Acai Bowl

The Acai Bowl

The acai bowl is a traditional Brazilian breakfast that is filled with antioxidants and vitamins. You probably have heard of the acai berry due to its recent publicity as a “superfood” because of its rich antioxidant content. The acai berry comes from a species of palm tree that is native to South America. The acai berry contains anthocyanin and flavonoids, and according to WebMD “...anthocyanins and flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that help defend the body against life's stressors. They also play a role in the body's cell protection system. Free radicals are harmful byproducts produced by the body. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants may interfere with aging and the disease process by neutralizing free radicals.” If you counteract the destruction of free radicals by having a diet abundant in antioxidants, it can reduce your chances of some diseases such as cancer and heart disease. So, if you’re looking for a quick and delicious way to pack vitamins and powerful antioxidants into your diet, this may be the snack for you!

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Inspiration

I have been going to this amazing vegan café called Judahlicious to get my acai fix. I have to take two busses and walk quite a bit to get there, so I thought that I would try and make it myself to avoid the unpleasant trek (and to save my wallet). I am usually a disaster in the kitchen, but acai bowls are actually very easy to make, so I did not have a problem.

It turned out like this!

picture taken by me!

What you’ll need to make this acai bowl:

(recipe serves one person)

½ organic acai packet (you can buy this from Wholefoods or Costco)

1 ½ cups organic frozen berry melody

¼ cup (approximately) orange juice

1/3 cup organic frozen mangos

2 bananas

2 cups granola of your choice (I used mango passion granola from Trader Joes)

& a blender

Step-by-Step

First, break up the acai in the unopened packet. Next, add the ½ of the acai packet into the blender and blend it by itself. Now you can add in the rest of the ingredients. Only put one of the bananas into the blender (the other banana is used as a toping). (Also, feel free to substitute out the mangos or add another frozen fruit of your choice.) Blend until there are no more frozen food chunks left in the blender.

Next, pour half of the granola at the bottom of your serving bowl, then pour your acai mix on top of the granola. Now pour the other half of your granola on top of your acai mix and then slice the other banana and garnish the top of your acai bowl with your banana slices.

There are many different recipes for acai bowls that you can try. Many recipes do call for a sweetener such as sugar. It is best not to add a sweetener, especially because fruit can be high in sugar, but if you must, you can try adding a natural sweetener such as honey or agave. My recipe calls for a couple bananas and personally, I think that the bananas create a sweet enough taste. 

Let me know how your acai bowl turns out! 

Enjoy!