Food LIVING

Wanna-be Acai Bowl

November 23, 2016
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Let’s talk about the latest health craze. Açaí bowls. How do you say that anyway? Ah-ka-ee … ah-sigh-EE… ah-sah-EE (I’m going with ah-sah-EE.).. Okay I’m kidding, I know how to say it. But seriously… acai bowls are getting some serious attention. I’m seeing them everywhere! Coffee shops, movies, Instagram and everyone is talking about it. I had my first bowl at Jamba Juice a few years ago and I didn’t even realize I was eating a famous Açaí bowl. Lately I’ve noticed they are becoming widely available and there are so many variations! The prices tend to fall between $5-$10 and it really all depends on where you get your bowl from. Some bowls have almond butter, others have mango and some even have toasted quinoa (another health craze).

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A little bit you need to know about Açaí is that it’s basically a berry just like any other berry you can find at the grocery store. Blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, etc. There are plenty of ads online that claim it is a superfood that will promote weight loss, but there are few (if any) articles to back this up. As far as we can tell, Açaí is just as great as any other berry and while it is packed with antioxidants and is rich in nutrients, it is definitely not a miracle food. With that being said, I’m not shying away from Açaí bowls. In fact, I can’t wait to try the one with toasted quinoa. What I’m trying to say is that you can basically make your own berry bowl at home and make it taste and look just as good as those 10 dollar ones. 

I’ve been experimenting with this for a while and it’s so simple to make that it’s easy to get carried away with the flavors and variety of ingredients you can add to your bowl. I want to show you how to make a super easy fool-proof berry bowl. I know it doesn’t sound as exciting as Açaí berry bowl, but I promise the taste and health benefits are not compromised. This bowl makes for a perfect breakfast or snack. It doesn’t have to be pretty every time so if you keep berries handy (specially frozen ones) and you know how to make smoothies, you are set to make a delicious berry bowl! 

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Grab your favorite berries, fruit and other toppings you might want to incorporate. I’m creating a super simple berry bowl here so I have strawberries, blueberries, a banana, granola and almonds. Oh and chia …another health craze.

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To make the base, imagine you are making a super thick smoothie.

Grab some yogurt (I used fat-free, vanilla flavored from Trader Joes), frozen mixed berries and you might want to keep almond milk (or whatever milk you prefer) handy to change the consistency of your base.

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Blend it like you would a regular smoothie and you’ll get a nice thick base that looks like the one above.

You’re almost done, I promise.

Now add whatever toppings you want and ta da.. you have a delicious guilt-free treat!

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I hope you enjoy this treat as much as my hubby and I do! It’s seriously our go-to snack. Also a great addition to any boring breakfast. It can easily replace pancakes -okay maybe not. But totally close!

Thank for reading & let me know what you think!

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