudding-like texture, without adding too much liquid. Choose from sources such as avocado, banana, mango, berries or kiwi fruit. You can use fresh or frozen fruit. If you want to make your bowl super healthy, add some greens, too, like kale or spinach.
Top It Off
Top your smoothie bowl with toppings like chopped nuts— almonds, pecans or walnuts—,add a few seeds like pumpkin or sunflower, shredded coconut, low-sugar granola, dried fruit or a dash of dark cocoa, or cinnamon. You can also top with more fruit such as berries, or bananas. You can also top with a drizzle of honey, agave or pure maple syrup.
Make Your Own Smoothie Bowl:
Raspberry Almond Bowl
Base
¼ cup frozen raspberries
¾ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp natural almond butter
Dash of vanilla
Topping
5 fresh raspberries
1 tbsp chopped almonds
1 tsp grated coconut
Blend base ingredients until smooth. Top with raspberries, chopped almonds and coconut.
Calories: 370; Protein: 22g; Fat: 20g; Carbs: 25g
Green Super Fuel Bowl
Base
½ ripe avocado
½ cup fresh spinach
½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
½ tsp of agave or honey to sweeten
½ kiwi fruit without skin
Topping
5 fresh strawberry halves
½ kiwi chopped
1 tsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp gluten-free granola
Blend base ingredients until smooth. Top with chopped strawberries, kiwi, hemp hearts and granola.
Calories: 419; Protein: 24g; Fat: 21g; Carbs: 43g
Chocolate PB Bowl
Base
½ scoop chocolate whey protein powder
100g silken tofu soft
1 tsp dark cocoa powder
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
½ banana
Topping
½ banana chopped
1 tsp chopped peanuts
1 tsp dark cocoa nibs
1 tsp shredded toasted coconut
Blend base ingredients until smooth. Top with chopped banana, peanuts, cocoa nibs and shredded coconut.
Calories: 384; Protein: 24g; Fat: 16g; Carbs: 39g
Berry Blend Bowl
Base
½ cup mixed berries
½ scoop vanilla protein powder
½ cup non-fat cottage cheese blended
¼ cup almond milk
Topping
4 fresh raspberries
4 fresh blackberries
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp gluten-free granola
1 tbsp chopped roasted almonds
Blend base ingredients until smooth. Top with chopped almonds, chia seeds, fresh fruit and granola.
Calories: 361; Protein: 32g; Fat: 12g; Carbs: 31g
Mango Banana Bowl
Base
½ frozen banana
½ ripe avocado
¼ cup mango chopped
2 tbsp fresh pineapple juice
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
Topping
2 slices fresh mango
1 tsp chopped cashew nuts
1 tsp grated toasted coconut
1 tsp dark cocoa powder
Blend base ingredients until smooth. Top with chopped cashew nuts, coconut and mango slices.
Calories: 443; Protein: 23g; Fat: 18g; Carbs: 63g
