Thick & Creamy Simple Green Smoothie in a Bowl

We've all tried green smoothies or monsters right?

If you haven't then what are you waiting for!?

They're the simplest, fastest, most satisfying breakfast you can make. . .

. . .(except for oatmeal of course, it may not be as fast but it is just as satisfying).

Now you know me I'm a health nut. I get over-excited about nutrition facts and finding out new things I never knew before. So naturally I like to through spinach at my smoothie. Or I should say "into my smoothie". The best part is, it tastes like dessert and yet its ridiculously healthy and far from it. I must admit that when I first discovered the green monster a few years ago, I was kind of skeptical and weirded out by it. But not anymore. Now I am obsessed with spinach in my smoothies. I really love the way I feel after eating one of these. A full serving of greens for breakfast (or lunch/snack) is so hydrating and refreshing. I think blending the spinach/greens helps you digest them better and get the most nutrients out of them. When you think about it, your body doesn't have to work as hard to break down the food and get feed you the vitamins and minerals. It's a world of health in a glass or should I say bowl?

Yes, that's right I love my smoothies served in a bowl. There's something about getting to top your smoothie with fresh berries, fruits, nut butters, and granola that is just too much fun to pass up. It's like an ice cream bar! But for breakfast!

I have to say I just drool over Kath Eats' smoothie-in-a-bowls and all of her oatmeal/breakfast creations. I owe her a big thank you for showing me something so simple as serving a smoothie in a bowl.

The frozen banana makes this super thick and creamy. Perfect for a hot day when you want something ice cold.

Ahh, convenience in a blender with barely any clean up. If you do serve this in a glass, its the easiest thing to take with you on the run or for your commute to work. Now you have no excuses not to make a nutritious breakfast.

Simple Green Smoothie in a Bowl (serves 1)

Ingredients:

• 1 large frozen banana slices
• 1 nice big handful baby spinach
• 1/3 -1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)

Method:

1. Pretty self explanatory. Put spinach and banana in blender. Then add the milk and blend away until smooth and creamy. You may need to give the mix and quick stir part way through depending on how powerful your blender is (I clearly need a new one).
2. Pour and top away!

Topped with:

• Love Grown Foods sweet cranberry pecan granola
• 1 big tbsp organic natural peanut butter
• Raspberries
• Pitted fresh cherries
• Sliced strawberries 
• Sprinkle of shredded coconut

I know it doesn't look like there are any berries in there, but I promise you they are there. It got a little melt-y while photographing.

See I told you they're in there!

I really enjoy having this for lunch some days when I don't feel like making a salad. I could probably live on green monster smoothies and be the happiest person E-V-E-R!

There will be more variations to come, that's for sure.

Strawberry Chia Jam

Mmm, delicious sweet strawberries.

Strawberries for me.

There's nothing like local fresh fruit from your farmers market in the summer time. I have oodles of strawberries from my latest visit this Saturday. It's just too easy to buy more than you need when they're such a good price and they're so juicy and fresh! I'm saddened though that there are no local cherries this year, because the crops were ruined by the weather we had in the spring. I will still justify the splurge to buy them even though they are 6.99 lb. :o being imported from the US.

I suppose I over compensated the lack of cherries (my favourite fruit) with more strawberries during this past Saturday visit to the market. That's okay though because nothing beats biting into a fresh strawberry.

Check out this monster looking one!

I recently learned a trick to keep them they're freshest for longer. If you store them unwashed in a glass container with a tight fitting lid in the fridge they will keep slightly longer than if you were to store them uncovered. Then just wash and cut them as you need them. It works for any kind of berry too.

However, if you buy way more than you can eat in a week like I did, and you don't like wasting perfectly good strawberries...you MAKE JAM! Not just any jam, pure strawberry maple jam made with local maple syrup, strawberries and ...chia seeds!

This powerful little seed is praised for its health benefits and being an excellent source of omega 3 essential fatty acids. They're benefits are similar to flax seeds, but multiplied x10, and are a great way to lower cholesterol as they hold 9 times their weight in water, and have both soluble & insoluble fiber. The soluble kind will absorb water and can help reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your blood stream.

I usually have them stirred into my oatmeal nearly every morning.

I've seen this method of jam making on blogs before and so I decided to give it a go and make my own version. It was so simple to make! I think I will put a spoonful of this jam on my oats tomorrow morning instead of stirring in chia seeds.

Strawberry Chia Jam

Ingredients:

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2.5 tbsp pure maple syrup 

Method:

1. Rinse and dry your berries, then slice them over a bowl.
2. Mash them with a fork or potato masher.
3. Mix in the chia seeds first and stir well to incorporate them. Then stir in the maple syrup.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer to a mason jar and place in the fridge to let it set and thicken for at least 30 mins before you use. 

This will last for at least a week.

Perfect for toast, topping oatmeal or pancakes with, peanut butter and jam sandwiches, or even spread on top of warm scones!

Pair it with some natural nut butter spread on whole grain ryvita crackers or melba toast and you've got a great mid-afternoon snack. It would be great with some greek yogurt and granola too.

Have you ever tried making chia jam before?