Low Carb Berry Smoothie Bowl
I love smoothies and shakes as I know I can cram in a whole lot of nutrition into my day. Have you ever had a smoothie that has crunchy stuff on top that you literally can’t suck up a straw? I’m guessing that’s how the smoothie bowl was born! A smoothie bowl is literally how it sounds: a smoothie in a bowl. The difference here is usually you add more frozen fruit or ice to make it thicker so your toppings sit beautifully on top! Here’s my favourite Smoothie recipe:
- 1 – 1.5 cups of unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup of frozen berries
- 2 tbsp of plain cottage cheese (YES: YOU READ THAT RIGHT)
- 1 – 2 tbsp of chia seeds
- 1 tbsp of Natvia or your preferred sweetener
- Ice cubes
Add all ingredients into a blender and blitz. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle a selection of fruits, nuts and seeds on top to make it look pretty.
Here’s some tips to consider:
- Keep foods on hand that are easy to blend and sprinkle.
- Reduce the fluid if you want to make a thicker smoothie base. Most veggies and fruit are high in water so you don’t need much fluid
- Pick your ingredients based on the colours and flavours you want. Chances are you don’t want a spinach flavoured smoothie, so add cocoa or cacao to hide the strong spinach taste.
- Wash, dry and trim produce ahead of time ready to blend
- Include a decent serving of protein either IN your Smoothie Bowl or on the side
- Add plenty of fats from the list below. This will also keep you satisfied
- Blend up your base foods, pour in a bowl and top with crunchy extras for texture and added nutrition
Smoothie Bowl Alternatives
FATS:
- Avocado and avocado oil
- almonds, macadamia nuts or oil, nut butters, seeds, cashews, Tahini (or save these for Toppings)
- coconut oil, canned coconut milk, coconut butter, coconut yogurt
LIQUIDS:
- filtered or spring water
- canned coconut milk, or low carb coconut yogurt
- herb tea, weak coffee, kombucha
- kefir
- coconut water (small amount as is high in carbs)
- unflavoured, unsweetened almond or soy milk
PROTEINS:
- Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese
- Protein powder, or whey if tolerated
- Animal protein on the side, such as beef, lamb or chicken
- Nuts and seeds have some protein and mixing nuts and legumes together creates a protein as well
VEGGIES & FRUIT:
- organic zucchini
- fennel bulb and stalks
- cauliflower (raw cauli can cause bloating, so steam it before you blend it in your smoothie!)
- avocado
- cucumber
- all types of lettuce
- sprouts
- green beans, green peppers, celery
- kale and spinach
- herbs: parsley, mint, dill, basil, or whatever you like
- green apple or pear (small quantity)
- beetroot (small chunks to not overload your blender)
- tomato, carrots
- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries – fresh or frozen
- red apple, red pear (small amounts)
SEASONINGS:
- ginger
- vanilla
- fresh lemon or lime juice
- spices such as turmeric, salt (for salted caramel), cinnamon
TOPPINGS:
- coconut flakes or shreds, raw or toasted
- Paleo Granola (grain free, gluten free)
- dried fruit (if you didn’t use much fruit in your base blend)
- pomegranate seeds, blueberries
- nuts and seeds or nut butter
- avocado
- chopped celery, carrots, cucumber
- raw cocoa nibs
- maca
If you have made your low carb Smoothie Bowl correctly you’ll feel full and happy until your next meal. If you get hungry or anxious within an hour or two, you probably used too much fruit and not enough protein and fat.
So there you go!
Let me know how you go and check out the live streamed demonstration below.
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Hi I'm Monique Bradley.