Chocolate Acai Bowl

 

            I seriously cannot get enough of banana nice kreme or frozen smoothie bowls. They are so refreshing, filling and you can pack in a few sneaky serves of fruit and vegetables, while feeling like your eating ice cream. So in my mind, it’s totally ok to eat for any meal of the day!

            This recipe isn’t laden with heavy fats or creams that will leave you feeling sluggish, like a dairy ice cream would. This frozen smoothie bowl is packed with antioxidants from the acai and mixed berries, while the bananas add a hit of potassium, vitamin B6 and folate. The carob powder gives it that naughty chocolate taste without the nasties. While the electrolyte-rich coconut water provides your body with a shot of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium, making it ideal for rehydrating your body, boosting your pH levels and promoting healthy heart and kidney function (also great for those suffering from having a few too many drinks the night before).

            I think the frozen bananas gives this smoothie bowl a better texture than using fresh bananas, but feel free to switch it up to fresh if you want more of a drinkable smoothie, I prefer the ‘need a spoon’ consistency. This combination of ingredients really go so well together, the sourness from the acai, richness from the carob powder and the creaminess from the bananas just give it an all round deliciousness that hits your flavour palette for 6.

            You will need a blender or food processor for this recipe, I cannot live without mine and if I had to live with only using one kitchen appliance it would be my food processor. Definitely worth the investment.

             

Chocolate Acai Bowl

Plant-based – Gluten Free – Dairy Free

Makes: 1 serving

Time: prep: 10 mins

freeze bananas: overnight

Ingredients:

- 2 bananas, frozen

- 1 tbsp of acai powder

- ¼ cup of mixed berries

- 1 tbsp carob powder (or raw cacao powder)

- 1/3 cup coconut water (could swap for plain water or fruit juice)

Sneaky optional add ins - spinach, pre/probiotic powder, plant-based protein powder, superfood powders (examples HERE)

- Toppings (optional)

            - Fresh fruit

            - Muesli / granola (use a gluten free product if you want to keep the recipe GF)

            - Chia seeds, shredded coconut, goji berries, cacao nibs (omit cacao nibs to keep recipe caffeine free)

            *Note: In the acai bowl, if you are using a frozen packet of acai you can cut out the ¼ cup of mixed berries, as you will already have the right consistency from the acai packet.

Method:

- This is really a simple recipe. Just pop all of the smoothie ingredients into your food processor and blitz it up! You may need to stop it a few times to move it around to make sure all the frozen bananas are breaking down (I slice my bananas up before freezing them, I find then blend better), but once it looks like it is all smooth it is done. Although, don’t leave the blender running once its smooth because the friction created in the blender will start melting your smoothie

- Scoop out your smoothie, and top it with any of the topping you fancy, or just eat it straight!

Let me know what your favourite smoothie flavour combinations are in the comments below! If you try out this recipe post a picture on instagram with the hashtag #cinnamoncourtney so I can see all of your recreations!

‘I stand strong in my personal power’ – Deepak Chopra