– vegan – gluten free – Under 100 calories –
My favorite smoothie bowl to make in the summer. light, refreshing, only 5 ingredients and under 10 minutes to make. Customize this bowl by adding your own toppings like fruits, coconut shavings, nuts, seeds or nut butter.
The base of the smoothie bowl is made with only 5 ingredients:
- Banana: when choosing bananas at your grocery store, always choose baby bananas if they are available. While the baby banana is in its natural state, your standard banana is actually a hybrid that contains more starches. Unfortunately, not all groceries stores carry baby bananas, and standard bananas are the best alternative. Both baby bananas and standard bananas are high in potassium, improve brain function, digestion and the well being of various organs. It is a good rule of thumb to use 2 baby bananas in replacement of one standard banana.
- Mango: a good source of healthy carbs, fiber and vitamins, especially vitamin C and vitamin B6. Mangoes also have many digestive enzymes, called amylases, which break down and absorb food, aiding in digestion.
- Pineapple: loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants. It also has a surplus of other benefits including immune system support, digestion and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Almond milk: a great dairy-free alternative to cow’s milk since it has less calories and less sugar. Additionally, one 8 oz. glass of almond milk has half your daily calcium intake and a quarter of your vitamin D. Be sure to buy unsweetened almond to prevent added sugars.
- Vanilla extract: I recommend choosing a higher quality vanilla extract, as cheap vanilla extract often has artificial flavors and caramel coloring that disrupts digestive health. Stay away from extract that has propylene glycol, which is essentially just antifreeze. Pure vanilla extract is actually a great antioxidant and can reduce inflammation.
THe toppings on this smoothie bowl are very versatile. To keep the tropical theme going and to save time on cutting fruits, I like to use any extra mango and pineapple I have as well as some kiwi. Just one kiwi has about 115% of your vitamin C, More than half your vitamin A and many other trace minerals the body needs like POTASSIUM and copper.
You will also need:
A high-speed blender
[mpprecipe-recipe:10]
