This blueberry protein smoothie bowl has had to wait 5 days and as many writing attempts before finally coming to you… but life is sometimes messy like that… very much like this smoothie bowl! But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still good… the smoothie bowl, I mean… and life too!
These past 2 weeks have been a bit rough at my house, with both Mark & I being ill with a lingering chest cold, kids’ activities going at full speed ahead, & the demands of the household as hectic as always. I may have had a cranky moment a time or two recently!
But just when I start to implode with “everything-is-wrong-in-my-life” feelings, I’m reminded in small ways of all that’s right… snuggling with my sweet Sara at bedtime… teary-eyed laughter at the dinner table… uplifting music at the school concert last weekend… or a beautiful sunrise that reminds me that God is there in the perfect, and the less than perfect.
When I made this smoothie bowl, I wasn’t even going to post it because I felt like it was “too ugly.” I was ravenous when I blended it up, so I just plopped it into the bowl and quickly scattered on the toppings. I knew it was “on the schedule” to blog this week, but I thought, “Nah, it’s too ugly, I’ll just blow it off & eat.” But something in me made me snap a couple of pix before I inhaled it. Mind you, this is not the typical way I do a photo shoot!
However.
Life teaches me that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be good, and that smoothie bowls don’t have to either. Case in point.
This smoothie bowl, for all its “imperfections,” is the ultimate in flexibility and goodness. It’s made with frozen fruit (I used blueberries & papaya, but if you don’t like one or the other, just sub! Dark cherries, peaches, mango… all would be super), silken tofu (you can also sub avocado to get that silky texture), hemp seeds, protein powder, & almond milk. It blends in seconds, and the end result is a creamy, silky, ice-cream-like concoction that’s as yummy for dessert as it is healthy for breakfast and refreshing after a workout.
Feel free to experiment with the toppings… I love the colour contrast of strawberries with the deep purple of this smoothie, but mangoes, peaches, or kiwis would also be beautiful. I also added walnuts & cacao nibs for healthy fats. On the side you see a pumpkin oat cookie… this is the slightly less sweet cousin of my beloved banana oat cookies. If you want to make these, just use the banana oat cookie recipe and sub mashed cooked pumpkin for the mashed banana.
I’m learning to let go of my notion that things have to be perfect to be good… and every time I look at this smoothie bowl, I’m reminded of that. So I’m glad I was in a rush that day & didn’t take time to make it “perfect.” Maybe it’s even better this way.
Happy Friday, my friends!
Ingredients
For the smoothie bowl:
- 1/3- ½ block (100 gm/3 oz) silken tofu, drained
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- ½ cup frozen papaya (can sub mango or peaches)
- ¼ cup fresh cooked beetroot (can sub frozen dark cherries)
- ½ T. hemp seeds
- 2 T. vanilla protein powder (I use Vega Protein & Greens)
- 2 T. almond milk
- For the toppings:
- sliced strawberries
- walnuts
- cacao nibs
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend or process until smooth… mixture will be very thick like ice cream. Add toppings and serve immediately in a chilled bowl.