Is it Healthy?
Yep, Smoothie Bowls are officially a 2016 food trend. It's been blowing up on Instagram last few weeks and Google says that exponentially more people are searching for the term this year than ever before!
As a trend nay-sayer, I have calmly ignored the virality of the "food concept". It really has no lure for me. I don't see the point of scooping a drinkable concoction. I mean weren't smoothies created for convenience of consumption, i.e. one handed delivery? So, what with all the added cutlery? Anyway, it makes no sense to me and I avoided it by simply scrolling over any photo resembling it. I mean the photos are gorgeous but it all seems a lot of work to me. Not only is there the base smoothie but people also layer it with more artistically cut fruits and other stuff. That is my second point of contention. The idea of smoothie is that it makes fruit cutting skill irrelevant because it is all going to whizzed up anyway!
All that being said, I love smoothies! I think they are the most efficient way of ingesting a whole pile of fruit {even more than the suggested 1 cup a day} in a format that is convenient {no bulky, squishy fruit} and mobile {fits nicely into my handbag}. It is a super healthy snack for those, like me, who need to eat every few hours. Plus it can be made ahead and let rest in the fridge for hours. {Hello! Weeknight prep!}
On a typical weekday, I have two breakfasts. One the usual granola with yogurt or milk, no fruits, because who has the time. And then a couple of hours later, when I am starving again, I can sip on my large glass of fruit(s)! That keeps me going for a later lunch.
Except I only do that very healthy sounding routine on weekdays. Before going to bed I whiz up a smoothie for the next day. Somehow it doesn't occur to me to pre-prep on Fridays or Saturdays. I have been on the smoothie regimen for a few weeks now and actually feel pretty good during the week and pretty bleh during the weekends. The light bulb eventually went off and I realised that I just need to get a lot better at what I eat over the weekend.
No point in spooning what was meant to be drunk! A Smoothie....
I don't mean the kind of meals. That as my Instagram will acknowledge, is not at all lacking. It is really the when of it. I wake up later than during weekdays and eat at irregular times, opting to make interesting food than eating when I should. All that jazz. Then there are Sundays, when I typically do eat two breakfasts, but the second one has been a tradition, for the last year, of a nice flaky croissant from the best bakery in NYC and coffee!
Now, the choice between healthy and desire is a tough one. As anyone who has tried any form of change can attest to... I just needed to find a bridge.
That is when I appreciated the singular merit I see in smoothie bowls - The convenience of combining my two breakfasts into one delivery! It broke no convenience limits because I always ate the granola in a bowl and I certainly didn't bother with artistic presentation of additional fruits. This was perfect!
SO, HERE IT IS... THE HEALTHY BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE BOWL THE ONLY WAY I THINK ACCEPTABLE!
Breakfast Smoothie Bowl
with granola
This is a great breakfast (or smoothie by itself) because it has a decent shelf life, is very filling thanks to all the oats and has no added sugar but has enough natural sugars to give you a boost of energy. This also makes a fantastic post-workout refuel. Also, this is about as clean as you get with no processed stuff in it.
Extra note: If you have any bowel disorder, like IBS or diverticulitis, the smoothie itself is a great way of nourishing the body after an incidence.
1 banana
1 apple
1 cup frozen peaches
1/3 cup oats
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup granola
3 T crushed nuts (optional)
handful frozen raspberries (optional)
Add the banana, apple and frozen peaches along with oats and water to a powerful blender.
Whiz smooth.
If you make it the night before, just cover and store.
To serve, pour into bowl, top with generous amount of granola and some frozen fruit as well as nuts, if using.
