If you ask me my most favourite breakfast I would say smoothie bowls! They are fun to make and delicious to eat. I personally prefer eating smoothie bowls for breakfast instead of smoothies, because you can sit together and enjoy eating your breakfast without being ready in 5 minutes.
Why should you eat smoothie bowls while you’re pregnant and vegan? It is the most ideal way to get tons of nutrients by eating the fruit in a smoothie bowl. You can add all toppings possible which makes it fun to make. You’ll eat a smoothie bowl with a spoon and therefore you’ll chew on all ingredients, chewing your food stimulates the production of digestive enzymes in the mouth and is good for digestion. Smoothie bowls are also an ideal family meal and you can enjoy decorating it together with your children and eat it together.
You can drink a smoothie for breakfast in 5 minutes if you’d like, and my preference is to enjoy breakfast a little longer than that. Smoothies are a great option if you are in a hurry and want a quick nourishing breakfast, lunch or snack. A smoothie bowl takes a bit longer to consume and is therefore an ideal family meal.
The smoothie bowls below can be eaten as breakfast, lunch or snack. Yes you can eat smoothie bowls as a snack in between meals!
What Are Smoothie Bowls?
Smoothie bowls are actually smoothies but then different, let me explain. Smoothie bowls have a thick texture and are often made of frozen fruit. If you use frozen fruit and add fewer water you’ll get a nice thick texture ideal for a bowl. Add your desired (frozen) fruits, add a tiny bit of water and blend until smooth. Put the thick texture in a bowl and add your favourite toppings. Making a smoothie bowl is easy!
What’s the difference between a smoothie bowl, an açaí bowl and a smoothie?
A smoothie is often made of fruit or a mix of fruit, leafy greens, vegetables or herbs. The texture is not too thin and not too thick, ideal to drink with a straw.
A smoothie bowl is also a smoothie but has a thick texture. It is often made of frozen fruit and there is no or little water added. Some smoothie bowls are like sorbet bowls. Smoothie bowl are decorated with a variety of toppings including berries, dried fruits, other fruits, granola, seeds or vegan yoghurt.
Açaí bowls are a smoothie bowls made of açaí berries. These purple berries are called a superfood because of its nutrient density. Frozen açaí berries are put in a blender with other mostly frozen fruit and together is makes a açaí bowl. Açaí bowls are often even thicker more sorbet like than smoothie bowls.
If you are looking to buy açaí powder to make your own açaí bowls, I usually purchase them here.
Are Smoothie Bowls Healthy?
Smoothie bowls are the new cereal. And that’s a good thing. I think whole foods are always a better option that processed foods like cereal. Cereal can be a nice option to have some variety for your taste buds, but it’s not a whole food.
Smoothie bowls are often made of fruit and fruit is loaded with good vitamins and minerals you need for your body and growing baby. Fruit is a super package with all the good things you need, vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and more!
If you eat a smoothie bowl for breakfast you get a nice fruit bomb ready to give you the energy you need to start your day. Yes fruit gives you energy. Fruit is the fuel for your body.
Fruit and Fruit Sugars, Dangerous?
The smoothie bowls below are made of fruit and some women wonder if all that fruit is not too much of a good thing. Some pregnant vegans have had to deal with gestational diabetes in previous pregnancies and are concerned about their blood sugar levels. And that makes total sense. We all want to know what’s the deal about sugar, our body and our baby.
I won’t go much further into gestational diabetes as I’m not a doctor. If you have any concerns relating GD please consult your preferred healthcare provider, or go sit with a dietitian and find the guidance you need.
So what about sugar in fruit? Fruit is made of glucose, and glucose is your body’s fuel. And because fruit contains a lot of fiber, your blood sugar level doesn’t rise too high. All cells in your body need vitamin C to do their job, fruit is loaded with vitamin C.
Your body is actually made to eat fruit and to eat lots of fruit. Your body is made to look out for ripe fruit, to like the bright colours of different kinds of fruit and to like the taste and smell of ripe fruit. Think of a mango that is perfectly soft and ripe and it smells delicious, you’ll want to eat this mango right? It’s the perfect nutrient package deal of nature and it’s ready to be eaten by you.
If you are in doubt you can check the glycemic index of a particular fruit and find out yourself. And if you check the glycemic index you should also check the glycemic load for that particular food. But that’s content for a whole other article.
Can You Store a Smoothie Bowl?
You can store a smoothie bowl in an airtight container (I prefer a glass one with a lit) for up to three days in the fridge. Don’t put the toppings on the smoothie bowl that you want to store, these will become mushy. Add the toppings just before you’ll eat the smoothie bowl.
Raspberry Cashew Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 pcs Banana
- 2 cups Raspberries (250 gr)
- 1/4 cup Cashews (60 gr)
- Walnuts (topping)
- Chia seeds (topping)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in blender and blitz until smooth.
- Add desired amounts of toppings and enjoy!
Mango Banana Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 pcs Banana
- 2 cups Mango (fresh or frozen) (300 gr)
- 1/2 Lemon
- 2 pcs Peach
- Blackberries (topping)
- Walnuts (topping)
- Coconut flakes (topping)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients except toppings in blender and blitz until smooth.
- Add desired amounts of toppings and enjoy!
Blackberry Passion Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 pcs Banana
- 2 cups Blackberries (300 gr)
- 4 pcs Passion Fruit
- Blueberries (topping)
- Coconut flakes (topping)
- Cacao nips (topping)
Instructions
- Put all (peeled) ingredients in blender except 1 passion fruit (used as topping) and blitz until smooth.
- Add desired amounts of toppings and enjoy!
Forest Peach Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 pcs Banana
- 1 1/2 cup Forest fruit (180 gr)
- 6 pcs Peach
- Blueberries(topping)
- Brasil Nuts (topping)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in blender except 1 peach (used as topping) and blitz until smooth.
- Add desired amounts of toppings and enjoy!
Sweet Green Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
- 6 pcs Banana
- 1 cup Frozen mango (140 gr)
- 1-2 cups Spinach (100-200 gr)
- Lemon
- Dates (topping)
- Cashew nuts (topping)
- Chia seeds (topping)
- Grated coconut (topping)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients except toppings in blender and blitz until smooth (also peeled lemon).
- Add desired amounts of toppings and enjoy!