How to Create Amazing Aging Youthful Smoothie Bowls… Plus My Top 5 Recipes!

Are you ready to make 2024 healthy by adding some pro-aging smoothie bowl recipes to your meal planning? I have been using smoothies in my nutrition plan for years and am starting to enjoy smoothie bowls as a tasty substitution to the drinkable variety.

While I love my dairy-free protein shakes, I love a little variety and a delicious smoothie bowl recipe fits the bill!

Why Smoothie Bowls?

First off, they are easy to make, just like the drinkable counterparts. Just throw some ingredients in a blender… what is easier? But with smoothie bowls, I can add ingredients I don’t really want to drink and add a topping or two for a little added texture and extra nutrition.

Some of my favorite toppings are sliced nuts, shaved coconut, flax and/or chia seeds, whole wild blueberries and other sliced fruit, shaved chocolate or unsweetened chocolate chips to name a few.

Topping your favorite pro-aging smoothie bowl recipe with antioxidants is a great way to help your body age more youthfully.

Smoothie Bowls, a Beautiful Way to Start Your Day

The best part of a smoothie bowl is that you can make it visually appealing. I love my protein shakes when I’m in a hurry and drink them as I’m heading out the door.

With smoothie bowls though, I can get creative. I can layout, layer and mix toppings to make the what would be a ho-hum looking meal beautiful.

I’m also not a big fan of a big, heavy meal that takes a lot of digestion to start my day. I would rather enjoy one of my favorite smoothie bowl recipes. I find if I have an easy-to-digest smoothie or smoothie bowl for breakfast, I feel better throughout the rest of the day.

I work my way up to heavier meals with meat protein, carbs and veggies mid-day and taper down in the evening. This works well for me as I am usually hitting the gym around 5:30 – 6:00 p.m., and I don’t want a super heavy meal before I work out – or afterward, knowing I’ll be heading to bed soon.

So how do smoothie bowls work?

Start with Your Favorite Protein Smoothie as a Base

I’m loyal when it comes to my protein powder and have the same chocolate, dairy-free, vegan choice almost every day. I usually just add water, but when I make a smoothie bowl, I use an unsweetened nut milk to thicken it to pudding-like consistency.

Also, banana and/or avocado make a great thickener. When I eat a smoothie with a spoon as opposed to drinking it, I feel it sticks with me longer.

Another options is a nut milk with or without Greek yogurt as a base with berries, fruit, kale, avocado, etc. The options are limitless, so I can never get bored with eating the same old thing over and over. (For more ideas, check out my Smoothie Bowl Recipe board on Pinterest.)

Choose Your Healthy Toppings

Choose healthy toppings for their nutrition value and for their visual value. I like to slice bananas and line one side of the bowl, next add a line of shredded coconut and then a line of chia seeds over a chocolate smoothie bowl.

Mix blueberries, blackberries and raspberries with a ¼ c. of slivered almonds and chopped walnuts sprinkled with a little cinnamon to top your favorite vanilla-based smoothie. As mentioned earlier, the options are limitless!

Add Antioxidants for an Extra Aging Youthful Punch

To make a smoothie bowl recipe pack more of a pro-aging punch, I add a superfood or two to the mixture. Again, the options are unlimited and a few of my favorites are Acai berries, chia seeds, Hawaiian spirulina & other powdered greens and frozen wild blueberries.

A quick note about wild blueberries: they pack a huge punch, and according to this article by Anthony Williams, wild blueberries are one of the best superfoods on the planet! Don’t mistake these little tart beauties for their sweet larger cultivated counterparts; they don’t have near the nutritional value!

Add a ¼ cup of wild blueberries as a topper or mix into your smoothie bowl recipe if you aren’t a fan of tart as these little orbs of goodness will make your eyes squint and your lips pucker!

Are you ready to get into my 5 Favorite Aging Youthful Smoothie Bowl Recipes? Here are a few ‘bases’ with some ideas for toppings, but you can use any combination that speaks to you! Let’s roll!

Acai Berry Smoothie Bowl

1 packet Sambazon frozen unsweetened Acai berries
1/2 banana
1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
1/4 c. unsweetened coconut milk

Toppings:
Sliced bananas, blackberries, chia seeds.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie Bowl

6 oz. unsweetened nut or raw milk
1 packet or 2 scoops organic chocolate protein powder
1/3 chilled banana, sliced

Toppings:
More sliced bananas, chopped walnuts and a tsp. of ground flax seed.

Green Smoothie Bowl

¼ avocado
½ banana
1 cup spinach
1 cup unsweetened nut milk or 1 scoop vanilla protein powder mixed with 1 cup cold water
2-3 ice cubes

Toppings:
Raspberries, granola and shredded coconuts.

Berry Smoothie Bowl

2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 cup unsweetened nut milk
¼ to ½ cup each: raspberries, blackberries and wild blueberries

Toppings:
¼ cup whole oats
shredded coconut
more berries

Chunky Monkey Dessert Smoothie Bowl

(This one is similar to the chocolate banana one above, but better!)
6-8 oz. unsweetened almond milk
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1-2 tbsp. natural peanut butter (no sugar added)
1/3 chilled banana, sliced

Toppings
This one doesn’t need much for toppings as it’s already very calorie dense with the added peanut butter. One of my favorites to add for this is shredded dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips. It is a dessert smoothie bowl recipe after all.

There you have it, five aging youthful smoothie bowl recipes in three simple steps.

1. Choose your protein base
2. Choose your healthy toppings
3. Add antioxidants for an extra pro-aging/aging youthful punch.

As mentioned, there are literally thousands – if not millions – of combinations to enjoy. Pinterest is my favorite go-to when I am looking for healthy recipe inspiration.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you have a favorite smoothie? Have you tried a smoothie bowl? Please drop a comment below.