As of now I tell myself it’s going to be scorching hot every single day. To be honest, that’s not always the case, but everything heats up and the sun generally comes out by 11 A.M. at least every other day. The weather is at a certain degree where it’s too hot to enjoy something super warm in the morning, but it figures that I break this rule often. My inner curry queen is NOT returning back to her shell anytime soon. But now that it’s June and smoothie bowl season is up and running, lately I have been on a crazy smoothie bowl kick and it feels incredible.
Since transitioning to a plant-based diet, I’ve found that it’s really easy to get in tons of fiber, which is a nutrient that 97% of Americans are said to be deficient in. I’ve been piling on so many vegetables that my stomach expands, but never on the brink of explosion (eew). It’s definitely not a negative thing to eat more and more vegetables, however. But everything has a max limit. Surpass it, and there are health consequences. For instance: kale and kidney stones. When I found out that having over five cups of kale daily would put me at risk, I had to take a week off my beloved green until I could slowly incorporate it back into my diet again.
Same actually went with peanut butter and almond butter–eating two tablespoons of them a day hurt my stomach and digestion so badly that I realized that I was inflamming my body, specifically from the excess omega-6’s I was consuming from the peanut butter. Aside from that, the fact that peanuts are one of the most common allergens out there further emphasizes how easy it is to develop sensitivities to them. So I had to do what any smart person would do: eliminate for a time being. I did have around less than a teaspoon of almond butter one day to test things out, and I felt perfectly fine. However, I’ve definitely decided that it would be a lot better to try other kinds of nut butters and even try using sunflower seed butter or tahini as a replacement. Because they’re hecka delicious!
Well, this has been a jumble of a post so far, but let’s get onto the actual highlight of this post right now because you’re probably reading through this and wondering when am I going to shut the hell up and talk about the food. Besides, we all know that it’s why you’re here in the first place. I’ve been trying to not eat out of season like I used to before and actually start making more cooling recipes. But sometimes you just need to eat something because it’s so darn delicious. For instance, last Saturday it was drizzling and less than 60 degrees outside, and I still made this smoothie bowl. No shame whatsoever!
On another note, I know that there’s a lot of people out there who don’t like and/or cannot tolerate bananas (ex: my dad). However, nana ice cream, or “nice cream” as they call it, is so brilliant that it would be such a shame for banana-haters to miss out on it. That’s why I’ve created this recipe as a substitution for those who want to enjoy chocolate “ice cream” without the dairy and without the fruit. There is absolutely nothing wrong with fruit, but this is a great way to sneak in more vegetables and fiber without even knowing it, as I suggested earlier in this post. While cauliflower may be a little bit more stubborn in the blending process, you won’t even notice a difference when the smoothie has finished: the cauliflower is just as thick, creamy, and completely satiating. Before you know it, you won’t even know it’s there!
For beginners, definitely use at least one banana and reduce the cauliflower to one cup instead of two, or even half a cup. If you want extra protein in this smoothie bowl as well, I recommend adding some kind of chocolate protein powder or even unflavored or vanilla protein with cacao or cocoa powder!
RECIPE
- 2 cups of soft-boiled cauliflower
- 2-3 TBSP cacao/cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4-1/2 tsp maca powder (opt.)
- 1/4 tsp instant espresso (opt.)
- Sweetener to taste; I use 2 TBSP Stevia
PROCEDURE
- Freeze your already soft-boiled cauliflower for at least an hour or even two hours depending on the temperature of your freezer.
- When you’re ready to make the smoothie, allow the cauliflower to thaw until it is blendable.
- In a strong food processor, blend all ingredients on high until thick and smooth. You will have to scrape down the mixture closer to the blades in order to completely eliminate the cauliflower chunks.
- Garnish with any toppings and serve.
What’s a food you can easily overeat? Would you dare try a vegetable in a smoothie?
superfitbabe 
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