You all know I love my green smoothies (especially for lunch), but sometimes a girl just wants to eat her lunch with a spoon. And chew. And crunch around a little bit.

But still get that same oooo-weeeee baby! powered up and ready to go feeling that only green smoothies can do.

And lately, I just can’t stop with these. It’s like the perfect combo. The perfect meal, really.

But, one wrong move, and you’ll be sipping yours through a straw instead.

So for as much as I hate prescriptive rules when it comes to cooking (be free little friends!), here are some useful tips for better bowl making, so you can start out as a pro:

Rules to Green Smoothie Bowl Success: A How To Guide

1. Only use frozen bananas. I pre-cut mine and keep them in a big ziploc in the fridge so they’re always ready to go.
2. Start with just a tiny amount of water in the blender.
3. Using a very clean protein powder or avocado gives it a awesome thicker texture, and great satisfying staying power for the hours that follow it.
4. Toppings need to include a little bit from each of these categories: sweetness and chewiness, tiny crunches and big crunches (see below). 
5. Ice ice baby. And always. After the first ingredients are already blended of course. This makes it fluffy.
6. Don’t be too serious. Have fun, and play around with your toppings. It’s like art-time for grown ups. Like lunch that you get to decorate with sprinkles on top.

And lastly- appreciate it. Take the 5 minutes to make something beautiful and fresh and healthy and good for yourself, and a more powerful day will follow.

And then, repeat daily. And a more beautiful, fulfilling, and powerful life will follow.  It’s the truth.

The Big Green Smoothie Bowl

Makes 1 serving

4-5 stalks kale (or 2 cups spinach or romaine lettuce)

1/2 avocado (or 1 scoop natural protein powder like my favorite, Sun Warrior brand)

1/4 to 1/2 banana, frozen

1/3 cup water

1 scoop natural almond butter, acai powder or maca powder (optional add ins)

ice

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together, adding water slowly as you need it. Go slow! Too much water = sippable smoothies, not something you can eat with a spoon.

To top:

The following are all superfoods, prized for their high nutritional profiles of minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidants, healthy fats and superpowers. If you don’t have access to any of these, chopped nuts, raisins and seeds of your choice can work great too. 

goji berries/mulberries/strawberries/blueberries/bananas (for sweetness and chewiness)

raw cocoa nibs (for tiny crunch)

hemp seeds (for extra staying power and great protein/healthy fats)

pumpkin seeds (for bigger crunch)

chia seeds (for extra staying power and great protein/healthy fats)

brazil nuts/walnuts (for bigger crunch)

banana chips or coconut flakes (for bigger crunch, and for sweetness and chewiness)

Play and sprinkle. Stir and enjoy.

Love this recipe? You’d love the cookbook then too. And be sure to check out the brand new Food Academy, now open for enrollment, and the seasonal meal plans!