Açai Bowls

Açai bowls are fast, flexible, beautiful, nourishing and so delicious! Sweetened naturally with fruit and an optional drizzle of honey, it’s a refreshing treat you can feel good about eating!

Sister Time & Feel Good Food

My sister has recently started coming over every Friday afternoon. We practice yoga together first and then afterwards I usually make some kind of feel good food for us to share while we talk about all kinds of deep and not so deep topics. Our sister time has become one of the highlights of my week!

And these Acai bowls are the perfect post yoga nourishment. They’re not only packed with all kinds of good-for-the-body-&-soul ingredients…they’re also customizable and so, so yummy!

What You Need

• Frozen Açai Packets
• A Banana OR An Avocado (frozen or fresh)
• Frozen Fruit of Your Choice
• Milk of Choice (dairy or plant based, unflavored)
• Peanut Butter
• Fresh Fruit
• Crunchy Toppings of Your Choice

One of the best things about creating in the kitchen is the ability to just do your own thing.

I want you to feel the freedom to make this YOURS. Get inspired by what’s in season, what your body is craving, what looks good at the store or by what you already have on hand in the fridge, freezer or pantry.

And if that just feels like too much thinking at the moment? You can also make it exactly as I did here, I got you 🙂

A few things to consider when improvising:

• Thaw the açai only enough that you can break it into pieces. It’s important that it stays frozen and doesn’t completely thaw.
• DO use either a banana or an avocado. Both add a luscious creaminess to your finished bowl! You can add them frozen or fresh, up to you. If you use a banana your bowl will be sweeter, if you use an avocado your bowl will be less sweet.
• Milks have different consistencies. Depending on what you choose, you may use a little more or a little less, which is why I give a range in the recipe card. Start with less and give the mixture time to process really well before adding more.
• This IS thick, not like a smoothie. Use your judgement. And if you accidentally add too much liquid and your bowl is a little soupy? It will still be delicious and you’ll know how to modify for the next time (because there WILL be a next time!)

What IS Açai (and how do you use it)?

Açai is a type of fruit that grows on trees along the Amazon River. The fruits look like berries but they’re technically “drupes” because they have pits (like olives and apricots). Açai isn’t sweet and it’s low in sugar. It’s taste has been described as a combination of chocolate and berry, with red wine, bitter, earthy notes and a slightly metallic aftertaste. Because of this many premade açai products have a LOT of added sugar. Another reason to make your own bowl!

Açai has a reputation as a cancer fighting, cholesterol lowering, heart healthy, brain boosting superfood. This is due to high levels of antioxidants (3 times the amount in blueberries!) and phytochemicals. Açai is also high in fiber, calcium, vitamin A, good for you omegas and trace minerals.

Because it’s highly perishable you won’t find the fresh fruit in the store. You will find it as a powder, juice or frozen puree (which we’re using in this recipe). When you’re shopping for it make sure to watch out for added ingredients (again, some have a LOT of sugar).

Let’s Get Started!

• Start by slightly thawing the acai packets just enough that you can break them up, but the pieces are still frozen. Letting them sit out while you gather and prep the other ingredients is probably plenty of time.

• Wash and slice fruit. Have your bowls and toppings ready.
• Break açai packets into the blender, add the frozen fruit, banana or avocado and milk. Blend, blend, blend until smooth and creamy. It will be thick so you may need to scrape down the sides a few times to make sure everything gets blended.

Let’s Build An Açai Bowl

Now that your base is ready, smear some peanut butter on the bottom of your bowl. How much? That’s up to you! I like a couple Tablespoons right in the middle of the bowl so that when it’s all assembled I can get to it from every angle…adding a little salty deliciousness to each bright, fruity bite.

Next add the Acai base. I like to add just a little more peanut butter right in the middle (can you really have too much peanut butter 😉???)

A Slight Peanut Butter Digression

I have a confession. Sometimes I hide food.

Not very often. Mostly I love to share, really. I mean, feeding people is my love language after all!

…BUT…

Mary Beth is an instructor at the yoga studio where I also teach. I’d heard through the grapevine that she makes really good peanut butter, but it wasn’t until she gave me a jar recently that I actually understood what that meant. “Really good” doesn’t do it justice. She swears it’s just peanuts and her Vitamix- and I don’t think she’s holding back. BUT. I’ve never tasted better. It’s creamy. And salty. And totally worth hiding.

So that’s what I did. I made that little jar last more than a month, keeping it safely tucked away in an undisclosed location where I felt no one would notice it.

So, when my sister was over I couldn’t resist breaking out the special jar for our açai bowls. And when I made them this morning for Eric and me it wouldn’t have felt right to use anything else.

But sadly, today’s bowls marked the end of the coveted jar. So when the last bite was eaten I immediately texted MB asking for more, we’ve worked out a trade and my hope is that I’ll never be without again.

Use whatever nut butter is your favorite. And if you’re lucky enough to know MB you might be able to snag a jar for yourself 😉

Adorn Your Masterpiece!

And this is the fun part… add your toppings!

For fruit I opted for blueberries, blackberries and sliced kiwi. Other delicious options would be strawberries, mango, pineapple, raspberries, the list goes on!

My very favorite crunchy additions are sliced almonds, hemp hearts and cacao nibs (how I LOVE cacao nibs!!!). You could also add granola, pistachios, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, toasted coconut…

You get the idea 🙂

I love that this bowl is only as sweet as the fruit it contains but if you prefer things sweeter a drizzle of honey is the perfect compliment.

Before you take a bite there’s one last thing to do…

Take a moment to just appreciate how beautiful the food before you is. Give yourself gratitude for taking the time to nourish your body and your soul in this way.

And then… DIG IN!

Gahhhhhhhh 😍

If you’re looking for more smoothies and bowls check out my Glow Smoothie Bowl

And, coming soon… Morning Matcha Bowl and Jack’s Yogurt Bowl…

I hope you enjoy this açai bowl as much as I do!

And, as always, I love to hear how my recipes turn out for you (and I especially love to see your food photos)! So tag me at @breathingandcooking on facebook and Instagram with your creations!

And don’t forget to breath, trust yourself and enjoy the process ❤️