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Bite Of Minnesota: Smoothie Bowl

After spending the last two weeks on vacation in Hawaii, it's certainly tough to come back to the cold and dreary Minnesota weather. If you've been reading this blog, you know how much I love Minnesota, but after eating intensely flavorful and ripe tropical fruits, freshly caught fish, and absorbing sunshine on a daily basis, it's hard to transition back into winter mode.

One of our favorite healthy breakfasts in Hawaii was the acai smoothie bowl we had at a place called Grandma's Coffee House. Located up in the lush mountains of Maui, Grandma's is one of the few restaurant options in the area and is perfect for breakfast or lunch. With an assortment of baked goods like macadamia nut-coconut-banana muffins, coffee, hearty breakfasts and plate lunches, we decided to go the healthier route and chose the acai smoothie bowl.

The concept of a smoothie bowl is quite simple: fill a bowl with a smoothie base, top with fresh fruit, granola, and other toppings and serve! Ours had fresh Kula strawberries, banana, blueberries, toasted coconut and a drizzle of honey.

Although I can't transport Hawaiian freshness to the mainland (trust me, I've checked), I can still make the best of what can be transported here (thank you, Mexico) so I tried my hand at my own smoothie bowl. Using frozen blueberries, spinach, and orange juice as the base, I topped it with freshly sliced strawberries, raspberries, banana slices and starfruit. Not bad for my first attempt!

Smoothie Bowl
(serves 2)

½ cup orange juice
2 cups baby spinach
1 ½ cups frozen blueberries
2 scoops rice protein powder, vanilla flavor (if desired)
8 strawberries, sliced
10 raspberries
1 starfruit, cut into slices, skin removed
2 tbsp coconut flakes, toasted
2 tsp chia seeds
Drizzle of honey (if desired)

In a blender, mix orange juice and baby spinach until well combined. Add blueberries and protein powder (if using) and blend well. Pour into wide bowls and top with strawberries, raspberries, starfruit, coconut flakes and chia seeds. Drizzle lightly with honey if desired.

Feel free to experiment with other ingredients of your choosing – that's the beauty of a smoothie bowl: anything works!

If you plan to make these ahead of time (we made them for work breakfasts), freeze the smoothie base in individual bowls and let thaw on the counter in the morning while you're getting ready for the day. Top with sliced fruit and serve.

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