The other weekend my lovely in-laws (sister and mom) came to visit and we celebrated both mine and my sis-in-law’s birthdays! I love it when I can get together with family and we can all enjoy each others company. My mom-in-law has a gluten intolerance so we always try to pre-plan some yummy meals and snacks for when we get together and she’s always open to trying something new that I can concoct in the kitch!
On the Good Friday holiday we all decided to go out for some shopping fun (yay, lucky hubby!) and my sis requested an Acai Bowl breakfast because, well… you need some mad energy for shopping malls on a holiday. Seriously.
All of us had at one time enjoyed an Acai Bowl while basking in the beautiful sunshine of Hawaii, and while Edmonton’s sun that day was shining, it was nice to enjoy the Acai Bowls to bring us back to those Hawaiian holidays.
If you aren’t familiar with an Acai Bowl, then get ready, it’s a life-changer.
The word “acai” is for the pureed acai berries that are one of the main componoents of an Acai Bowl. Acai berries originate in the Amazon jungle and are a potent superfood containing tons of antioxidants and immune boosting power.
An Acai Bowl is created when pureed acai berry is blended with other fruits like frozen blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries, and frozen banana. I’m sure there’s thousands of combinations possible but this was the classic one that I chose for these breakfast Acai Bowls.
After blending up the frozen acai and fruit with unsweetened almond milk, I poured the thick, cold smoothie mixture into bowls and went to town with the toppings!
The toppings really are the best part of an Acai Bowl. They add texture, flavour, nutrients, and fun!
I chose a gluten free granola for fibre, hemp seeds for healthy omega fats and protein, goji berries for an extra hit of antioxidants, sliced banana and honey for a touch more sweetness, and shredded coconut for more healthy fats and minerals (coconut is a great source of selenium!).
It’s always a good idea to add some healthy fats into an Acai Bowl whether it’s coconut, nuts and seeds, or nut butter as the fats help to slow the release of sugar from the carbohydrates into the blood stream and prevent a blood sugar spike which can lead to sugar cravings and an energy crash later on!
The bowls turned out wonderfully! I’m pretty the Acai Bowl breakfast helped to shift my hubby’s mood from the pre-shopping dread to being blissfully preoccupied and unaware of the crowds and traffic he was soon to encounter.
Have you ever had an Acai Bowl? How do you make yours? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
- Acai Bowl Base:
- 1 package Sambazon acai berry puree OR 2 heaping tablespoons acai berry powder
- 2 cups frozen mixed berries
- 2 bananas, peeled and diced (preferably frozen)
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- Toppings:
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- 1 medium banana (not frozen)
- ¼ cup goji berries
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- 4 teaspoons honey (or agave/coconut nectar for vegan)
- ½ cup granola of choice
- Add the acai bowl base ingredients to a good quality blender and blend until thick and smooth.
- Divide the smoothie mixture between 4 bowls.
- Top each bowl with 2 tablespoons coconut, ¼ sliced banana, 1 tablespoon goji berries, 1 tablespoon hemp seeds, 1 teaspoon honey, and 2 tablespoons of granola.
- Dig In!
Don’t forget to check out my Perfect Berry Smoothie Bowl too.
Have a lovely rest of your Sunday… and if you are looking for a little laugh, check out my NITK Blooper Reel that I posted on Facebook this past week, it was a hit!
Christal
Nutritionist in the Kitch
Yummmmm! Where’d you find acai packs in Edmonton, and are they unsweetened?
Hey Alexa! Yes, you can find the unsweetened packs at planet organic, and they have the sweetened (not sure about unsweetened) packs at Save-On-Foods! 🙂
So gorgeous! I love the goji berries and acai combination!
Thanks girl!!