Fruit Bliss Smoothie Bowl

Breakfast is often a rushed blur of same old, same old. Since the start of the school year, I have served my daughter a morning meal of oatmeal with raisins. Both she and I were getting bored and yesterday, as she looked at the brown-on-brown mix in her bowl, she asked with a puppy dog look, "Mom, can I please have something else for breakfast?"

At first, I thought, "No! I’m too busy getting you to school and myself to the office to start getting creative at breakfast." But before I blurted out this defensive comment I realized that with the ingredients I had on hand there was a lot I could do to jazz up the most important meal of the day.

And, thus, this morning I got a big smile when my daughter entered the kitchen for breakfast and saw a bright purple smoothie bowl with fresh banana slices in place of the standard oatmeal. "Wow," she said even before she tasted the mix. "Thanks."

Truth be told, this smoothie might have even saved me some time. All I needed to do was take the oatmeal I was soaking overnight anyway, throw in some fun ingredients, and use the blender rather than the stovetop. And blending was quicker than heating the oatmeal.

It was also healthier. In addition to the oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, and almond milk, I added a bunch of flax and chia seeds, making it a breakfast rich in protein, fiber, and carbohydrates. And what I love about the smoothie bowl concept is the variations are endless. My daughter was definitely happy and full when she left for school; she asked if she could have another smoothie bowl tomorrow. I’m planning on doubling the recipe and joining her.

Clean up was also a snap. I just needed to wash the blender and a few measuring spoons – no scraping the oatmeal off the bottom of the pot, one of my least favorite chores. So this was a winner all around. Victory!

What does breakfast look like in your house? Is it a rushed meal of less-than-optimal offerings? How do you get creative in the a.m.? Are you and your family starting the day right? If not, what changes can you make? I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions.
 

FRUIT BLISS FIG SMOOTHIE BOWL

INGREDIENTS
Makes one bowl

• 1 cup overnight oats (1 cup oats mixed with 1/2 cup almond milk and 1/3 cup Greek yogurt soaked overnight)
• 1 frozen banana
• 3 Fruit Bliss figs, quartered
• 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

INSTRUCTIONS
Blend until smooth. Pour into bowl and add your favorite toppings. Simple!

Tomorrow I am going to put out some granola, pumpkin seeds, and Fruit Bliss dates and see what my daughter chooses to add in to her smoothie bowl.