Breakfast is super important. A great way of getting more fruit & veg into your kids is through a breakfast smoothie bowl. In this article you will find out why breakfast is important, a breakfast smoothie bowl formula and recipes.
Studies generally show that eating breakfast improves memory and attention, with an overall positive effect on their cognitive performance. Therefore, it goes without saying that breakfast is an important meal. However, it’s also a meal that is often skipped – an Australian study found that 14.8% of children skip breakfast. Teachers estimate that when a child comes to school hungry, they lose up to 2 hours of learning per day.
Clearly these studies indicate that having something for breakfast is better than nothing. But, if we’re offering up breakfast, smoothie bowls are a great option.
A smoothie bowl is a super thick smoothie, served in a bowl (or in an overflowing mason jar in instagram photos), that usually combines some fruit, vegetables, proteins, good fats and some complex carbohydrates. In this article you’ll find information on breakfast smoothies that keep you full.
With one smoothie bowl, you can:
boost nutrition,increase the amount of fruit and vegetables your child eats,do away with breakfast cereal, which tend to be high in sugar and/or salt,increase your child’s fibre intake,introduce new vegetables to your child without them realising it,use a favourite smoothie recipe and turn it into a smoothie bowl.
Fibre is important for your child’s gut health, with the fibre feeding your child’s beneficial gut bacteria. The fibre also makes their digestive system work a bit harder, it will help keep them fuller for longer.
And the beautiful thing is they can be made simply, look fun and be super delicious too.
How to make a Great Smoothie Bowl
A great smoothie includes a mix of fruit, vegetables, proteins, good fats and some complex carbohydrates. You can use the template below to help you design your own great smoothie bowl. Here's a tip too, boost the liquid to make super healthy smoothies too.
This template is also a great way to empower your kids to become more actively involved in making themselves a nutritious breakfast.
Base Ingredients
300g FROZEN FRUIT
Choose one or a mix of these:
Banana, Strawberries, Blueberries, Mango, Pineapple, Mixed Berries.
The FROZEN FRUIT adds sweetness to your ice cream and helps make it thick.
¼ Cup FROZEN VEGETABLES
Choose a one or a mix of these:
Sweet potato puree, cauliflower puree, zucchini*, cucumber*, baby spinach*. * can be fresh
The vegetables add a great nutritional boost for your One Body For Life. Because vegetables are loaded with fibre, they help slow down how your body uses the sugar from the fruit. Frozen vegetables also makes your ice cream thicker.
¼ - 1/2 Cup LIQUID
Choose a one of these:
Water, coconut water, milk, non-dairy milk, coconut cream, keffir
The liquid is designed to help the blender mix up the frozen fruit and vegetables.
Boost Ingredients
1 tbspn PROTEIN
Choose a one of these:
Yoghurt, raw cashews, nuts, seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, coconut flakes, coconut cream, almond meal, LSA, nut butter.
Protein is important for muscle growth and development, and helps keep you full.
Some proteins also count as good fats.
1 tbspn GOOD FATS
Choose a one of these:
Avocado, yoghurt, nut seeds, nut butter, MCT oil, Coconut oil, coconut cream.
Good fats help your brain and they also help keep you full.
1 tbspn COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES
Choose one or a mix of these:
Rolled oats, hemp seeds, chia seeds, cooked quinoa, co
Complex carbohydrates help give you longer lasting energy.
Flavours, Sweeteners & Topping Ideas
FLAVOURS
Choose a one of these:
Cacao, Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract, Lacuma, Maca, Berry Choc Chunk, etc
Adding in a flavour is not always needed but this is your job to work out if you want to add some extra flavour to your ice cream.
SWEETENER
Choose a one of these:
Medjool dates, date paste, 100% maple syrup, raw honey, coconut sugar, vanilla extract
You don’t always need to add a sweetener because the fruit is naturally sweet but if you need it to be sweeter, just add a little.
TOPPINGS
Choose one or a mix of these:
Fresh fruit, goji berries, coconut flakes, granola, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, chocolate chips, nut butter, pepitas, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, oat crumble, chopped nuts etc.
Decorate the top of your breakfast ice cream with these foods so it looks extra delicious. Your toppings add extra nutrition to help your One Body For Life.
TIPS FOR AN EXTRA CREAMY BOWL
Choose one or more of the following ingredients in your BOOST options to make your smoothie bowl extra creamy.
Avocado - buy avocados in season, slice and freeze.
Cashews - soak cashews in water to soften. Save time, do in big batch and freeze.
Nut butters – my personal favourite ABC butter (almond, brazil, cashews).
Coconut cream, Yoghurt, Cooked brown rice
FLAVOUR COMBO IDEAS
Here’s some flavour combos that our family love. Design your own or you can try these too. These recipes don’t include toppings = that’s up to you!
BERRY BITE
- 300g frozen mixed berries
- ¼ cup frozen zucchini
- ¼ cup coconut cream
- 1 medjool date
- 1 tbspn chia seed
CHOC BANANA
- 300g frozen banana
- ¼ cup frozen sweet potato puree
- ¼ cup coconut water
- 1 tbspn avocado
- 1 tbspn hemp seed
- 1 tbspn maple syrup
- 2 tbspns cacao powder
MANGO DELIGHT
- 300g frozen mango
- ¼ cup frozen cauliflower puree
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 tbspn avocado
- 1 tbspn hemp seed
- 1 tbspn maple syrup
- 1 tbspn cooked quinoa
- 1 tbspn desiccated coconut
- 1 tbspn honey
- 1 tspn vanilla extract
SPINACH MINT MOMENT
- 270g frozen banana
- 30g frozen strawberries
- 70g frozen baby spinach
- ¼ cup coconut water
- 1 tbspn hemp seeds
- 1 tbspn maple syrup
- Handful of fresh mint
TIME SAVING TIPS
Steam and puree a heap of your vegetables like sweet potato and cauliflower in batches. Then freeze them in silicon min muffin trays or ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop them out and store them in a container for ease of use.
You can even pop all the ingredients into one zip lock bag and store them in the freezer so that all you need to do is pull out the bag, pop them in your blender, then add the liquid.
I hope you enjoy trying out smoothie bowls for breakfast or even as a great wholefoods snack.
When talking to your kids about smoothie bowls, you may even prefer to talk to them about this being a breakfast ice cream. You can just adjust the liquid amount to make the smoothie bowl more like the consistency of an ice cream.
Check out our recipes section for heaps more ideas for breakfast, snacks, dinners and more.
