Sisters Marie: How to Make a Smoothie Bowl

Consistency is key.

I don't know how many times I said this yesterday morning when my girlfriends and I got together to practice yoga and make breakfast together. And by breakfast, I mean the most delicious smoothie bowls. I'm a huge fan of smoothies in the morning so when I started to see the bowls pop up all over, I was anxious to try one. Not only do they make for a beautiful presentation but they're made from all of my favorite snacks -- granola, fruit and coconut. However, I tried making one a few months ago and I can't sugarcoat it...it was God awful. I wanted to love it because I had been anticipating it for so long but I would be lying if I said most of it didn't end up down the sink. Then I talked to a few of my ladies and realized why -- the consistency was ALL WRONG. There were 2 significant problems: 1) It was more of a soup bowl than a smoothie bowl, 2) I wasn't aware of the proper layering/topping techniques.

SO! If you have ever wanted to try one but aren't sure of how to make it both delicious AND IG worthy, here's how easy it actually is...

A few starting tips:

Start with a layer of granola on the bottom as your base - This way, even if your "smoothie" is a little thinner than it should be, you will still have something thick on the bottom

I'll say it again - consistency is key. You don't want to end up with a texture that's thin enough to drink through a straw like you would a regular smoothie. It should be thicker, more like soft serve or a blizzard. You can adjust this by guessing and testing the amount of liquid you use. We used coconut milk and found that 1/3 cup is about right.

Ingredients for the smoothie:

Acai superfruit - You can buy these in pre-measured packets at Target. Not only do these help create the consistency you're looking for but they are filled with antioxidants and omegas.
Coconut milk or water
Fruit to thicken: We used mangos, cherries, bananas and strawberries (use frozen where you can)
Greens: Throw in a handful of kale for good measure & added health benefits
You can throw in a protein for extra thickening: I like chia seeds or nut butter

Adjust these amounts to your desired flavor and thickness. Instead of blending on high, we pulsed the ingredients on low multiple times, guessing and checking in between to make sure it wasn't becoming too liquidy (totally a word!). When it's thick enough to eat with a spoon, pour over your 1st layer of granola and then add one more (like a smoothie sandwich). Now comes the best part: The toppings.

Customizing our bowls with toppings was so much fun! I went with kiwi, banana, strawberries, shaved almonds, pomegranate seeds, coconut and the ultimate in breakfast sweetness, a drizzle of honey and guys...it was delicious. 100x better than my first experience and now that I know how to make them correctly, I can officially add these to my regular breakfast routine.