Saturday, March 22, 2014

Lip Smackin' Delicious Acaí Bowl


A few days ago I snapped a pic of my breakfast, with my iPhone, and published it on various social media channels: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Before I knew it I was receiving requests for the recipe on my blog. Instantly I thought, “shoot, I didn’t style this in a way that actually captured the true beauty of the food using a real camera.” Eek! But then I realized something, I am just an ordinary girl, in an ordinary world, who happened to post a picture of a not so special but equally delicious Tuesday morning breakfast. And guess what? People still wanted the recipe! Awesome!!!

{I have a confession. I made this again just so I could snap a better picture. The image has now been updated J}

Acaí bowls (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) are gaining popularity on the West Coast in vegan restaurants, organic cafés, Brazilian food carts and coffee shops. The downfall, these power-packed beauties can burn a hole right through your pretty little coin pouch.  The upside you ask? Thanks to brands like Sambazon, frozen acaí packets can easily be found in the freezer section of Whole Foods and other natural food markets. Score!

Acaí is a magical little purple berry that hails from a palm tree found in the Amazon rainforest. This small fruit is a nutrition powerhouse and known as the “beauty berry” in Brazil because of its properties to make the body look and feel good on the inside and outside. Acaí is rich in antioxidants, specifically one called anthocyanin, known for fighting free radicals in the body and anti-aging. In addition, it contains healthy fats - omega 3, 6 and 9, essential for great skin, hair and nails ladies, and more grams of protein than an egg! Still want more? These little berries contain NO SUGAR!!! Acaí is definitely a superfruit worthy of being added to your diet. Just be sure to read the labels, especially on juices, because companies love to sneak in other ingredients like sweeteners.

This recipe takes a quick 5 minutes to make and is super filling, energizing and delicious!

Ingredients
Bowl
1 Sambazon frozen acaí smoothie pack
¼ - ½ cup of almond milk (depending on how thick you like it)
1 banana
½ cup strawberries (or berries of your choice; frozen is fine!) 

Toppings
½ banana sliced
½ cup strawberries (or berries of your choice)
¼ cup of granola

Directions
Add all “bowl” ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to acaí mixture to a bowl, top with sliced banana, berries and granola. Take a big spoonful and eat J.