Acai bowls are a healthy and tasty treat that will make you feel like you are living the island life!
So a couple of days ago it started snowing. Snowing, people! It is March 15th, for the record. Mother nature was basically like, “Hey guess what, it’s warming up… it’s 50 degrees out… spring is on it’s way… just kidding!” Like literally snowed until 8:00 pm on Monday. Which was tough to deal with after the power outage that we went through last week, to wake up the next morning to find about 4 inches of snow on the ground. The dogs loved it – typical – but I did not love trudging through the snow in the parking lot at work in my nice, newly-cleaned leather boots, I will tell you that much.
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So I need something to remind me of warm weather more than ever right now! These acai bowls really do the trick, let me tell you! Over the winter holidays we went to Hawaii with my husband’s family and I was introduced to the glorious acai bowl. They literally have entire shops dedicated to acai bowls of all flavors and types, with bananas, strawberries, coconut, cocoa powder, chia seeds, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter: if you can think of it, they can make it! The best part is that acai is really a great superfood, with lots of antioxidants, essential amino acids and fiber, not to mention that gorgeous purple hue!
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This trip inspired me to come up with my own tasty acai bowl recipe at home! There are basically two types of acai you can buy online that are simple and accessible for making acai smoothies or bowls: puree and powder. This is because acai berries are native to Brazil, and the highly perishable nature of the fresh acai berries themselves makes it difficult to transport them far. The puree type is basically a frozen puree of the berries, while the powder is a freeze-dried powder. The powder, in my opinion, is easier (and cleaner!) to work with and is more economical in terms of price. My favorite type of acai powder is the Feel Good brand: it’s organic, its easy to store in the cupboard, and it’s only about $10 for a starter 2 ounce packet (which goes way farther than you think, with this recipe only using one tablespoon of powder for a one serving acai bowl.)
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The powder itself gets mixed in with fresh banana and frozen berries, and finished with vanilla almond milk to give some sweetness and nuttiness to the smoothie bowl itself. Then I like to layer in lots of tasty goodies for flavor and texture! I start with fresh banana slices, but you could also use blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, or any other fruit you like on top. For some crunch, I add a heaping pile of granola, like my favorite granola brand MadeWith (honey and almond is the best, with dark chocolate hazelnut coming in a close second!). Then come all the fun extras, like chia seeds, bee pollen, and toasted coconut. Then I like to top it off with a drizzle of honey, but agave nectar works too if you prefer that.
Now it’s your turn: what are your favorite acai bowl toppings? Share with me by commenting below!
- 1 very ripe banana, peeled
- 1 cup frozen berries
- 3 tablespoons vanilla almond milk
- 1 tablespoon acai powder
- 1 banana, peeled sliced
- 1/4 cup granola
- 1 teaspoon bee pollen
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted coconut
- To prepare smoothie, add ripe banana, frozen berries, almond milk, and acai powder to a blender. Blend on high until smooth, about 30-45 seconds. Pour into serving bowl.
- Top acai smoothie bowl with sliced bananas, granola, bee pollen chia seeds, honey, and toasted coconut as desired. Enjoy!
