There’s no turning back: we’ve officially shifted from the sleepy newborn stage into a whole other beast. It was good while it lasted, I have to say. Arlo’s development is steaming ahead, and with that has come his first sleep regression (or “progression”, if we’re seeing the glass half full), and his desire to never miss a cool thing in his new world. Things have gotten really stinkin’ cute, a bit ugly (mainly, the circles under my eyes), and kinda scary. He basically turned into the wide-eyed “deer in headlights” emoji overnight. Actually, I think someone should make a new emoji just for babies going through sleep regressions; how about a wide-eyed baby who is simultaneously laughing and crying? With devil horns too, of course…but I digress.
We’ve been through countless sleep setbacks before, with big sis, but for some reason I thought we might cruise past them this time. We’ve paid our dues! I protest to the Sleep Gods. LMAO, say the Sleep Gods. It’s okay, though—we will survive.
On the bright side, this crazy time has given me the nudge to start something I’ve wanted to do for a while now: shorter, more easygoing blog posts. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time (and even tried it out a while back if you recall, but eventually my inner Chatty Cathy got the best of me…oops). I’m trying it today and popping in with a quick recipe and a few photos. I just added this smoothie bowl to the app a week ago, and it’s my current obsession. I devour a bowl every single morning lately (and chase it with a coffee or matcha to warm up…the best.).
A few things to note. The recipe calls for dates, but I don’t tend to use them because I don’t mind a smoothie that’s just mildly sweet. However, my lovely tester, Nicole, thinks it’s a bit bland without the dates added in, so I’ll leave it up to you whether to include them or not. (Granted, it does taste ah-mazing with the dates.) You can always taste the smoothie before adding them in and then make the call to suit your own taste buds. Also, a word to the wise: Some blenders have a hard time blending hemp hearts and dates smooth enough, so I recommend using a high-speed blender for the best results. Lastly, I always use a stevia-free protein powder as I don’t like the taste of stevia (and find it can overpower some smoothie flavours), but whatever you use, just know that the protein powder will greatly impact the overall flavour. I use Sunwarrior Warrior Blend in Natural in this particular recipe. Some people love it and some don’t; use what you love and you can’t go wrong!
Well, I just clocked in at 500 words for what was supposed to be a quickie blog post. Chatty Cathy strikes again. (Eric just said, “Must be the Maritimer in you.”) Maybe this is going to be harder than I thought.
In the Buff Smoothie Bowl
Yield
2 to 2 1/2 cups (500 to 625 mL)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
I just can't get enough of this creamy, monochrome smoothie bowl! Packed with protein and healthy fats, it keeps me going all morning long, and its subtle, earthy flavours and thick texture are the perfect base for loading on all kinds of toppings.
Ingredients
For the smoothie bowl:
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups (250 to 310 mL) almond milk, as needed
- 1/4 cup (40 g) packed avocado
- 1 large frozen banana, broken into chunks*
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) chia seeds
- 1 heaping tablespoon (12 g) hemp hearts
- 1 scoop (25 g or 1/4 cup) unflavoured protein powder (optional)**
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) almond butter
- 1 to 2 pitted Medjool dates, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ice cubes, or as desired
Topping suggestions:
- The Perfect Granola, Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters, or granola of choice
- Fresh fruit (sliced banana, berries, etc.)
- Cinnamon
- Hemp hearts and/or toasted sliced almonds
- Shredded coconut
Directions
- Add 1 cup (250 mL) of almond milk into a high-speed blender, followed by the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth. If necessary, add more milk to get the blender going.
- Pour into a bowl, and add your desired toppings. Serve immediately and enjoy with a spoon!
Tip:
* Be sure to use a large frozen banana or the texture of the smoothie bowl won't be thick enough.
** If you are omitting the protein powder, you can reduce the almond milk to 1 cup (250 mL), and add more from there if needed. I use Sunwarrior Warrior Blend protein powder in "Natural". It's important to use a neutral-flavoured protein powder so it doesn't overwhelm the delicate flavours of the smoothie bowl.
If you want a bit of a kick flavour-wise, try adding some fresh ginger (to taste) to heighten the flavours.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Also, just a heads up that I’ll be sharing this new recipe for nut-free freezer fudge in the next issue of In the Glow! Be sure you are signed up (and don’t forget to confirm your subscription). It’ll be going out before Valentine’s Day.
Angela, thank you for all you do to enhance our lives – love, love, love your books, blogs and social media. Your books are the only recipe books that I’ve made around 90% of the recipes, you know you normally pick one up, flick through a few pages, go that looks great then only make a fraction of the recipes – not with yours.
Anyway I transgress. Wondering if you have any tips, thoughts, advice on a Vegan/Veggie diet for Teenagers? My 14 year old daughter has really adopted a healthy plant based diet in the most part and along with my husband then they only eat meat a few times a week, sometimes not at all. I’ve noticed recently that she is looking a little paler and seems a bit more tired. I know there are growth periods but wondered if you’d recommend which recipes are best for those young growing bodies? She’s not a big bean fan, favours more black beans than anything else and is not a big legume/tofu etc. eater. We try and vary dishes but I’m wondering if I’m missing some important part of the diet for her growing needs. Teenagers still love their snacks and carbs so shouting eat more tofu isn’t going to cut it!!!!! I’ve only been a Vegetarian for the last two years so I’m still learning about getting the right minerals/iron etc. so am no expert.
Thanks so much and can’t wait to make the fudge this weekend – don’t think it will last for long!!!
Hi Christine, I’m so happy to hear that you are loving the books and recipes. How wonderful that your whole family has put a focus on healthy eating. I consulted with my plant-based recipe tester, Nicole, who has teenagers at home as I know she’d have some great advice to share. (Thank you Nicole!!)
You’ve said that you are concerned about your daughter’s low energy, sleep and pallor. Have you considered visiting a dietitian or nutritionist? She or he can suggest bloodwork to test for any deficiencies and guide you in vegan nutrition for a growing girl. This might help you establish a “baseline” of where she is currently. Meanwhile, making decisions together is the best way to “feed a teen”. Flipping through your favourite cookbooks and apps and creating a meal plan with her input, ensuring several meals per week include her fave ingredients and accepting that junk food will be a part of her diet are key strategies.
Since your daughter likes black beans, she might enjoy my Crowd Pleasing Texas Casserole and Summer Harvest Tortilla Soup from my Oh She Glows Cookbook, The Oh Em Gee Veggie burgers from Oh She Glows Everyday and Next Level Vegan Enchiladas from the Oh She Glows App. While you’re on the app, you’ll want to check out Cilantro-Lime Quinoa Salad and Lemon-Tahini dressing; both feature mineral rich tahini.
For teen treats you can’t go wrong with Mile High Freezer Fudge and Peanut Butter Lovers Chocolate Tart and breakfast gets a “like” from teens when its my Magical Ice Cream Smoothie Bowl or Chocolate Dreams Protein Smoothie Bowl, all from Oh She Glows Everyday. Fudgy Black Bean Brownies (in my app) or a big batch of glo-bars can be kept in the freezer for take-out :) And, what works for toddlers can work for teenagers…sneaking some hummus, tahini or pureed lentils into sauces and soups adds healthy hidden protein.
Let me know how it all goes!
Hi Christine,
One last idea to boost your daughter’s plant-based protein intake is to hide Silken tofu in smoothies…it creates a creamy texture without altering the flavour, partucularly in a berry or a nut butter smoothie :)
So, sadly, I can’t have avocado (unless I want to be doubled over in pain for hours). Any recommendations to sub for avo?
Thanks!
Hi Carrie, Oh no, that’s too bad! I would suggest adding a bit more frozen banana to make up for the lost creaminess. You might need an extra splash of milk to get it blending, depending on your blender. :) You could also try some solid coconut cream (the rich stuff at the top of a can of full-far coconut milk).
I am definitely going to try this for my next meal! This sounds so good!
My first ever homemade vegan smoothie and we fell in love with it! It tastes so yummy and healthy! Finally, the secret to the tasty fruit cocktail we stopped buying, because we don’t know what ingredients they put in it, is revealed. Thank you Angela!
Lovely blog,recipes and pictures Angela! Check out my easy veggie stir fry here. http://trendnobs.blogspot.com.ng/2017/01/food.html
Cheers!
I am obsessed with making this as my weekend treat topped with bee pollen and coconut!
I’ve never heard of a smoothie bowl until this post! Where have I been! Will certainly be saving this recipe! Thank you ?
Hi Angela! This looks delicious! Your blog is a true life saver. I’m just beginning the low FODMAP diet and I was wondering what an alternative to dates would be? Also, do you have a good alternative to coconut cream or milk? :) Thank you so much for all you do you. :)
i Jessica, Thank you for the kind words about my blog. :) To be honest, personally I don’t tend to use the dates because I enjoy a mildly sweet smoothie; the sweetness provided by the banana is enough for me! However, if you find it a bit bland without the dates, you could try a touch of maple syrup (I think it is low FODMAP). Maybe start with trying just 1 teaspoon, and go from there after taste-testing? If you try anything, please let us know how it goes.
I’m eating this smoothie bowl right now and it is amazing!!! Perfect amount of all the right ingredients! I’ve made lots of smoothies, however this was my first ever smoothie bowl and it will now be on the weekly list!
Delicious! thanks for another beautiful recipe Angela :-)
Just wondering about serving sizes. I know you don’t count calories but I find a lot of the recipes are quite large servings and because I have a chronic health condition affecting my mobility, I do gain weight easily. Just wondering if this is a serving for one? In general are your recipes steered towards those with high physical activity? Athletes?
How do we get the serving portions right? I eat healthy food but do struggle with portion sizes and need to loose weight.
Hi Claire, My recipes over the past two years have been geared toward fueling a busy, active lifestyle. In addition, I’ve been pregnant and/or nursing for the past 3 years, so the recipes–and perhaps portion sizes– tend to reflect that a bit too. ;) That said, you can totally adjust the serving size to fit your own needs. This smoothie bowl is meant to fuel an entire morning, but if that’s not what you’re looking for, it can be cut down. Like I mentioned in the post, I don’t make mine with the dates which is a great way to cut down on the sugar and make it a bit less sweet and also lower in calories. I think you can totally tweak most of my recipes to suit your own personal needs. Feel free to let me know if you have any specific questions on any of the recipes!
Thanks so much for getting back to me Angela, I am currently trying an experiment of only eating your food.
Prior to this my diet was all over the place, although healthy foods was always the focus, it was sometimes low carb, other meals were low fat etc. by concentrating on just high protein I’m hoping this will have some impact on my weight.
I have one snack most days. Breakfast, lunch and dinner with a slice of one of your treats at the end of the day.
At the moment I have the Two layer chocolate slice in the freezer…yum!
Wow I cannot wait to try this. Can I use peanut butter instead of almond butter?? Or would it taste weird?
Hey Emily, I don’t see why peanut butter wouldn’t work! Though you may find the peanut butter flavour comes through more than the almond butter flavour, which I find is a bit more subtle, would. If you try the swap out, please let us know how it goes!
Ah, I’ve drunk this as a smoothie a few times already and it’s soooo good. I don’t have a Vitamix, so I’ve found that omitting the hemp & chia seeds results in a much better consistency. Also, it’s a bit less filling then; after drinking an entire portion of this for breakfast I can go without food for the rest of the day! :)
I just made this and it was amazing. Thank you! !
As I was skimming the post, all that sunk is was, “She’s a Maritimer!” I can’t help it, I’m from NB, with a fair bit of my life also spent in NS. I recently bought your book at Costco because the photos drew me in and, although I’m not strictly vegetarian, I am trying to find creative ways to eat more veggies and fewer carbs. I don’t buy many cookbooks, but one of the things that swayed me was that I read on the inside flap that you live in Toronto. I love buying Canadian made, so that decided it! Thanks for the great recipes, I’ve been loving the book and talking it up to my friends.
Hi Christie! Thanks so much for the cookbook love, and your super sweet comment. Brought a huge smile to my face to hear from you! :)
Is this compliant to the whole 30 diet?
Hi Sofia, I’m not familiar with the rules of Whole30 so I’m not sure. Maybe someone else can weigh in though! :)
Can you use Milkadamia Milk instead of almond milk for these recipes? I’m brand new to food allergies, and a friend sent me to this website. I am allergic to wheat (not Celiac’s though.. just the wheat allergy), eggs, shrimp, crab, cottonseed, and artificial sweeteners. I’m also lactose intolerant. Again, just diagnosed over a week ago…. I feel like I’m living off of chicken breast and salads right now.
I just purchased two of your cookbooks on Amazon after getting tired of printing so many of the recipes… ha ha
Thank you for your response!
Lisa
Hey Lisa, I think you could use any kind of milk that you like (keeping in mind the flavour will change each time). Feel free to experiment. Thank you so much for picking up my books…I hope you love them!
I keep seeing this smoothie bowl on your SnapChat and can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe and for your inspiring and entertaining posts (whatever length they are!)
Thank you Stephanie! I hope you love the smoothie :)
This incredible bowl has become my weekend tradition!
I’ve never been a big fun of smoothies bowl for breakfast before until my daughter send me this recipe I couldn’t wait to try it. I’ve made it twice already the first one I topped it with “Oat and Kamut” and the second one with “Popped Clusters” both from Kashi. It’s delicious and very healthy. Thank you Angela!
Oh, I’m so happy this smoothie bowl won you over! Thanks for taking the time to leave this lovely comment letting me know :)
I’m at that point now where I think I’ve seen every smoothie bowl on the internet and then I come across this little gem.
It looks super creamy like a tasty bowl on banana-ry goodness. So healthy and yum.
I’m wondering if my pea protein powder would be too overpowering in this and if maybe hemp protein would be better. I know sun warrior protein has brown rice protein, and I think that might be even more neutral flavor, so maybe if I can get hold of some of that.
It also has rice oligodextrin, which is really cool stuff.
Thanks for the recipe.
Hey Sarah, I use Sunwarrior Warrior Blend (natural) and I love it in this smoothie bowl. The protein powder is made with a mix of pea, hemp, goji berry. I don’t think I have ever tried plain pea protein powder so I’m not sure how it would mix with this smoothie bowl, but you could always give it a shot! I hope you enjoy it. :)