My Current Go-To Breakfast

I always go through phases when it comes to breakfast. Lately, I've been obsessing over smoothie bowls. They are quick, healthy, and allow for a lot of creativity based on what's available to you and what you're in the mood for.

My current favorite is an açaí smoothie bowl made with a frozen banana and berries. Trust me, it is delicious - you're going to think you're eating dessert for breakfast while it's loaded with good nutrients which start your day off on a healthy foot.

Typically I use ziplock bags to prep my smoothie bowls on the weekend, this makes my mornings even easier during the week. I cut up one banana into small chunks and add about 1/2 a cup of frozen berries to each bag. I've been doing a mixture of blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries lately but you could really use whatever you'd like.

I add all of the frozen fruit to my blender along with some almond milk - about 1/3 a cup, and a tablespoon of powdered açaí. For those of you that are not familiar with açaí, it is a "superfood" berry found in South America. These little berries are packed with antioxidants, fiber, and heart healthy fats. "Antioxidants" is one of those words that we all skim over knowing that they are good for us and that we are suppose to eat a diet full of them but beyond that not really knowing what they are, right? Or is that just me? I went years using this word without really understanding what I was saying. Antioxidants are actually quite complex, there is a lot happening with them at a molecular leveI. In basic, everyday language though lets answer two questions.

First, what are antioxidants?

Antioxidants on a chemical level can be electron donors because they have an extra electron. This is important because we also have something in our bodies called free radicals. Free radicals can be produced in our bodies due to external conditions like pollution, the sun, and cigarette smoke as well as internal conditions like inflammation. Free radicals are looking for an extra electron because they are missing one. They cause damage to otherwise healthy cells by stealing electrons from them. While we will always have free radicals, it's an elevated free radical population that we are worried about because with it we have a higher risk of disease. Since antioxidants are electron donors they can give these extra electrons to the free radicals and therefore keep this free radical population at a normal and healthy level.

Where can I find antioxidants?

There are 1000s of different types of antioxidants but some of the main ones are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and selenium. The main place to find antioxidants are in fruits and vegetables. It's important to eat a large variety of fruits and vegetables because they all contain different types of antioxidants. A good rule of thumb is to be eating different colors of foods as different colors signal to different types of antioxidants. Be thinking about colors like red, purple, green, white, and orange. And be aiming for about 4 servings a day of fruit and 5 servings a day of vegetables. If you're curious as to what a serving size is you can do some more research online at websites like choosemyplate.gov

Now, back to the recipe. I blend all this together on a low setting using my blender. The hope is that it would turn out looking like a very thick version of a smoothie.

After it's blended I scoop out the smoothie mixture and put it in a bowl. On top of the smoothie you can add whatever toppings you'd like. I've been adding chia seeds, coconut flakes, granola, and some dried berries or fresh fruit to top it off.

While I know life is crazy and mornings are often the busiest time of day hopefully this smoothie bowl gives you some incentive to prioritize breakfast. I know we've all heard the saying, 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day', but really, it is important! Breakfast helps to kick-start your metabolism in the morning. Eating breakfast is like waking your body up and saying "Hey! It's a new day, time to start working and burning those calories!".

This smoothie bowl really only takes a couple minutes to make and has so many health benefits. I hope you all give it a try. I seriously go to bed thinking about breakfast, excited to wake up and eat this in the morning, it's that good!

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Smoothie Bowl Recipe

serving size: 1 total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 frozen sliced banana

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (I use strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries)

1/3 cup almond milk

1 tbsp. açaí powder

1 tbsp. coconut flakes

1 tbsp. chia seeds

2 tbsp. granola

a sprinkling of dried or fresh fruit

Directions:

1. Place the frozen banana and berries into the blender

2. Add almond milk and açaí powder to the blender

3. Blend the fruit, milk, and açaí powder together in the blender using a low setting if possible. If the blender is not able to mix it together add extra milk incorporating a little bit at a time until just able to blend.

4. Scoop out the mixture and place in a bowl using a spoon to even out the mixture

5. Add your toppings - the coconut flakes, chia seeds, granola, dried or fresh fruit, to the top of the smoothie mixture. Sprinkle them all over or add them in lines for a more artsy look.