Hello there! Do you like smoothie bowls? I'm sure you have tried it once atleast as a breakfast idea. They are pretty easy to put together and it's also an nice on-the-go breakfast option, which you can conveniently carry in a mason jar.
Most of the time when I make smoothie bowls, I use assorted fruits that are easily available in the supermarket. Not this time tho! I had to source my Acai berry packs from an online grocery here in Dubai to create this super-food breakfast idea.
Acai berries are a grape-like fruit native to the exotic rain forests of Southern America. They have a dark purple skin and yellow flesh surrounding a large seed. To make them edible, they are soaked to soften the tough outer skin and then mashed to form a dark purple paste. Fresh Acai berries have a short shelf life and aren't available outside of where they are grown. They are most often sold as a frozen fruit purée, dried powder or pressed juice. Acai berries contain healthy fats and low amounts of sugar, as well as many trace minerals and plant compounds, including anthocyanins. Acai is incredibly rich in antioxidants, boasting three times the amount found in blueberries. Studies have suggested that acai may help lower blood cholesterol levels and shows potential as an anti-cancer agent.
So, Acai berries can be considered a superfood, with benefits ranging from improved skin appearance to weight loss and more. Here's a simple smoothie idea to start off with. Hope you like it!
Ingredients
100 pack of pure unsweetened Acai
1 large ripe banana or 2 medium sized bananas
1 medium size apple
Toppings
1 tsp agave nectar (optional)
1 tsp bee pollen
1/2 a sliced banana
1 tsp desiccated coconut
1/2 cup assorted berries
1/2 tsp flaked almonds
1/2 tsp Chia seeds (optional)
Peel and chop the bananas and apple into medium sized pieces and place them in a freezer bag and freeze them for at least 2 hours. The Acai pack must also be cold or semi-frozen. If you are going to have this for breakfast then it's easier to freeze this overnight. In the morning, place the frozen fruit, the Acai berry puree and the agave nectar in a high powered blender (I use a Magic bullet blender) and blend it until its a smooth puree.
Pour the well blended smoothie onto a bowl or a Mason jar and top it off with berries, banana slices, Bee Pollen, Chia, Almond flakes and the coconut. Eat this chilled and enjoy it as a healthy breakfast option, midday snack or dessert. I carry this in a jar to my office sometimes as a mid-day snack.
Tip- You can mix up any kind of fruits like pears, mango etc and top it off with all kinds of dry fruit, seeds and nut toppings. Bee pollen and Chia have multiple health benefits, so its always handy to have these around as a smoothie topping.