Cherry Almond Recovery Bowl

This bowl combines some of my very favorite flavors and textures. The base is similar to some of my other smoothies with a combination of avocado and banana providing creaminess. The fruit in this smoothie is tart, red cherries which provide a relief in muscle soreness and inflammation so its a great workout recovery bowl. I absolutely love cherry and almond. Usually this comes into play in pastries, but I decided to channel that into something indulgent, yet clean and super easy!

For toppings I used Natural Grocers chocolate sea salt probiotic granola which I brought home from Colorado this weekend! I also brought back some of their almond butter which somehow has the consistency of cookie dough. A little sprinkle of coconut flakes and now the gangs all here: coconut, almond, chocolate + cherry, swooooon. When I don't have granola in the house (its kind of a treat- I try to make my own crunchy blends of toppings with less sugar- I use cacao nibs and walnuts which would also be delish here!). 

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup nut milk (I use my cashew milk- soak cashews 1-2 hrs+, blend with water, cinnamon + vanilla)

• 3/4 cup pitted cherries

• 1/4 frozen avocado (fresh is fine- I just freeze mind to make the smoothie thicker)

• 1/2 frozen banana (same as above- fresh is fine, frozen creamier)

• 1/4 tsp almond extract

• Optional: protein powder (I like rice or hemp protein)

• Optional: Toppings- I used chocolate sea salt probiotic granola, raw coconut flakes and almond butter (a raw alternative for the granola would be raw walnuts and cacao nibs)

Method:

• Blend all ingredients except the toppings in a high speed blender. Scoop into a bowl and add desired toppings.

Blueberry Cauliflower Smoothie Bowl

Smoothies can be a great meal replacement, but have to be done right to get the full nutritional benefits. Many health enthusiasts warn against drinking too many smoothies or juices due to high sugar content, which is a legitimate point depending on the ingredients. I don't think there are "bad for you" smoothies as long as you are using clean ingredients, however there are definitely smoothies that are high in sugar content, so for someone who is trying to lower sugar intake, it is worth experimenting outside of the usual.

Swapping out bananas, which have a higher sugar content than most fruits, with a low sugar smoothie thickener like cauliflower not only cuts back on sugar, but adds nutritional value of a cruciferous vegetable. This is especially important when smoothies are a meal replacement - so you can make sure you are getting in legit vitamins your body needs! Incorporating low sugar fruits like blueberries is a great way to get a serving of fruit and sweeten up the smoothie enough without loading on the extra sugar of a sweetener like honey or agave. 

I find this smoothie to be best as a bowl because it is pretty basic tasting and benefits from having some toppings added! Cacao nibs and raw coconut satisfy that sweet tooth without the sugar rush of granolas. Try using a raw nut butter like Artisana cashew butter, as many roasted nut butters also have some added sugar snuck into the jar. 

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Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups cashew milk (I like to make my own by soaking raw cashews 2 or more hours and, blending them with fresh water) or other milk of choice

• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp Artisana cashew butter

• 1 cup steamed then frozen cauliflower (can be found in frozen section of health food store)

• 1.5 cups frozen organic blueberries

• 1 tbsp raw shredded coconut

• 1 tbsp raw cacao nibs

• Optional: protein powder of choice

Method:

• Add cashew milk and frozen blueberries and cauliflower to the blender.- first reserving a few blueberries to top the smoothie. I let them soak for a couple of minutes so they defrost and get creamier faster

• Add all remaining ingredients except the cacao nibs and shredded coconut to the blender and blend on high until smooth

• Pour in a bowl and top with cacao nibs, shredded coconut and extra frozen blueberries

Strawberry Avocado Smoothie Bowl

Strawberry and avocado is one of my favorite summer combos. What pops into my mind right away when I think of this duo is a great big spinach salad with some sort of nut and balsamic situation. Berries and avocado are both such great breakfast components though! Berries are a great low sugar fruit that sweetens the smoothie up. Avocado and almond butter make it creamy and thick, and are the perfect healthy fats to start the day with. Vanilla gives it that final pop of flavor to make it a perfect dessert for breakfast kinda morning. 

Ingredients:

• 4 or 5 strawberries

• 1/2 of a ripe avocado

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp almond butter

• 1 tsp chia seeds

• 1 cup of almond milk (give or take depending on your desired consistency)

• Extras: protein powder or collagen peptides, adaptogens such as reishi, maca for energy and your favorite toppings (mine are cacao nibs, hemp seeds and crushed walnuts)

Method:

• Cut tops off of berries and half the avocado. Add all ingredients except for the toppings to the blender and blend until smooth.

• Add ice to make it colder and more almond milk if it is too thick. Blend until smooth.

• Pour into a bowl and add your favorite toppings

Sometimes it comes out green, sometimes pink! Here I simply topped with extra chia seeds.

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