Blackberry Banana Smoothie Bowl with Maca and Almond Butter

I’m so excited to have one of my favourite bloggers guest posting today as I’m still galavanting around Europe.

I have been following Renee of Will Frolic For Food for quite some time and am always blown away by the beauty and whimsical feeling of her recipes and photography (I also just recently started following her on Snapchat and I’m kind of smitten). Renee is down to earth, stunning, and seems like the most laid back and fun person to hang out with.

If you aren’t already following Will Frolic For Food… you must! I’ve put her social media links at the end of this post.

I never used to be a smoothie girl. I’m more of a savory breakfast kind of gal. Most mornings I go for something salty, something crunchy, something layered in loads of avocado and flaky sea salt. I’m a kale-saute and toast kind of lady. And I’m lazy enough that anything beyond that (pancakes / waffles / muffins) happens on only rare and special occasions.

Back when I was in college I was part of this weirdie indie hippie scene of musicians and artists and people who liked to chug green smoothies like it was their job. “Raw-vegan” was a term I’d only ever heard from my friends who did five hours of yoga a day, rarely showered and knew how to interpret “mayan astrology” (whatever that means). In other words, it had yet to become the phenomenon that we know it as today.

Back in 2009 I’d only ever seen a smoothie with ingredients like maca and chia seeds in the hands of folks who were deep into the hippie scene. Their passion for plants was electric, even if they didn’t particularly live in a place that had electricity. The curiosity of it all inspired my early attraction to vibrant foods and plant-based living. It was all so wild, strange, out there.

After that early exposure, I recall seeking out these fancy superfoods with chagrin. Magical powders and dried fruits and herbs and mushrooms that transformed everything into a nutritionally vibrant powerhouse? I was so down for that. But finding all of those ingredients was relatively difficult. Except — you guessed it — at the hippie co-op (with the tarot readings in the back).

And now it’s 2016. Maca and chia are relatively mainstream. Plant-based options are popping up everywhere. People are starting to see holistic plant-centric eating as a viable option. Aka not-just-for-the-granola-munchers like me.

And you can bet I’m loving every second of it!

These days, smoothie bowls and raw foods play a huge part in my daily life. I’ll eat a simple, savory breakfast most days. But once or twice a week I get the sense that I need to start my day with fruit, nuts and a kick of power food. For me the laziest and most delicious way of getting all three of those things at the same time is smoothie bowls. And, c’mon, it’s basically sorbet at 8am in the morning. And when you load it up with toppings it’s like a hippie dip sundae. Also, I can’t resist the urge to eat something BRIGHT PURPLE.

This smoothie bowl is bright and bursting with blackberry flavor. The banana flavor is rather subtle, adding sweetness and a thick, creamy texture. The almond butter gives this smoothie bowl some satisfying fats and heft, so it’s really filling — perfect for an active lifestyle. I’ve been eating this smoothie bowl both for breakfast and as a post-workout meal.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Blackberry Banana Smoothie Bowl with Maca and Almond Butter

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Renee // Will Frolic For Food

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 cup frozen banana
¾ cups frozen blueberries
¾ cups frozen blackberries
¼ cup creamy unsalted almond butter
1 teaspoon maca
1 teaspoon chia
water or unsweetened plant milk
Suggested Toppings: sliced kiwi, raw buckwheat groats, more almond butter, bee pollen, coconut flakes!

Instructions

To the bowl of a high powered blender, add all of your ingredients except for your toppings: frozen banana, blueberries, blackberries, almond butter, maca, chia and enough water / plant milk to get your desired consistency. I like my smoothie bowls thick like ice cream, so I go for around 1 - 1.5 cups liquid.
Blend on high until everything comes together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you need to incorporate everything.
To serve, pour your smoothie into your serving bowl and top with your favorite toppings!

Thank you for sharing this gorgeous smoothie bowl recipe! I’m totally in the same boat when it comes to being excited that these amazing plant-based power foods are popping up everywhere! As soon as I get back from my trip I will definitely be making this amazing smoothie bowl.

Be sure to check out my Best Spirulina Smoothie Recipe for more smoothie inspiration!

I’ve just arrived in Corfu, a beautiful Island in Greece and will be posting a Barcelona City Guide experience on the blog shortly – stay tuned!

Have a wonderful Sunday,

Christal

Nutritionist in the Kitch