It's been nearly a year since Adam and I went to Hawaii. It was a graduation gift to ourselves for getting through six years of schooling, working, and just keeping 'it' and us together. Although Hawaii wasn't my first choice, it turned out to be an amazing time. Adam felt at ease in his ancestral homeland - he was the happiest and healthiest I have even seen him, surrounded by the sun, sand, and sea. And, although my arm needed a bit of twisting to go, I ended up falling head over heals in love with the place, especially with the food. While we unfortunately missed out on mango season, we made it in time to devoured other favourites including pineapples, oranges, bananas, avocados, and lilikois (passion fruit). Our days were spent stocking up on the amazing offerings from the numerous (and fabulously stocked) health food stores and markets, followed by lounging on the beach, hiking, swimming, and snorkeling. This was again followed by more tasty whole foods and numerous fresh fruits.What a routine!
One offering that was quite common, yet entirely new to me, was the Açaí bowl. A perfectly paired bowl of Açaí puree, berries, fresh fruit, and granola, that falls somewhere in between a smoothie and a pudding.
The dish is simply created by making a smoothie base of Açaí, berries and banana, which is then served in a bowl, and topped with seasonal fruits and crunchy granola. It's the perfect kind of breakfast to bring a little sunshine to these colder November mornings.
So what are the health benefits of Açaí berries?
Açaí:
- Antioxidants: Açaí berries are very high in antioxidants, containing twice as many as blueberries.
- Omega fats: They are high in Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids which are essential in keeping our cardiovascular system and brain in tip-top shape.
- Fiber and Protein: Every 100g of dried Açaí powder contains 14g of fiber and 8g of protein!
- Minerals: A, B1, B2, B3, C and E are all found in the berry, as is calcium and vitamin D (which you need to absorb the calcium) 1
Açaí can be purchased as a juice (which is often not as high inminerals, as it us cut with other juice), frozen puree, or as a freeze dried powder. For this recipe I choice to used the powdered form as it is 1) easily available, or at least easier to order online if not locally available, and 2) it is easy to portion. While the frozen puree already comes in portioned servings, and can be a bit pricy. The powdered version allows for more control over how much is used. Here, I left the recipe open to use anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of powder, and feel free to play with it. Use as much or as little you like, and use the puree or juice instead if you prefer .
Acai Bowl
Recipe: ( Serves 1) Print it Here
1 Banana (fresh)
1 Cup frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries)
1 teaspoon -1 tablespoon Acai powder
1 tablespoon hemp protein
¾ Cup coconut water, almond milk (or milk of choice), or water. You may need a little more or less.
Toppings of Choice (see below)
Procedure:
Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth.You may need to add more or less of the liquid to achieve desired consistency. You want it to be the consistency of a thick smoothie. Pour the smoothie into your favourite bowl and top with seasonal fruit, seeds/nuts, and your choice of granola.
Toppings:
- Goji Berries
- Pomegranate Seeds
- Banana Slices
- Granola
- Berries (fresh or thawed)
- Hemp Hearts
- Kiwi Slices
- Orange Segments
- Other Seasonal Fruit
xox Sophie
demetria says
Mmmm mm. It's so cold over here. If only we were all eating acai bowls in hawaii right now.
demetria says
Mmmm mm. It's so cold over here. If only we were all eating acai bowls in hawaii right now.
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Wouldn't that be the tops? At least Vermont has snow, here we only have rain, rain, rain.
Two Red Bowls says
I love this! My boyfriend is from Honolulu so we go often to see his parents, and one of our must-eats (among many) is the acai bowl from Lanikai Juice. He thinks it's the best on the island. This looks like the next best thing -- I'll have to try it out ASAP! And your photography is gorgeous. Thanks so much for posting!
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Yay! I'm so happy you like this, and thanks so much for the kind words. I've never been to Honolulu (we went to the Big Island) but next time we visit, we must go and try Lanikai Juice <3
shelly says
What a beautiful blog. I love the pictures and the recipe looks delicious!
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Thanks Shelly!
Breakfast Criminals says
I love this, looks so delicious! The color is beautiful too 🙂
Breakfast Criminals says
I love this, looks so delicious! The color is beautiful too 🙂
katie cat says
I recently stumbled upon your blog and I absolutely love it. I am also from Victoria BC and I have been wanting to try an acai bowl but haven't discovered any cafes/restaurants that sell them, or found any stores that sell acai powder/puree. I was wondering, where did you get your acai powder from??
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
<3
Sophie - Wholehearted Eats says
Hello Katie!
Nice, it's so wonderful to meet another Victorian. I usually get my acai powder from Ingredients Health Food Store down on Store Street. I think Life styles also sells the Frozen Acai Ice Cubes, but those tend to cost a lot more.
Best of luck,
Sophie <3