Now that the sun is starting to shine a little bit longer around here, I find myself craving smoothies more and more…

Smoothies are my quintessential summer meal. With fresh and ripe ingredients, they are healthy, portable and convenient meal-in-ones I feel good about slurping as I skip along though the morning. And while I LOVE my morning green smoothie, because it’s packed full of that good for your green fiber, some days I just crave a little more texture and crunch…

So, drumroll please! Enter the breakfast smoothie bowl, which swaps out my cup and straw for a bowl and spoon. Something I can sit down to on a weekend morning, on the deck outside, while watching the kids play in the sandbox.
 

If you haven’t dabbled in the smoothie-with-a-spoon concept yet, but have been inspired by all the pictures on Pinterest, never fear. It’s super simple to transform your usual drink by using little or no base liquid or adding a thickener like avocado, chia seeds, dates, figs, or in this case some uber healthy raw beets into your usual smoothie recipes…

And I won’t pretend that having the blender of all blenders, the Vitamix, doesn’t make the process a whole lot easier. 

While I usually enjoy this smoothie for breakfast, that isn’t to say it can’t be amazing for dessert. This smoothie bowl is one giant, nutrient packed, sweet tooth satisfying, meal in a bowl.  It’s like eating a soft serve, topped with your favorite granola, fruit, and dried coconut, or a much healthier, just as creamy version of your favorite parfait. 

You can follow the recipe here or build your own smoothie bowl. Just stick to these favorties and you will instantly be able to blend up some yummy goodness. 

Vegetables: Kale, spinach, pumpkin, sweet potato, squash, carrots, beets and other favorites are all great in smoothie bowls.
Fruits: Frozen fruits work the best. Sometimes I start with 1 fresh fruit to get the blender going, so make sure to add that in first.
Proteins: Plant based protein powder, chia or hemp seeds, and nut butters.
Healthy Fats: Avocado, nuts, seeds, or coconut.
Texture and Thickness: Frozen figs, frozen dates, seeds, oats.
Liquid: Water, non-dairy milk or coconut water. If you layer the smoothie right and and use the right blender you might not need liquid, but if you do add only a small amount to the bottom of your blender.
Toppings: Your favorite granola, unsweetened coconut, fresh fruit, seeds and nuts. 

Use any fruit/vegetable combination you like, add in some healthy fats or texture and thickness and voila, there you have it!

It’s soooo gooood….yummy till the last bite….