As a breakfast person, I've never been able to justify drinking a smoothie in the morning. Maybe as a snack or a dessert, but breakfast? Not only is breakfast my favorite meal, I also take it seriously as my time to refuel for the bound-to-be-crazy day ahead. I crave eggs, toast, hot sauce—savory things; The last thing I want is a meal that will make me ravenous an hour later.
Still, I've always felt a twinge of jealousy when I see girly types with their glasses of berry-banana-blah blah. Which is why, when I first glimpsed a smoothie bowl while flipping through blogger Sara Forte's new cookbook, Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon, I was intrigued enough to try making my own.
Two months and a couple dozen smoothie bowls later, I'm a full-blown convert. I've become that girl who claims with confidence that a smoothie is all she needs in the morning. Here's why: First, the texture of a smoothie in a bowl needs to be thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon, like sorbet, which is way more satisfying than anything you could sip through a straw. Second, you top the smoothie with toppings that are filling. And lastly, they're so damn gorgeous—and we all want to love how our food looks just as much as how delish it tastes, right? (That one's mine up above.)
Here are my foolproof steps to making a smoothie bowl, plus a little visual inspiration from a few of my favorite smoothie bowl Instagrammers.
1. Pick your base. You'll need 1 1/2 cups frozen fruit and 1/4 cup liquid (water, O.J., milk), plus 1/4 cup of yogurt or peanut or almond butter, if you'd like. (If you're using fresh fruit, add a couple of ice cubes.) For me, the brighter, the better. Here, @cleaneatingbylinda blends blueberries to make a super-bright canvas for less colorful sunflower, pumpkin, and chia seeds.
2. Blend. The mixture might be thick, but that's a good thing. The key here is to create a foundation that will hold up to the stuff you're about put on top of it. (Soupy smoothie bowl = bad.) If the blade is having trouble moving, add one tablespoon more liquid until it's able to blend. (@wholehealthyglow makes a smoothie bowl that's able to stand up to the heap of berries, bananas, and coconut flakes.)
3. Pour. There's no secret. Put it in a bowl.
4. Top! This is where the fun comes in: Choose a colorful combo of fruit (diced pineapple, pomegranate seeds, strawberry slices), then raid the pantry for nuts (shelled pistachios always a good choice), seeds, toasted coconut flakes, chopped dark chocolate, whatever you're in the mood for. Have you ever seen anything more artful than @natalies_bbg_journey display here? It's museum-quality.
5. Grab a spoon. Don't get precious here. I love @nesseats' "fabulous mess."
6. Wow your friends. Get creative, like @icanwintoo did here, and post it to Instagram—#smoothiebowl currently has a cool 75,743 pics. Because what's the point of making something so beautiful if no one's going to see it? (Show me what you made—tag @delish #smoothiebowl!)
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