Smoothie Bowl 101
To say that smoothie bowls are a big part of my life might be underplaying it (not to be dramatic, or anything…). Even in the cold winters, I pretty much make a smoothie bowl almost every single morning that I have time to do so. I crave them and often eat them not just for breakfast, but for lunch (or the occasional dinner, if I need something light and sweet).
Smoothie bowls have been popular for quite some time, but I just jumped on the smoothie bowl train in 2017. I love drinking smoothies in the morning because I love getting all of my nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables first thing in the morning so I’m set and energized for the rest of the day. I worked at a gym for about 4 years that had a cafe in it, and I would gulp down a smoothie with “protein” in it (I don’t do protein powders anymore, but that’s another story - see the bottom of the blog. I also shared a bit on how fiber changed my gut health), and I just didn’t feel satisfied. I was full, but I still had it in my mind that I didn’t eat much. I soon realized that the bite into something makes me feel more satiated and full. I am totally a texture person. So smoothie bowls ended up working out great for me. I consume plenty of nutrients and also have the satisfaction of biting into something that sends signals to my brain that make me feel fuller. Plus, when I eat it with a spoon, it’s just more fun.
I could forever discuss the physical benefits of drinking a smoothie in the morning, but the major reason I love smoothie bowls is because they set my mindset for eating well the rest of the day. Plus, they allow me to be creative. Between it being a creative outlet for me, improved gut health, and more energy… I hardly go without them.
Smoothie Bowl 101:
Prep: n preparation to your smoothie bowl, you need a good base. You’ll likely have some kind of basic fruit and vegetable combinations (strawberry pineapple, chocolate banana, berry zucchini, cherry with cauliflower) with a nut milk, and then experiment from there. This is the fun, creative part of the process. You get to use your palate to determine what kind of flavor profile you want and what you like. Total, about 1-1.5 cups of a frozen fruit and vegetable combo is best, with about equal parts of 1-1.5 cups of your milk of choice.
Your blender: SO crucial to have a good blender. I use a Vitamix (exact one I use linked), and I will undoubtedly assure you that it is worth every single penny. The better of a blender you have, the smoother the texture of your smoothie. I don’t really need to explain that a lumpy smoothie isn’t fun. I used a nutribullet for several years and they do the job, just make sure to put your fruit in first because you have to flip it upside down, and you want the fruit to fall down as it blends. When blending, it’s best to add greens into the bottom so they’re very blended into the smoothie, and to blend for at least 1-2 minutes to get it fully smooth (I’m often too eager and pull it off early).
Fruit: There are certain fruits that I will buy whole and chop fresh and freeze, and some fruits that I will buy frozen.
Cherries, blueberries, pineapple, and mango are no fun to cut but also just don’t freeze as well, so you should buy them frozen.
Apples, bananas, pears, plums, and kiwis are fruits that I will often buy and chop up or put straight into the freezer when I get home. or right into the smoothie itself from the fridge. When first starting, just go frozen all the way, then add in some fruits from the fridge if you have them, just know that it will make the smoothie warmer if you use not frozen fruits, so add less milk.
Avocado is also considered a fruit and can creaminess and healthy fats to your smoothie. I would say I add them into about 2/3 of my smoothie! To freeze avocado, mash them up to a very smooth consistency and fill them in a silicone ice tray, You can just pop them out into your smoothie, and they’re cute. Or, you can just add it straight in from the fridge.
Studies have shown that fruits that are frozen quickly retain more of their nutrients, so buy what you can frozen and then chop up what you can’t buy frozen. When you chop your fruit, keep the skin on and chop the fruit into 1 inch cubes and place the cubes on a giant plate lined with wax paper in the freezer. I generally use about 2-3 fruits per smoothie bowl, varying them depending on what I have. I keep the skin on of all fruit since where a lot of the fiber and nutrients are (plus, it’s blended anyways). You should use whatever fruits you like, but it’s easier to eat a fruit you don’t like blended with other fruits, so to diversify your microbiome, maybe add in some of those fruits that you don’t like. Again, about 1-1.5 cups of fruit/veggies to equal parts liquid.
Vegetables: Smoothies are is one of the easiest ways to add vegetables to your diet (or your kid’s diets), hands down.
Spinach is the best to add into smoothies because it is rich is several nutrients and completely tasteless.
Kale is a great vegetable as well, but it definitely has a more potent, bitter taste. The same goes for the potetncy of celery; if you add either of these into your smoothie, do so frugally so it doesn’t overpower everything else. If you do decide to use kale or celery, trying using sweeter fruits to counterbalance the taste.
Zucchini is a great option that you can also chop and add into your smoothie for additional creaminess, especially if bananas don’t work for you.
Steamed/frozen cauliflower and even baked (and cooled) sweet potato (purple and orange) are two of my regulars. Steam the cauliflower or bake the sweet potato, let it cool, and then store it the same way you would avocado in a silicone ice tray.
Other vegetables I often can add are carrots (hopefully you know what a carrot tastes like), jicama (a potato taste), and even beets if you want an earthy flavor. Just chop into cubes, freeze, then toss in your smoothie.
Frozen peas and edamame are great, flavorless and require zero chopping.
Other additional add ins: This is where smoothies can get very diverse, because there are so many powders and spices you can add in, but here are my regulars:
Ground flax seed is my absolute go-to in every smoothie due to its high fiber content. However it can often make your smoothies very grainy, so a tablespoon or two should suffice.
I am a deep admirer of spirulina and maca in my smoothies because they can turn your smoothies bright green, light green, and even bright blue, and maca is so nutty and great for reproductive health. Green spirulina has a very strong sea-weed flavor, and a little bit goes a long way.
Other superfoods I use regularly are baobab, which has a very sweet, nutty flavor, and camu camu, that is a huge vitamin C punch and sweetner.
The famous açai can be found in frozen or powder form and adds a sweeter flavor the bowl, as well as a deeper chocolatey taste, but can be exorbitant.
For a chocolate smoothie bowl add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and you’ll get all the morning dessert (and antioxidant) feels.
Other things you can add include ginger (ground or fresh) cinnamon, lemon juice, oats, or buckwheat. If you used more vegetables or more mild fruits in your combination, medjool dates (make sure they’re pitted lol, I did a smoothie bowl class one time and did NOT pit them… but nobody lost a tooth 😂 ) are great for added sweetness, or dash of local honey or vanilla extract goes a very long way.
The liquid: The more frozen fruits and powders that you have in your smoothie, the more liquid you will need (obviously). Start with the general 1:1 ratio. Go for less liquid at first, then add in as you need it. You’d rather have a thicker smoothie bowl and have to add in more milk than have smoothie bowl that is too runny in which your toppings sink into. It’s a major disappointment (again, not to be too dramatic).
I prefer unsweetened almond milk pretty much every time and would recommend unsweetened milk in smoothies since it is already going to be super sweet from natural sugars. I also love coconut milk, hazelnut milk, macadamia milk, cashew milk and hemp milk. I like oat milk, but often find it’s too sweet. Water also works just fine. In a smoothie with lots of foods, you’re not going to taste the milk too much. Coconut, macadamia, and oat milk can be a little bit sweeter than the others unless you make the milk yourselves. I don’t consume cow’s milk many reasons, but if you want to read on the impact of milk human health, I recommend How Not to Die by Michael Greger. It is one of my favorites.
Texture: What you add into a smoothie will greatly affect it’s texture, which is almost as imporant as the taste. Really all I want add here is that some foods make smoothies creamier, like bananas, potatoes, zucchini, avocados, and some foods make it seedier/watery, like such as pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Just try to find a balance of them both. If you have just a raspberry smoothie, it’ll be watery and seedy if you don’t blend it enough.
The toppings: the most exciting part of the bowl! Toppings on your smoothie bowl are where you get creative!
My typical toppings include gluten free granola, chocolate chips, drizzled creamy almond butter, blueberries, raspberries, fresh chestnuts, and chopped almonds or walnuts.
Other toppings that a frequently used include coconut shavings, shredded coconut (can be toasted), bee pollen, goji berries, sliced fruits such as strawberries, bananas or kiwi.
Nut butters are great, and the endless variety of nuts and seeds including pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, halved pecans, and much more. I love to bake things and top my smoothie with them, such as my chewy banana chocolate chip cookies or healthy peanut butter cookies.
Photos: I mean, did you even make a beautiful smoothie bowl if you didn’t grab a picture? Of course you did, but as someone who loves the beauty of the nutritious and colorful bowl, I also sit in awe at a beautifully designed food photograph. I enjoy the photography aspect of this process just as much as I enjoy making the bowl. Like the topping your smoothie bowl, there are no rules to how creative you can be with the surroundings of your bowl. I tend to use leftover scraps and flowers, but let your imagination run free. This is your art. You can show off your creativity and hard work by sharing it with others, or just enjoy the photo on your phone or the photo you capture of it in your brain before you sit down to eat it. Good lighting is key. Plus, I would argue that sharing of your smoothie bowl (at least in my experience) encourages others to look at what they are eating and the nutrients they are giving themselves. Share what you love, love what you share.
I hope that this helped you to break down some of the questions I receive regularly. Happy blending :)
Xo,
B
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Added:
A quick bit on protein: I do not protein in my smoothies anymore because most proteins, vegan or not, upset my stomach due to all of the ingredients that are added and I don’t really see any benefit in them in my personal diet. There are very little in the world who are protein deficient, unless you are malnourished completely or are elderly with certain co-morbidities. I am not saying they aren’t good, but I do not see a point in adding them in my smoothies. Plus, they cost a lot of money that I would rather spend on other things. 90-95% of the world IS fiber deficient though, so I do make sure I consume plenty of fiber in from whole foods. I also favor smoothies over juices because the fiber content (the “meat” of the vegetables) remains in the smoothie. I do often add collagen in.
Fiber: I doubt this is too much information since you’re probably reading this to better your health, but before I was vegetarian I had issues going to the bathroom regularly due to lack of fiber. Physicians prescribed me fiber supplements to lesson the issue, but (surprise!) it didn’t fix anything. This issue did go away, however, when I started incorporating fresh greens and fruits into my diet up to 5 times a week.