Smoothies have a lot going for them.

• They’re quick to prepare.
• They can be eaten on the go….for breakfast or for snack.
• They come with endless flavour combinations.
• They’re an easy vessel for vegetables! (Throw a handful of baby spinach into your next smoothie and I promise your tastebuds won’t notice a thing.)
• And with the right timing and ingredients, they make for a great pre-workout or post-workout solution. 

 

BUT there is one main drawback….

your smoothie may leave you feeling hungry, sooner.

That is, if it isn’t built in a balanced way.

Remember that because smoothies are foods in liquid form, this means less work for your stomach, quicker digestion and a shortened fullness factor.

The good news is that with the right ingredients, you can build satiating and satisfying smoothies any time.

In today’s balanced bowls episode I show you how to do this at home by preparing a delicious smoothie bowl which, as you’ll see, is a just smoothie…but eaten with a spoon.

 

 

 Are you a smoothie fan? What are your fave flavour combinations? Share in the comments below.

 

 

Very Berry Smoothie bowl

Serves 2

Ingredients

Smoothie base

• 2 cups mixed frozen berries
• 1 banana
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon raw cacao
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup coconut water

Toppers (or any varieties you choose)

• Mango
• Pumpkin seeds
• Unsweetened coconut flakes
• Buckwheat granola (recipe below) or granola

 

Method

1. In a power blender, combing all smoothie base ingredients and process until smooth.
2. Pour smoothie mixture into bowls and sprinkle with toppers of your choice (3-4 tablespoons of toppings per bowl).

 

After a trip to Australia, a client brought me back a small bag of buckwheat granola, made by Loving Earth. These caramelized buckinis were out of this world.

Crunchy, caramelized, delicious. I wanted more. But, since their granola isn’t available in Canada (or anywhere nearby) the next best thing was to try and reproduce it at home.

 

Crunchy buckwheat granola

(inspired by loving earths “caramelized buckinis”

• 1 cup raw buckwheat groats
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon mesquite powder
• Pinch sea salt

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the buckwheat, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, mesquite powder and pinch of salt.
3. Spread the mixture on the baking tray and bake for 25 minutes until crunchy and golden brown. Let cool completely and break into large pieces for clusters or smaller pieces for a looser granola. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days or keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.