Summer sunshine has us dreaming of soft-serve ice cream, fresh berries from the farmers market, and beach days with friends. Our Acai Berry Smoothie Bowl has thick and creamy soft-serve vibes, powerful berry flavour and is perfect for sharing. This smoothie bowl features Botanica’s Perfect Greens – Berry and Perfect Protein Vanilla as well as the Brazillian superfruit Acai berries!

Botanica Perfect Greens – Berry is a blend of clean, green superfoods to help ensure you’re getting your daily greens. This product is a nutrient dense, Organic blend of Barley Grass, Oat Grass, Wheat Grass, Spinach, Chlorella, Spirulina, Parsley, Acerola Cherry, Blueberry, Apple Fibre, Acai, Green Tea Leaf, Apple, and Rosemary Leaf. Perfect Greens is a delicious way to add vitamins and minerals to your diet.

Acai berries are native to the Amazon region and in recent years have gained popularity for being particularly beneficial to health and well-being. They are nutrient dense (high in fat and low in sugar) and loaded with anti-oxidants. You can purchase acai at most health food/supplement stores as a frozen puree or dried powder. For our smoothie bowl we are using the frozen puree (see the notes section below the recipe for more info and substitutions).

There is lots of fruit and natural sugars happening in this smoothie bowl so we’ve included a few key ingredients to balance the recipe to keep your blood sugar stable and keep you feeling satiated:

• Perfect Protein Vanilla for added protein and satiety.
• Full-fat coconut milk provides a thicker consistency and blood sugar stabilizing fats.
• Perfect Greens and chia seeds add additional fiber.

This smoothie makes the perfect afternoon snack or after dinner treat.  Plus, the recipe makes enough to share with a friend!

We hope you LOVE this smoothie bowl! Its:

• Thick & creamy
• Fruity
• Naturally sweet
• Vitamin & nutrient packed
• & SO delicious

Acai Berry Smoothie Bowl (with hidden Greens)

Serves: 2

Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk (from a can)
• 1 banana, frozen
• 1 scoop Botanica Perfect Greens – Berry
• ½ scoop Botanica Perfect Protein – Vanilla (optional but highly recommended)
• 1 packet frozen acai fruit puree, unsweetened*
• 1 cup strawberries, frozen
• 1 cup blueberries, frozen
• ½ cup raspberries, frozen
• 2 tbsp. chia seeds
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (optional, enhances flavour)

Method:

1. In a high speed blender, start by blending together the coconut milk, banana, greens, protein, and acai fruit pack until you reach a thick, smooth consistency and few chucks remain.
2. Then add in the frozen berries, chia seeds, and lemon juice. Blend until fully incorporated, scraping the sides as needed with a spatula, until no chunks remain.  The final result will be a thick soft-serve ice cream consistency.
3. Transfer to 1 (or 2) bowls and garnish with your favourite toppings – we love almond butter, extra chia seeds, coconut ribbons, and fresh berries. Enjoy immediately.
4. Store leftover smoothie in an air-tight container or mason jar in the fridge. Consume within 1-2 days of making.  You may need to give the smoothie a quick stir before serving.

Notes:

• If you can’t find the frozen acai puree packets (check the freezer section at your local health food grocery store) you can use 2-3 tsp. of Acai berry powder (again, check your local health food or supplement store).
• If your blender is having a hard time processing, leave the frozen fruit on the counter for 2-5 minutes before blending. Patience is key here.  Alternatively, you can add more full fat coconut milk to help with blending but this will result in a thinner consistency.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo with #botanicahealth on Instagram (we love seeing your creations!).  Be well, friends!