Homemade Acai Bowls

Acai Bowls | Once Upon a Recipe

Oh friends, I have waited so long to share these açai bowls with you! Sadly a series of unfortunate events sabotaged my plans.

But first, allow me to start at the beginning. I first became obsessed with açai bowls during my trip to Maui this past February. And when I say obsessed, I mean eating-an-açai-bowl-every-day obsessed. Feeling-sad-when-the-açai-bowl-was-gone obsessed. Plotting-the-next-opportunity-to-eat-an-açai-bowl obsessed. You get the idea. My friend K and I searched the island for the best açai bowl available and when searching for the best, one must be committed, you know? Açai bowls run aplenty in Maui. I didn’t taste one that I didn’t enjoy, but if you ever find yourself in Maui and in search of a truly satisfying, delicious, and totally good-for-you breakfast, snack, or even dinner, please make your way to one of the Wow Wow Lemonade locations. They offer several different varieties of açai or pitaya (dragon fruit) bowls, all of which are amazing. Apparently their lemonade is bomb as well, but I was too busy eating açai bowls to drink any lemonade.

Acai Bowls | Once Upon a Recipe

What is an açai bowl you ask? Well, an açai bowl is essentially a refreshing, naturally sweet and energizing smoothie bowl topped with fruit and granola and other delicious things. I like to think of it as the healthy cousin to the ice cream sundae. The base is generally comprised of a combination of açai purée and other frozen fruit. Then comes the granola, fresh fruit, and other toppings – and the possibilities here really are endless. Açai – pronounced “ah-sigh-ee” – berries are harvested from açai palm trees, which are native to the rainforests of South America. Açai berries are considered a superfood, and are full of antioxidants, fiber, and heart-healthy fats. They help to promote cardiovascular, digestive, and immune health. Boom! In North America, you can typically find açai berries in the form of puréed smoothie packs in the frozen section of organic grocery stores and health food stores. My favourite frozen açai smoothie packs, and the ones most available to me, are made by Sambazon, and they seem to be widely available throughout Canada and the US. Here in Edmonton, they can be found at places like Planet Organic and Earth’s General Store. In the US, you can find them at Whole Foods. Açai juice and freeze-dried açai powder are other options, although I have not tried them myself. Açai bowls are not a cheap treat – most of the bowls we enjoyed in Maui were around the $12 mark – but you can make them at home for a fraction of the cost.

Acai Bowls | Once Upon a Recipe

When we returned from Maui, K and I set out to perfect our recipe for homemade açai bowls. We have yet to find a spot in Edmonton that sells these bowls of goodness (if you know otherwise, pleeeeeeease let me know asap) so there was definitely some urgency to figuring out how to make them at home. The cravings were intense! After several trials, we figured out our perfect combination. One evening in March, we crafted our perfect bowl and I snapped some photos of the process. A few weeks later, my house was broken into and my laptop and camera (and all of my photos), among other things, were taken. PS. This is an ideal time to recommend routinely backing up your photos on an external hard drive, or via something like iCloud. Idiot me had not done a thorough back-up of my files for longer than I wish to admit, and many of my photos were lost to those punk criminals. It took me several months to replace my laptop and camera, and by that time, my previously mentioned blogging rut had set in.

But alas, K and I had another açai bowl night last week and now I can finally share this recipe with you. Hooray!

Acai Bowls | Once Upon a Recipe

The possibilities for personalizing your açai bowl are limitless. You can change up the frozen fruit in the smoothie base, the fresh fruit you use, as well as the toppings. Next time I might try adding some greens to the smoothie base, like kale or spinach. A high speed blender works best for creating a nice thick smoothie base (aim for a sorbet consistency), but if you don’t have a blender, I’m sure that a food processor would give you similar results. I added maca powder for an extra superfood boost, but it certainly is not essential to this recipe. Maca is also expensive and can be difficult to find, so don’t sweat it if you can’t get your hands on it. For the granola, use your favourite stuff – whether it be store-bought or homemade. Looking for an excellent granola recipe? Might I suggest coconut oil granola, cherry hazelnut granola, or an old favourite, appropriately called favourite granola?

Acai Bowls | Once Upon a Recipe   Acai Bowls | Once Upon a Recipe

Acai Bowls | Once Upon a Recipe    DSC_0470

Alright, enough talk. Let’s make some açai bowls!

Homemade Açai Bowls

Makes 1 small bowl. Double the ingredients for a large bowl or for 2 servings. Exercise your creativity here, and have fun with different fruit and topping combinations!

1-100g pure unsweetened açai berry superfruit pack
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp. maca powder (optional)

Toppings:
1/2 cup granola, divided
Sliced strawberries, bananas, and blueberries
1 tsp. shredded coconut
1 tsp. hemp hearts
1 tsp. cacao nibs
A drizzle of honey

While you are assembling your smoothie base, place the serving bowl in the freezer. This will help to keep your smoothie thick and cold, and will prevent it from melting too quickly. In a high-speed blender, combine the açai purée, frozen banana, frozen berries, almond milk, and maca powder. Blend until smooth.

Remove your bowl from the freezer. Sprinkle some of the granola on the bottom of the bowl. Spread your smoothie base into an even layer in the bowl. Top with the remainder of the granola, fresh fruit, and your desired toppings. Enjoy immediately!

Acai Bowls | Once Upon a Recipe

My Favourite Green Smoothie

My Favourite Green Smoothie | Once Upon a Recipe

My Favourite Green Smoothie | Once Upon a Recipe

Hold onto your butts folks, I’m about to drop a blog post. Hey-oh!

If you did a double-take when you saw that this gal had published a new post, I don’t blame you. I’ve been rather absent as of late. As usual, I have no good excuses to give you, other than I was feeling a severe lack of inspiration and just needed to take a little break. Blogging had begun to feel like another task on my to-do list and I was no longer enjoying the process. Fellow food bloggers know that publishing a new post is more than just whipping something up, snapping a few photos, and typing out a recipe. There is preparation, and styling, and editing, and putting together something that you feel proud of. I’m still figuring it all out, but as I sit here typing out these words, while drinking the smoothie I’m here to share with you, I feel a renewed sense of energy and excitement. I’m remembering why I love this little space so much and I look forward to finding my blogging groove again. Thanks for sticking around.

My Favourite Green Smoothie | Once Upon a Recipe

My Favourite Green Smoothie | Once Upon a Recipe

About a month ago, I bit the bullet and bought a Vitamix. Holy heck, are those machines fantastic! It truly is one of the most amazing kitchen gadgets, and if you’re a smoothie lover like me, it’s worth the investment. It can do so much more than make a good smoothie, but that’s definitely what I’ve used it for the most so far. Behold my current favourite green concoction. Drink it for breakfast, a post work-out snack, or just ’cause you need a dose of greens. I promise the spinach taste is undetectable!

My Favourite Green Smoothie | Once Upon a Recipe

My Favourite Green Smoothie

This recipe makes one generous serving or two small servings. Feel free to substitute a different milk for the almond milk if you have another preference. The banana is completely optional – this smoothie is still delicious without it. The peanut butter is optional too, but let’s be real – what isn’t made better by the addition of peanut butter? (Answer: nothing.)

1 1/4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed

1 cup frozen mango chunks

1 TBSP. hemp hearts

1/2 frozen banana (optional)

1 TBSP. natural peanut butter (optional)

Add ingredients to a high-speed blender in the order listed (adding liquids first will help get things moving). Blend until super smooth. Enjoy immediately.

Nutritional Info: 340 calories – 33g carbs – 16g fat – 12g protein – 265mg sodium – 21g sugar

My Favourite Green Smoothie | Once Upon a Recipe

Greens for Breakfast | Kale, Oat, and Blueberry Smoothie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So…I did something crazy last night in the wee hours of the morning. It was one of those second-wind moments. I was all ready to tuck myself into bed, but then I got a second wind and stayed up for another hour. No one is safe during my second-wind moments. They typically involve crazy ideas and weird creations in the kitchen.

Last night, I did something crazy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

….I signed up for a half-marathon clinic through my local Running Room. Dudes and dudettes, I’m going to be training to run a half-marathon at the beginning of May 2012. Help.

I’m half excited, half terrified. I’ve always loved running. And by “loved,” I mean that I enjoyed the occasional runner’s high and the subsequent physical and health benefits. But the longest distance I’ve run consecutively is 10km. A half-marathon is 21km. Seriously, help me.

I start my training in two days. For the next 16 weeks, I will be aiming to run 3-5 days per week at varying distances, building on my endurance with each run. Did I mention that it’s also the heart of winter here? And that despite our current lack of snow and mild temperatures, all of that could change in a hot minute and I could be running in snowy, minus 30-degree (celsius) temperatures? Yes, I do wonder about my sanity on a daily basis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve decided that given recent events, I need to become a smoothie person. A smoothie, when made right, can pack a serious punch! Smoothies can be nutrient-dense, healthy, and can hide away good-for-you ingredients like spinach and kale. I promise you won’t even taste the kale or the oats. Satisfying, healthy, and delicious. Perfect for a quick breakfast that will get you through the morning. Or a half-marathon. No big.

Kale, Oat, and Blueberry Smoothie

Serves 1.

The health benefits of kale are endless. Kale is low in calories, high in fiber, high in anti-oxidants, and high in vitamins K, A, and C. Kale also helps to regulate the body’s anti-inflammatory process, and aids in detoxification. (source) Get on it kids!

1/2 cup kale leaves, torn and packed

1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

2 heaping TBSP. greek yogurt

3 TBSP. raw oats

1/2 banana, sliced

1/4 cup milk of your choice

1 tsp. honey (or more, to taste)

3-4 ice cubes

Optional add-ins: ground flax seed, vanilla extract, cinnamon

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, about 2-3 minutes, making sure that the kale and oats are pureed. Enjoy! (and be prepared to have copious amounts of blueberry stuck in your teeth afterwards). Get your toothbrush ready.

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