The Best Banana-Free Acai Bowl

The Best Banana-Free Acai Bowl

by | Aug 11, 2018 | Health, Home, Recipes

After my candida prevention protocol, following my wisdom teeth surgery, I wasn’t eating fruit.  I may have consumed a few dates here and there but I largely stayed away from fruit.  I finally feel like my body is in a better place where it can tolerate fruit so I’m siked to enjoy some of my old favorite foods!

HELLO ACAI SMOOTHIE BOWLSSSS 💃💃💃

My elimination diet showed me that ripe bananas aren’t all that great for me.  Barely yellow bananas are more tolerable but the nice, sweet, RIPE bananas I enjoyed before throw off my blood sugar.  Therefore, I’m choosing to keep my banana intake to a minimum.  So how else can you get a smoothie bowl to taste sweet and creamy sans bananas?  I’m about to show you! 😉

Frozen fruit & veg – As you may remember from my Sweet & Fluffy Smoothie Bowl post, FROZEN ingredients are always the way to go to make a smoothie thicker.  I also make sure to include a powerhouse fruit like MANGO to help compensate for the flavors banana would otherwise provide.

Yogurt – A game-changing ingredient that provides some creaminess and body.  Use whatever kind you like but this Forager Project one is the best dairy-free kind I’ve tried!

Superfoods – I like to throw in some flax mixed with water—a “flax egg”—for creaminess and fiber.  The addition of protein powder also helps to provide staying power and more substance than the typical acai shop bowl.   I like a neutral-tasting protein powder such as hemp because it allows the acai and fruit flavors to take center stage.

If you’re into lower sugar or alternative ways to make your favorite sweet treats, then you’ll love this bowl!  Tell me what your go-to smoothie order or combination is in the comments down below 🙂

Ingredients:

½ of a 5.3 oz container of yogurt (or ¼ cup), I used Forager Project Cashewgurt

A handful of frozen spinach (about ½ cup)

1 flax egg (or 1 tbsp flax but soaking it helps make it bind better)

½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries*

¼ cup frozen mango chunks

1 packet of frozen acai puree, I used Sambazon Pure Unsweetened Acai

2 tbsp hemp seed protein powder, I used Nutiva hemp protein

Toppings: local bee pollen, homemade granola, more blueberries, and peanut-cashew butter

Directions:

  1. If you haven’t yet made a flax egg, add the tablespoon of ground flax plus three tablespoons of water to the blender and wait 5 minutes for it to thicken.
  2. Then, add all of the other ingredients to a blender or food processor (my lazy go-to) and blend until thoroughly combined.
  3. Serve in a bowl with whatever fresh toppings your heart desires! I like berries but you can totally skip fruit toppings and opt for low-sugar granola, nut butter, bee pollen, and coconut. (Okay, usually I add coconut but I forgot this time!) 

Note: *If using fresh blueberries, your smoothie bowl will be a little more liquidy than frozen but it is still delicious! 

Be sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram if you make this smoothie bowl! @melaniemakesithappen #melmakesithappen 😀

I hope you enjoy this Banana-Free Acai Bowl as much as I do! xoxo

Cocoa Coconut Rustic Banana Granola

Cocoa Coconut Rustic Banana Granola

by | Aug 21, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

This yummy Cocoa Coconut Rustic Banana Granola is brought to you thanks to Scharffen Berger’s Baking Chocolate.

Ever since I tried Nutrition Stripped’s Banana Maple Granola I have dreamed of recreating a chocolate or cocoa-infused version. Of course, you all know how I like my chocolate!  (i.e. Creamy Peanut Butter Chocolate Crisp Bars and Chocolate Cinnamon Breakfast Shake)  Typically, store-bought granola uses a lot of oil or a lot of liquid sweetener. In this case, banana serves to coat the granola and add some flavor while keeping the granola low in added oils and sugar!

For this granola, I used the Scharffen Berger’s 100% Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder.  The quality cocoa powder is 100% cacao and therefore adds a great depth of flavor. As well, I added Scharffen Berger’s 100% Unsweetened Cacao Nibs to up the smoky depth and create a crunchy texture in the granola.

cocoa coconut rustic banana granola

I’m curious, how do you all enjoy granola?  At breakfast time, I love adding granola to the top of my smoothies or parfaits for a delicious crunch. Also, if you haven’t tried using homemade granola as a cereal then you must! Store it in a container in the freezer for when the granola craving hits! Then, simply pour it into a bowl with milk and enjoy! It makes for quite a filling meal!

Disclaimer: I call this granola cocoa granola and not chocolate granola for a reason.

Personally, I like the light cocoa flavor without the sugar. Instead of sugar I use caramelized bananas to provided sweetness. If desired, you can still make the granola a bit sweeter like chocolate with the addition of some coconut sugar. See the recipe for amounts. Lastly, I know the recipe calls for many ingredients but granola is flexible. For a variation, you could swap in more oats, nuts, seeds, or quinoa for any ingredient you may not have enough of. Plus, the recipe can be cut in half and still bake up in the same amount of time. 👊

I’VE GOT YOU COVERED 😉

cocoa coconut rustic banana granola

Cocoa Coconut Rustic Granola
Recipe Type: Breakfast, Snack
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: ~3 1/2 cups granola
This granola is a texture-lover’s dream! It has oats and coconut and nuts. Caramelized bananas help make this granola a low-sugar and low-fat treat.
Ingredients
  • 2 medium-large ripe bananas*
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
  • 1-2 tbsp coconut sugar, optional**
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cacao nibs
  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut chips
  • 1 cup nuts/seeds of choice (cashews. almonds, or pepitas would be great!)
Instructions
  1. First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread out banana halves onto a lined baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. I know, it’s an extra step, but this helps caramelize the bananas to bring out sweetness. From here, you may proceed with the recipe.
  2. Remove the bananas from the oven after they appear to be soft and caramelized. Then, turn the temperature down to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. (Tip: keep the oven door open to let out some of the heat)
  3. In a bowl, mash up the bananas until no clumps remain (I had about 3/4 cup worth of mashed banana). Next, add in the oil, vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, and sugar, if using.
  4. Now, dump in all of the oats, nuts, coconut, and cacao nibs. Mix well.
  5. Spread mixture out on a lined baking sheet or a lightly greased baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until no soft pieces of granola remain. If desired, stir the granola halfway through baking to break apart clumps.
Notes
*You really need ripe bananas for this recipe. I used very spotted, not black, bananas. Bananas are at their peak sweetness when they are very spotted. Black bananas, on the other hand, have an earthy taste to them. They could work but the end result of the granola may not be as sweet.[br]**My taste buds are pretty content with lightly-sweetened food. Go ahead and taste the granola before putting it in the oven and see if it works for you—add in the coconut sugar if you want some sweetness.

Additional notes: The photos show a half batch of the granola because I went through several baking trials and ran low on some ingredients x)

My recipe is adapted from Nutrition Stripped’s Banana Maple Granola.

A final thank you goes out to Scharffen Berger for allowing me to create a recipe using their fabulous baking chocolate products!