If you've ever wished a smoothie was more filling and had a little more heft to it, your time has come.
The newest trend in these popular puréed drinks is the smoothie bowl. Yes, it's just like it sounds: a smoothie that's served in a bowl instead of a glass.
The difference is that the smoothie in a bowl is thicker and it's topped with sliced fruits, nuts, coconut, granola, seeds, agave or honey, which makes one a meal in itself.
"If you can pour it or drink it with a straw, it's a smoothie. Smoothie bowls need a spoon," says Rachelle Pecovsky, owner of The Mixed Up Cup in Ooltewah's Cambridge Square.
Pecovsky opened The Mixed Up Cup - a natural food cafe, frozen dessert lounge, juice and smoothie bar - two years ago after she and husband Jaime moved to Chattanooga from Washington, D.C. Pecovsky, who also operates a yoga studio above her cafe, has a long association with the restaurant business. Her dad owned a restaurant and she grew up working in it. She's been a personal chef and a health educator. But she also played professional women's football for 11 years - so her background is just as varied and interesting as the frozen concoctions she whips up in her store.
Smoothie bowls begin with a mixture of fruits or vegetables just like a traditional smoothie. Blend on low speed until the ingredients are mixed but too thick to pour. If the mixture blends too long and becomes thin, add a few ice cubes to thicken it. Transfer the thickened smoothie into a bowl and garnish the top with your choice of sliced fruits, nuts, seeds, coconut, granola, muesli or vegetables of choice.
The bowl doesn't require a lot of effort, tastes good, is good for you and quite colorful. The beauty of them is that you can add almost anything to them, says Pecovsky. But foodies also find their beauty to be the colorful designs of the bowls' toppings, and they've taken to social media to share shots of their edible art on Pinterest and Instagram.
"When we opened two years ago, people went to acai bowls first. Once people tried those bowls and found they liked them, they began to ask for smoothie bowls about a year or so ago," says Pecovsky. "Then people who were more creative - the foodies who like to try new things - were asking to create their own mixes.
"You can eat a bowl for a light dinner or breakfast. You can get one before or after a workout; it's enough to be filling, but not feel bogged down before a workout."
She says the bowls have a large following from high-school students to millennials, but she's seeing more customers in their late 30s and 40s asking for them as well.
Retired educator Betty Payne says the fruit smoothies she makes at her East Brainerd home could be "classified as a sweet treat, health drink or meal substitute."
Although she hasn't tried smoothie bowls yet, since she is just hearing about the trend, she says she does prefer a thickened mixture that requires a large-diameter straw to sip. These thickened concoctions could easily become a bowl with the addition of toppings.
"I make smoothies a lot," Payne says. "They are very healthy; so even though they are a semi-sweet drink - the sweet coming from natural sources in the fruit - they can be used as a meal substitute. The recipe I use most is my own concoction and can be adapted to any number of varieties by diversifying the ingredients."
Because a lot of smoothie bowl ingredients are considered superfoods - raw fruit and vegetables, chia seeds, flax seeds, nuts, hemp protein, kale, spinach - the bowls are inherently healthy. But just like anything, too much of a good thing can be excessive. Keep portions and calories in check. Large amounts of nuts, peanut butter and avocado can hike fat content; diabetics need to remember that three or four pieces of fruit combined with lots of toppings will raise sugar levels.
"We use sugar-free granola from Blackberry Hill," says Pecovsky. The product, made in Old Fort, Tenn., is sweetened with Stevia and is gluten-friendly because it is wheat-free.
Smoothie bowls are healthy alternatives for anyone who drinks their breakfast or who is time-pressed, living an on-the-go lifestyle. But Pecovsky also adds that they also fit the movement of people who are "embracing what came before the finished product" and like knowing where their food comes from.
Recipes
Pink Flamingo Smoothie Bowl 4 ounces frozen strawberries 4 ounces frozen pineapple, cut in chunks Juice of one lemon Juice of 2 medium oranges Blend all ingredients on low until desired thickness reached. Pour into bowl. Top with banana slices, blueberries, strawberries slices, kiwi, coconut, granola or other toppings of choice. Yields one large or two small servings. - Mixed Up Cup Green Smoothie Bowl 2 cups spinach 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 tablespoon chia seeds 1 frozen banana 1/2 avocado Put spinach, almond milk, chia seeds, banana and avocado into blender. Depending on the power of the appliance, it may be necessary to stop the blend, stir the ingredients and continue blending until desired thickness reached. If consistency gets too thin, blend in some ice cubes to thicken. Transfer mixture to a bowl, add toppings such as kiwi slices, strawberry slices and a sprinkle of granola. Yields one serving. - Food Network Basic Smoothie 8 to 10 ounces Greek yogurt 1 banana, cut into small pieces 1 to 2 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced 12 to 15 fresh strawberries, sliced 1 cup crushed ice Blend all ingredients until reaching desired consistency. To make into a smoothie bowl, pour thickened concoction in a bowl. Top with slices of fresh strawberries, peaches and bananas. - Betty Payne