This past summer I had the opportunity to sample some lovely locally-produced plant mylk. I loved playing and making new recipes with it.
[You can find one of those recipes here. [Local Product Feature, Part 1]
Hippie Mylk, which you can find at Ottawa farmers’ markets and now in select health food stores, most definitely also passes the smoothie test! It’s creamy, naturally just a little sweet, and high in protein and healthy fats (you know I’m all about those #healthyfatsftw).
Something I’ve noticed with a handful of clients is that while they love the idea of smoothies, they don’t always feel satisfied having “just” that. This poses a problem, as a lot of the time, smoothies are actually really well-loaded with good stuff, and are indeed meal-sized in terms of calories and macros.
So what’s going on?
Our bodies like to chew!
Chewing helps rev the digestive engines – i.e. enzymes, which are released into your spit to start breaking down carbs in particular. A pretty common thread with a lot of smoothies is fruit, which are high in naturally-occurring starches, fiber, and sugar.
If you’re prone to getting gassy after having a morning smoothie, check in with your ingredients. This next bit’s for you.
Try holding your mouthful of smoothie in your mouth for 15-30 seconds before swallowing it. If your smoothie happens to have little pulpy bits, like apple skin, chia seeds, cacao nibs, maybe a chunk of date or mango here and there – definitely try this, and even try chewing it. You may find taking smaller mouthfuls helps with this.
Avoid just guzzling it all down as quickly as possible. We invented travel mugs and iced drink tumblers for a reason! (I’ve coveted the really big, venti/trenta size iced tea travel cups at SBux, which look big enough to hold even massive smoothies.)
Another solution to encourage slowing down and chewing your smoothie is to turn it into a smoothie bowl!
The trick with a smoothie bowl is in how much liquid you add to it to balance how much stuff you want to put both in and on it. I tend to like a 1:1 ratio of “solid” smoothie ingredients to liquid, erring on the side of a bit more of the solids, by which I mean the fruit, nut butters, seeds, greens, etc.
If the smoothie seems too thin for my liking to serve as a bowl, I’ll add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more frozen fruit or a teaspoon of flax or chia to help thicken it up to taste. Adding flax or chia post-blending is helpful too, especially if the bowl is left to stand for a bit.
Smoothie bowls also don’t have to be overly complicated and don’t need 70 ingredients to be impressive! I loved using Hippie Mylk to make this simple but so satisfying White Chocolate Cherry Bomb Smoothie Bowl – so much so that I even added the recipe to the 3rd edition of my holiday recipe ebook!
[Get the ebook here for 40% off through Giving Tuesday November 27]
You can get a peek at this chill brunch-ready recipe right here. Then just try to get “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways out of your head after making it.
Ingredients:
- ΒΌ cup cacao butter
- ΒΎ cup frozen organic sweet cherries
- 1 cup original plant milk of choice (I used local-made Hippie Mylk; Ripple would also work well)
- 2 Tbsp. smooth almond butter
- 1-2 tsp. maple syrup to taste, optional
- Pinch sea salt, optional
Melt the cacao butter slowly using a double boiler (or melt in a pan on the stove), about 10 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, combine the remaining ingredients, then add the melted cacao butter. Blend immediately before the cacao butter re-solidifies. (If your blender has a removable cap in the lid, start blending the ingredients and slowly pour the melted cacao butter in while itβs running.)
Pour the blended mixture into a serving bowl.
Sprinkle on toppings, such as goji berries, dried cranberries, fresh halved cherries, dried coconut, cacao nibs, slivered almonds, hazelnuts, etc.
Tips: Smoothie bowls are best served thick! Adjust the amount of liquid as needed. To serve multiple guests, double or triple the recipe. Make the smoothie base ahead of time, storing single servings upright in small Pyrex containers. Allow your guests to add their own toppings (a la sundae bar).
Makes 1 large or 2 small servings. Prep time: about 15 minutes.
The LPFL Plant-Based Holiday Solutions 3rd edition ebook is available now through December 17 2018. $5 per sale goes to the Ottawa Food Bank!Β 40% off through Giving Tuesday November 27 2018.
