Life is Like a Bowl of Berries... {Recipe: Acai Smoothie Bowl}

...sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter. 

Acai bowls are a new obsession of mine, but a rare treat because of how much they cost. Our local smoothie place charges $6.95, but I have seen them as high as $9.00! Even to make them at home is a bit costly, but cheaper than going out.

A package of the frozen Acai by Sambazon is $6.99 (this is a sale price, I think regular price is $7.99) for 4 packets at my local grocery store, and most recipes I have come across call for bowls call for 2 packets. Since I try to use organic ingredients, all the other stuff that goes into one of these bowls adds up. But all totaled, homemade is still cheaper.

Here is the smoothie bowl recipe I came up with:

1 packet of Sambazon Organic Pure Unsweetened Acai
1/2 cup liquid (I had pineapple juice on hand, so that is what I used. But, apple juice, orange juice, soy milk, almond milk, or milk of choice would work.)
1 banana-save some nice slices for the top and use the rest in the smoothie
A hand full of frozen organic blueberries (about 1/2 cup)
4-5 frozen organic strawberries
1/2 cup frozen organic pineapple
1 tablespoon chia seeds

Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. It helps to put the softer ingredients (banana and juice or mild) on the bottom to help prevent the blender from getting stuck, although the smoothie needs to be stirred a time or two during blending to get it evenly smooth.

Give the smoothie a taste before pouring it. If it is not sweet enough, blend in a little sweetener of choice to taste. Honey, agave or maple syrup would work.

Pour smoothie into a bowl and top with fresh strawberry slices, fresh blue berries, banana slices, granola (recipe for homemade to follow),  and /or shredded coconut. Final touch is to drizzle with a bit of honey (about 1/2-1 teaspoon).

Enjoy!