I’ll be the first to admit that much of what I’ve been eating lately has been anything but healthy. I’m trying to make an effort to shed the extra pounds from the last three months working in Europe — along with all the other extra pounds I’ve already been holding on to for several years! And, my recent “diet” certainly hasn’t been helping me towards that goal.
Now that I’m back home in Belize, it’s time to start taking advantage of all the fresh fruits we have here. I’ve tried smoothies a number of times before, but I typically feel hungry a few hours later. So, I went on the hunt for something new.
In my regular perusing of Pinterest, I discovered the smoothie bowl. Based on the number of posts on Instagram and Pinterest, it seems I’m probably one of the last people on earth who hasn’t made one! What an ingenious idea, and it certainly helps my brain send the right signals that I’m eating a meal versus drinking breakfast.
It’s dragon fruit, or pitaya, season now, and I am slightly obsessed with the fruit. We have the red-fleshed version here in Belize, which is softer and has a slightly sweeter taste. I used to eat dragon fruit a lot in Taiwan, and I try to get it whenever I can find it in season. Dragon fruit has loads of health benefits and it’s pretty low in calories, making it a great smoothie base. I also recommend reading this article (https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-spotlight/athletic-greens-ag1-review-is-it-worth-the-hype-or-superfood-don-t-buy-until-you-read-this-news-301982/) if you’re planning to try greens powder.
It’s also mango season right now in Belize, and the country is definitely king when it comes to fresh mangoes (I believe there are at least 10 different mango varieties grown here, not sure of the exact number).
Creating a smoothie bowl is super simple, and I just relied on ingredients I already had on hand. You could do any combination of these ingredients, or add your own. I wish I had kiwi available, but I hadn’t seen any in the market that week. A lot of people choose to add protein powder and/or greens to their smoothie, but I just stuck with fruits for this one.
It’s an easy breakfast to make and it’s highly unlikely you’ll wind up with a smoothie that tastes awful. However, if it does, just play around with the fruit ratios!
Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowl Ingredients
- 2 Dragon Fruits
- 1 Mango
- 1 cup Pineapple
- Strawberries, tops removed
- 3 Bananas
- 1 Lime
- Almond Milk
- Ice Cubes
- Granola
- Blackberries (blueberries, or some other type of berry)
- Optional: raw honey, raw sugar, other fruits, protein powder, or greens
Directions for Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowl
- Slice open and scoop out dragon fruit and add in blender. Do the same with the mango, discarding the seed. Chop several freshly cut pineapple rings and add to the blender.
- Add two peeled and chopped bananas, a few strawberries with the tops removed, juice of one lime, and some milk. I used about 1/2 cup of almond milk. I used almond milk as I’m somewhat lactose intolerant, and non-lactose milk is a challenge to find in Belize.
- Add two or three ice cubes and blend.
- Pour the smoothie contents into a bowl that will give you good surface space to top with more berries and granola.
- Carefully layer sliced fruits like banana, strawberries, or Kiwi. Pick a berry like blueberries. Getting fresh blueberries here is impossible so I used blackberries.
- Add some fresh granola. I used a local one made here in Belize. It has a little sugar, which is why I didn’t add any additional sugar to the smoothie mix.
Makes about two large smoothie bowls
I was worried my smoothie wasn’t dense enough to withstand the heavy blackberries, so I threw it in the freezer for a couple minutes before adding the fruit slices. Despite the weight, the blackberries didn’t sink at all.
I plan to make some more smoothie bowls this week after I find out what fresh fruits are available on the island.
Have you made a smoothie bowl? What’s your favorite blend?
PIN IT!
