5 Tips For Making Healthy Smoothie Bowls
Hello! Hannah and Leisha here…
Since we are all scrambling for our home blenders right now and trying to replicate our fave B&A bowls, we thought we’d share a couple of key things to try and include when making smoothies and bowls at home.
When we started B&A, we were our own target market - simply wanting a healthy grab-and-go option that used ingredients we could recognise. All the food choices and recipes we have access to can be super overwhelming sometimes, so we want to show you how easy it can be to create an easy breakfast to start your day on a great note, and include all the nutrients you need!
Let’s go over some tips and tricks for making smoothies and bowls at home, our favourite topic to talk about…
1. Drinking OR eating your greens
We SHOULD be eating 5-6 serves of vegetables a day to get enough nutrients into our bodies. Most of us find this hard to pull off because meals can be packed out with carbs and other fillers, leaving little room for greens.
By creating a smoothie centred around greens, and having this at breakfast time it ensures you get a good 2-3 serves of the good stuff just to start your day, and making something like our Six Pack (spinach, avocado, pineapple, banana and mint) is a great base because you can add more of whatever veggies you have, and the flavour won’t really change. Great veggies (that don’t ruin the flavour) to add are leafy greens, cauliflower, courgette, cucumber or a greens powder!
2. Preparation
Have a box of ziplock bags handy and start to freeze any leftover veggies that might be otherwise going to waste. Whether it's broccoli, avocado, pumpkin, courgettes, or any leafy greens. Freeze along with a peeled banana or some berries and you're ready to blend when you want your next smoothie.
We use kumara in our Soul Mate smoothie bowl which is a low GI veggie that doesn’t cause an instant spike in blood sugar levels, and keeps you fuller for longer. Its also much better for your body to digest fruits when you add in some veggies with them - fruits do contain natural sugars so if we can balance this out with some greens then that makes for a more balanced meal.
3. Milks
You can use any type of milk that you prefer. The amount of milk that is used when making a bowl or smoothie is the important thing. If you are wanting to make a nice, thick smoothie bowl, use 1/4 of the amount of milk you would use when making a smoothie. You can always add more as you blend, to get the perfect consistency, but you can’t take it back out!
A tip that works really well at home is once you've opened your milk, pour into individual ice cube trays and freeze. This will give you a super cold and thick smoothie or bowl and will ensure it doesn't go to waste.
4. Add Protein
A protein rich smoothie will keep you feeling full for longer, avoid snacking and can help promote fat loss and muscle gain. Find a protein powder that suits you, at Bowl and Arrow we use Two Islands pea protein which is low in carbs and sugar, is vegan-friendly plus free from dairy, gluten, and soy.
If you don’t want to use protein powder, you could always just add in a teaspoon of chia seeds to your smoothie, greek yoghurt, a raw egg or even chickpeas.
5. Calories
We often get asked the question '…are smoothie bowls filled with calories?’. This really depends on WHAT is in the smoothie or bowl. A smoothie bowl with protein, good fats, fruit and vegetables will be higher in calories. However it is a full meal, not a drink to go alongside a main meal and will help fuel you for the day.
A sugary supermarket smoothie may have less calories but these 'empty calories' are filled with artificial sweeteners and stabilisers which means you'll be pretty hungry shortly after, and does not sustain you or provide any good nutrition.
When you are making a bowl or smoothie at home, you can literally throw just about anything into the blender. The more ingredients you include, the more calories you are putting in, just the same as any meal. For less overall calories, you want to use less fats or nuts and seeds, bulk it up with more greens or low sugar fruits such as berries.
For muscle tone or for keeping satisfied all morning, protein is our key ingredient, so hero the protein powder, nut butters, or chia seeds. And then load up on fruit and veggie to go with this.
Hopefully these tips have given you a few ideas on how easy it can be to make smoothies or bowls at home, incorporate more of what YOU need into your daily diet and keep it simple!