NANCY CHEN

View Original

creamy, dreamy, green PB smoothie bowl

Nancy Chen

Happy morning! For those of you on break, TGIB amiright??

As I headed towards the last couple of days (weeks) before break, I got really into smoothie bowls (and smoothies). Like, realllly into them.

I was interning at SharkNinja, the company that makes Ninja blenders (among other things). I had one of their blenders at home, and while I had been experimenting off and on, I never really got into the groove of making smoothies.

Now, I'm all about those smoothies. Not only is it easier for my stomach to digest the fiber-rich foods I was putting into the smoothies, but it's also a comforting return to my smoothie-filled life pre-college.

And the thing that spurred my smoothie obsession? Flaxseed meal.

I had used it on top of smoothies before, but it's better when you blend it (and also more digestible). Flaxseed meal thickens your smoothie without giving it that slimy feeling chia seeds sometimes do. 2 tbsp really is enough to bulk up your smoothie and make it into a meal (or a hearty snack).

These smoothie bowls are customizable, so you can adjust to taste. They're the perfect breakfast to wake up to in the morning or the perfect post-workout treat.

Creamy, Dreamy, Green PB Smoothie Bowl

serves 1 | time: 10 minutes | breakfast | dairy free, gluten free, vegan

Ingredients

  • 1/2 avocado
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter powder (I used Crazy Richard's PB Powder because it doesn't contain any added sugar, which most PB powders do. You can leave it out to make this Paleo!) 
  • 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 4 oz unsweetened organic vanilla almond milk (I try and find soy milk without additives like xanthan gum, carageenan, soy lecithin, etc. — but feel free to sub for alternative milk of your choice)
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1/4 cup frozen spinach
  • 1 frozen wheatgrass shot (I found mine in the freezer section of Whole Foods)

Directions

  1. Add ingredients to your blender (I recommend a single serve blender cup, like this one).
  2. Blend and add toppings of choice! I like nuts, fresh fruit, unsweetened coconut flakes, bee pollen... be as creative as you want.

Note: If you also want to mix up the smoothie bowl itself, you can definitely add fruits & veggies as you want...this smoothie bowl below is the same, except I subbed out 1/2 the frozen banana for some berries to make a PB & J bowl. Experiment to your heart's content and enjoy!

For more smoothie bowl recipes, check out these articles by my friends over at Spoon University: