Leigh Weingus - A Rainbow of Smoothie Bowls: 100 Wholesome and Vibrant Blended Creations

Text copyright 2016 Leigh Weingus. Design and concept copyright 2016 Ulysses Press and its licensors. Photographs copyright 2016 Celine Rahman. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. by: Ulysses Press P.O. by: Ulysses Press P.O.

Box 3440 Berkeley, CA 94703 www.ulyssespress.com ISBN 13: 978-1-61243-631-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016934499 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acquisitions editor: Casie Vogel Project editor: Kourtney Joy Managing editor: Claire Chun Editor: Renee Rutledge Proofreader: Lauren Harrison Front cover and interior design: Layout: Jake Flaherty Photographs: Celine Rahman Distributed by Publishers Group West IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The authors and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products mentioned in this book. For Brenna CONTENTS When I first started telling people I was writing a book about smoothie bowls, they were a little confused. Sure, theyd heard about the green smoothie trend. Toss some kale, almond milk, and a banana in a blender, and voila! Youre basically eating salad for breakfast, except its sweet, delicious, and drinkable.

Smoothie bowls, on the other hand, are a more difficult concept to grasp. What kind of smoothie is best consumed with a spoon rather than a straw? That doesnt seem normal. But, after all these months, Id like to think Ive mastered the art of explaining (and marketing) the magic of a smoothie bowl. Think cereal and milk, granola and yogurt, or any other delicious breakfast combination in a bowl. Except, in this case, youve got a smoothie instead of milk or yogurt, and nuts, seeds, and fruit instead of cereal and granola. Smoothie bowls are also very colorful and pretty, making them even more appealing.

Dont get me wrong: I love smoothies on their own and have done so since before they were cool (or so I like to think). While a basic smoothie can be healthy, delicious, and filling, Im of the opinion that its hard to be entirely satisfied when you drink your breakfast. Once you add nuts, fruit, seeds, and chocolate, though, your smoothie starts to feel a lot more like a meal. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SMOOTHIE BOWL Although Id like to take credit for the rise of the smoothie bowl, that would be far from the truth. My first experience with a smoothie bowl was all the way back in 2007 at a tiny cafe nestled cozily in the mountains of Santa Cruz, California. It was called Cafe Brazil, and it had an odd yet popular menu item: an acai bowl (thats pronounced ah-sigh-ee, for anyone whos wondering).

Acai bowls were the most popular item on the menu, and the waiters were quick to school me on this antioxidant-packed berry that grew in the rain forest. It was colorful, sweet, cool, and refreshing. It was not to be missed! This granola and strawberrytopped bowl did not disappoint: It was cool, refreshing, sweet, and crunchy. I was on board. A few years later, acai bowls started to blow up. The trendiest restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco offered acai bowls for brunch.

I went to Hawaii in 2013, and acai bowls were everywhere. They were nutritious and tasty, sure, but there was something else: They were really pretty. Naturally, when people started photographing their food and posting it on social media (myself included), acai bowls became a popular item on Instagram feeds everywhere. Even better, it seemed that people were branching out from the classic acai bowl and experimenting with other colorful frozen fruit, vegetable, nut, and seed combinations that were even prettier than acai bowls. For lack of a more creative term, they were called smoothie bowls. MY PERSONAL HISTORY WITH THE SMOOTHIE BOWL You know those people who dont wake up hungry? Yeah, Im not one of them.

The moment my alarm goes off, I dont even hit snooze because Im famished. For that reason, breakfast has always been especially important to me. Ive gone through tons of phases with it, too. I spent years eating sugar-loaded energy bars because people told me they were good for me and other years eating bowls of sugary cereal that left me exhausted and grouchy all day long. On top of being a smoothie bowl enthusiast, Im also a health editor and yoga instructor. That being said, it should come as no surprise that Im someone who places a lot of importance on feeling her best.

When it became clear that my Luna Bar and Honey Nut Cheerios habit was becoming detrimental to how I felt all day, I quickly realized something had to change when it came to my breakfast routine. I experimented with oatmeal, which made me feel pretty good and kept me full for hours, and although a little bit bland, I didnt mind having plain Greek yogurt for breakfast either. Still, something was missing, and I loved the idea of jam-packing fruits, vegetables, protein, fiber, and healthy fat into my breakfast. With smoothie shops popping up all over New York City, I finally discovered a way to do just that. But I was getting a little tired of forking over 10 dollars every time I wanted to sip on some green deliciousness. So one summer I begged my parents to buy me a high-speed blender as an early birthday present (this was in June, my birthday isnt until November), and they agreed to go in on it with me.

Just like that, my life was changed. Overnight, I became the girl who was bringing mason jars full of green goop to work much to the disgust of my coworkers, who didnt believe me when I told them how delicious my green breakfast was. Soon enough I was posting my colorful concoctions on Instagram, where I found people who actually seemed to be interested in my newfound breakfast obsession. Three years later, a crunchy, fruity, slightly sweet smoothie bowl is still my favorite way to start the day. WHEN SMOOTHIE BOWLS GET UNHEALTHY The smoothie bowl trend is a great one, and I firmly believe that theres no better breakfast option. But before you fire up your blender, its worth noting that a smoothie bowl can get unhealthy real fast if youre not careful.

For example, a few years ago I was using orange juice instead of almond milk as a base for my bowls, and I was starving and exhausted an hour after breakfast. I had no idea what was going on until I took a closer look at the ingredients on my orange juice carton. I had somehow missed the fact that most orange juice brands have a ton of added sugar. The fruit in your smoothie has enough natural sugar on its own, so adding juice, sweetened almond milk, or fruit-flavored yogurt into the mix is a recipe for a sugar crash. While not every smoothie bowl in this book is crazy healthy (just wait until you get to the Halloween bowl), every recipe calls for unsweetened almond milk or the unsweetened nut milk of your choice. If you dont want a giant sugar bomb for breakfast, this is the best liquid base for your smoothie.

If youd rather have dairy in your smoothie, unsweetened Greek yogurt is a great option as well. In the cases where smoothies could use some extra sweetnessthis is surprisingly necessary in recipes that call for cocoa, as cocoa on its own is pretty bitterbananas, dates, cinnamon, and small amounts of honey and maple syrup are great natural ways to sweeten up your bowls. Im not going to bore you with the many reasons why breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I will say that a super-sugary breakfast without protein or fat will leave you feeling tired and craving more sugar throughout the day. Although some of these recipes have a good amount of calories, the calories are generally made up of nuts, avocados, and coconut, which are packed with good fat, protein, and fiber and will keep you full all day long. According to research, a caloric (but healthy) breakfast will actually lead you to consume fewer calories throughout the day. BUT ARENT SMOOTHIE BOWLS EXPENSIVE AND TIME-CONSUMING? Another concern people have brought to me as Ive worked to spread the word on smoothie bowls is that they seem like an expensive and time-consuming breakfast option.