Smoothie Bowl Goodness!
This Texas heat has got me craving some icy cold treats! Cue….. the smoothie bowl! These delicious bowls of goodness hit all the requirements: cold, refreshing and full of nourishing nutrients!
Summer Fruits are Everywhere
Summer fruits are perfect for smoothie bowls. There are a lot of stone fruits and berries that are in abundance right now, which also means they are on sale at your local grocery store. I love using berries in my daily smoothies, but for this smoothie bowl, I wanted to switch things up and incorporate another great summer fruit, pineapple.
Pineapple is not only a sweet and juicy tropical fruit, it contains lots of Vitamin C, which can be helpful to your immune system. Pineapples also contain an enzyme called bromelain. This enzyme can help to reduce inflammation in the body as well as breakdown proteins that you may be eating at the same time. Pineapple is high in manganese, which, in conjunction with Vitamin C, can help to prevent sagging and wrinkles in your skin.
In addition to pineapple, this smoothie bowl has raspberries in it. Raspberries are an antioxidant powerhouse. They have been shown to help improve heart health, blood flow and their high fiber content as well as the ketones within the raspberries are helpful with improving weight loss. The polyphenols in raspberries can also help to reduce inflammation for those with arthritis.
Amping up the Nutrients
To take the nutritional content into overdrive, I am adding my usual smoothie staples: chia seeds, hemp hearts, maca powder and protein powder. These additions can really increase the omega-3’s, omega-6’s, fiber and protein content of this smoothie bowl. That way, you can really feel good about eating this healthy indulgence!
You could also add collagen peptides in this recipe. Collagen has become really popular lately in food trends. Part of the reason is because collagen is really beneficial for hair, skin, nails, joint health, bone health etc. It can also help to improve your metabolism. Another great thing about collagen is that there are some varieties that are completely tasteless. So you could add it to almost any recipe and not even realize you are eating something so beneficial to your body.
And now for the toppings!
Now for the best part of any smoothie bowl… the toppings! I really think the choice of toppings can make or break a smoothie bowl. The key here is to have lots of different textures in your toppings. For this recipe, I topped the bowl with raspberries, pineapple pieces, as well as cacao nibs for crunch, golden berries for tart sweetness and coconut flakes for that chewy texture. Of course, you can add almost any toppings that you like. Maybe you want to add actual pieces of chocolate? Go for it! Maybe you like to add other fruits like kiwifruit or grapes? Sounds good to me. Maybe you want to drizzle on some natural almond butter for a salty sweet combo? Pass me a spoon to try that one please!
Smoothie bowls can really be packed with loads of nutrients. It is such a fun way to eat lots of body fueling goodness, especially in the heat of the summer!
If you try this recipe, take a photo and tag me on Instagram at @nourish_with_renata and #nourishwithrenata on Instagram! I would love to see what you make!
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp hemp hearts
- 1 tbsp maca powder
- 2 scoops protein powder or collagen protein peptides
- 1 cup fresh pineapple
- 1 cup fresh raspberries washed
- 1 cup milk of choice or water
- 2 cups ice
- Sweetener to taste
- Toppings e.g. pineapple pieces raspberries, cacao nibs, golden berries, coconut flakes etc.
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In a high speed blender, add all ingredients, except toppings.
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Blend together until it is well combined and smooth in texture.
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Pour into a bowl.
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Top with you favorite toppings such as cacao nibs, coconut flakes, golden berries etc.
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Serve immediately.
