Top 10 Smoothie Bowl Hacks
Lately when I suggest whole-foods food swaps and tips especially for smoothie bowls I get the response: “huh I never thought of that”. I forget that not everyone is as geekily obsessed with whole-foods cooking as I am. Here are my top tips to make your own smoothie bowl as creamy and nutrient efficient as possible
Freeze everything! Prepare small roughly cut vegetables like zucchini or cauliflower (promise these are undetectable when blended properly) in a re-useable zip lock bag or container in the freezer, small pieces means it will blend easier and faster. Also keep fruits like banana, mango, pineapple, whatever you like cut roughly in the freezer. Don’t throw out bags of spinach or leafy greens, freeze them and break off portions as needed
For super meal prep lovers keep re-useable ziplock bags of portioned veg/fruit frozen
The base can be half vegetables and half fruit to cut down the sugar but increase fibre and vegetable intake. Aim to work up to 1.5 Cups veg to 1 cup fruit
Blend the veggies with minimal liquid (water, coconut water/milk of choice) FIRST, removing and shaking round if needed. Blending the veggies first helps the consistency never leaving you with a rogue spinach leaf. Add frozen fruits/good fats to blend as a second step. Aim for a one-to-three ratio of water to solids. Start with less liquid because you can always add more
Designate a section of your pantry/freezer for smoothie bowl toppings & base ingredients. Easy and time saving
Natural thickeners. Try one or two after blending the solids: teaspoon of chia seeds, 1/3 to ½ of an avocado, a teaspoon or tablespoon of nut butter (healthy fats, protein & texture), tablespoon of raw rolled oats. These good fats help to slow down the release of sugars into the bloodstream and help absorb certain fat-soluble vitamins
Specific target? Protein ingredient ideas: a scoop of protein powder, spirulina powder, hemp seeds, cashews, chia. Wanting something anti inflammatory? Add a small knob of fresh ginger, turmeric or cinnamon to the base for blending
Keep a tray of ice cubes filled with nut milk or pureed sweet potato/ pumpkin to add when making smoothie bowls
Be mindful with how much topping used, they are often nutrient (calorie) dense. Sprinkle a teaspoon of coconut, nuts, seeds, chia, bee pollen, cacao nibs, berries, oats ect
Don’t love the combo you’ve created? When in doubt add another half of a banana in :)
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