I love acai (sometimes called bonzai) bowls. I first fell in love with them in SoCal, where they are basically on every block. Sadly, here in Chicago, I have found only one place that makes them. With odds like that, I needed a more accessible fix.
Major benefits of the acai berry:
+Considered a superfood
+Potentially aids in weight loss
+High in anthocyanins (an antioxidant)
+May help fight cancer
+Linked to overall blood increase = better sex
+Promoted cardiovascular and digestive health
+Combats premature aging
(source / source)
Since many claims (like weight loss) aren’t 100% proven, I will say I eat this dish mainly for the taste and relative healthiness (it’s fruit!).
To get my fix, I read about Sambazon Smoothie Packs
somewhere and saw you could purchase them at Whole Foods (and Amazon, obviously). A few weeks later, they were in my freezer.
To make an acai bowl or an acai smoothie, follow the directions on the back of the smoothie packet OR follow what I did. Since they recommend using more milk and more acai berry packets to make the bowl, I cheated and did a type of version of the smoothie. It’s a tad liquidy (makes sense since it’s supposed to be a smoothie), but I didn’t mind. I’d rather have it that way then have too much.
- 1 Acai packet
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 banana
- granola
- Run the frozen acai packet under hot water for a bit, until you can snap it in half.
- Pour the acai packet into a blender and add milk. If you want to try for a more solid consistency, add the milk tablespoon at a time.
- Once blended, add any kind of fruit (I used a banana) on top.
- Sprinkle some granola (I used Trader Joe's Vanilla Almond Clusters).
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