You Should be Making: Smoothie Bowls

Ah, the weekend. What we've all been waiting for. Time to sleep in, kick back, and treat ourselves to a little something good. And I mean gooooooood. If your instagram feed looks anything like mine, you've been seeing Smoothie Bowls for months now. If not yet, you're about to. What's a Smoothie Bowl you might ask? Look no further:


Spoiler: ok, so smoothie bowls really are as simple as the sound. That's right, a smoothie in a bowl. But when topped with all sorts of delicious add-ons, the humble smoothie becomes something delicious, and obviously, very instagrammable. Which of course, is of the highest importance.


It seems silly to even offer a Smoothie Bowl Recipe, but here it is. The basic formula for a successful Smoothie Bowl contains 1 cup of frozen fruit, 1/2 cup of greens, 1 banana, and 1/2 cup of liquid of your choice. Of course it's the toppings that come afterwards that are the fun part. Today, I made a spinach/avocado/blueberry/banana concotion. Yum. Not a fan of your smoothies in a bowl? Prefer something a little greener instead? Check out my healthy green smoothie recipe here.


Maybe green isn't your thing (don't blame you) but you still want an energizing morning smoothie. In that case, let me recommend my Yellow Power Smoothie. However you spin it, smoothies (in a bowl or nah) are here to stay. And with spring break, and summer swimsuit season quickly approaching, I'd say it would behoove me to step up my fruit and veggie intake a bit more. Who's with me? Cheers!


Thirsty Thursday: Green Smoothie

I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking it, too. Have I honestly become one of THOSE people? You know, the ones who replace their morning coffee with green juice, and spend the rest of the day trying to convince themselves they're totally satisfied with drinking vegetables alone? And short answer, no. I haven't. But longer, slightly more complicated, and slightly hypocritical answer, maybe? Possibly? Read on:

Inspired by my sister dear, who's advice I cherish on everything from makeup reviews to youtube channels to follow, I recently started partaking in a morning smoothie. And yes, it is green. But no, it isn't (totally) terrible. And no, it hasn't replaced my coffee. That, you can pry from my cold dead, hands. I just figure, when it's winter time, and finding ways to break up all of the hearty pasta dishes with some vitamins here and there is difficult, this smoothie seems to do the trick. Plus, I've been feeling a tad under the weather lately and figured, "Can't hurt, might help." So here goes.

Every morning, while my french press is doing its thing, before I poach a couple of eggs and gobble them down on an avocado toast... I throw some vegetables into my blender and toss this sucker back. I vary it a bit from day to day, but typically the recipe is about 2 cups of dark leafy greens (spinach, which is less offensive, or kale, which is for when I'm feeling brave), topped with about 1/4 of a cucumber, 1/2 of a green apple, a handful of green grapes (which I keep in the freezer) and a splash of H2O to get it going. And, if I'm feeling extra spicy, a scant 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger. Heck, I might even throw in a squeeze of lime. I know. Life on the edge.

After it's about the consistency of applesauce (which I don't mind, and have sort of come to like, in a strange, masochistic way) I pour it into a big glass and toss it back. It tastes, to be honest, basically like all of those ingredients combined. Which I know sounds dumb, but hear me out, you know how when you put strawberries and bananas and orange juice in a smoothie and it comes out tasting fabulous and magical, and oh-my-god where did this flavor come from?? Yeah, that doesn't happen here. It tastes exactly like everything you put in it. Which again, maybe isn't a bad thing. Maybe? I dunno, I'm trying here. The point is, it tastes healthy, and sometimes, that's what you need.

A note here about your produce. This is one of the very few times I'll get on a high horse about using organic produce (seeing as I'm not actually Gwyneth Paltrow. I know, news flash.) But since you'll be using skins and all - mmm, vitamins - you won't want any unnecessary chemicals going into your smoothie. Honestly, I don't claim to know exactly what all of these things do for you, but I will say at the very least, the placebo effect of drinking a green smoothie every morning has got me feeling great. Or, a little less guilty about the pizza that I religiously consume three nights a week. You dig? Good. I knew you would. x

Yellow Power Smoothie

The heat wave continues here in LA, and in light of that, I'd like to share with you my favorite smoothie recipe at the moment. I drink this almost every day. Literally. It's a wonder that my skin hasn't started to produce a yellow tinge yet.

Even if it isn't as warm where you are, this is still a great recipe for those brisk early spring days. Using all frozen fruit, you don't have to worry about finding fresh produce in the store to give it a try.

The best part about it are the benefits - the mango and pineapple are loaded with vitamins A and C, the cinnamon has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, and turmeric is just really good for you. Seriously. Look it up. Oh - and it tastes good too. Give this smoothie a whirl, and let me know how you like it in the comments below! 

1 Cup Frozen Pineapple
1 Cup Frozen Mango
1 Cup Liquid (Orange Juice, Milk, Almond Milk, etc)
1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 dash each Cinnamon and Turmeric
Honey (to taste)

Start by pouring your liquid into the blender. The flavor of your smoothie will change depending on what you pick - I like mine to be bright, and tart, so I use OJ. If you want a creamier, sweeter smoothie, you can use almond or dairy milk instead.

Next, add your frozen fruit and greek yogurt. Top with your spices, and blend. Once it is nice and thick, pour into glasses and serve with a little drizzle of honey.