Breakfast Muesli Smoothie Bowl

December 19, 2017 Ceri

If you’re a long time reader of SPC then you know Ceri and I met and became friends while working as journalists at FASHION magazine here in Canada. Ceri was the editor in chief and I was her beauty director. Even though the movie The Devil Wears Prada would have you think that being in that kind of environment would mean we led very unhealthy lifestyles the opposite was true. Ceri and I were so into health we introduced a robust health section in to the magazine rather than feature the latest diet craze here and there. And then, as our story goes, we became moms and nutrition became a focus here on SPC, especially when it came to feeding our babies. One of our most popular, original columns was our What’s So Great About or What’s So Bad About stories concentrating on the benefits or drawbacks of a food item. I don’t mean to boast, but I was having a heated love affair with kale long before kale was, well, you know, kale. One of our first original recipes was for a Kale Quiche I created with a very wee Scarlett back in 2011.

Now as parents of kids in elementary school our lives truly have taken on a whole new dimension of busy since our schedules collide with our kid’s pack calendars. Add the holidays and most parents have a full-blown crisis happening. The other day at school pick-up, I ran into a mom friend and her wry reply to my polite query of “How are you?” was “I’m super amazing! So relaxed.” We both laughed, but it’s easy to lose sight of nutrition, especially when you’re busy. And it’s now – in the throes of momhood – when we should use nutrition to help power our bodies for the craziness of our days.

I’ve taken to starting my days with a smoothie or smoothie bowl since the dairy I pack into them (things like yogurt, milk and kefir) are reliable and potent sources of protein which gives me the strength I need to power through my days. I like that these bowl can really fill me up. And like so many moms, I’m guilty of a lot of the traps we can fall into when it comes to our own nutrition; things like eating my daughter’s leftovers, never sitting for a meal, grazing on whatever is handy as opposed to what’s healthy. However, I always try to start my day with the power of protein in a big bowl of goodness I can pack with my favorite things. Then, if my day goes sideways, I’m ready for it.

photo by Ashley Van Der Laan

This is a recipe from our friends at Dairy Farmers of Canada. They shared it with us for the sake of this partnership and for the sake of fueling my active life it’s become routine in our household. With 18g of protein it definitely gives us the energy we need and it feels like a big meal in a bowl. It makes two servings, so Scarlett and I share one batch and have fun free-styling our toppings. I also like that it mimics a bowl of cereal and, I’m happy to report, I actually sit down to eat it. You can find this and so many more recipes over at Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Breakfast Meusli Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients

2 frozen very ripe bananas
1 cup (250 ml) frozen strawberries
2/3 cup (150 ml) quick-cooking rolled oats, divided
2 tbsp (30 ml) ground flax and/or hemp seeds, divided
1 cup (250 ml) plain yogurt
2 tsp (10 ml) liquid honey

Method

Cut about 6 slices from a banana and cut the remaining into chunks. Cut 1 strawberry into thin slices. Set aside sliced fruit, 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the oats and 2 tsp (10 ml) of the seeds for topping.

In a blender, combine yogurt, honey, remaining banana, strawberries, oats and seeds; puree until smooth. Pour into chilled bowls and top with reserved sliced banana and strawberries, oats and seeds. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Chronicles

This post was sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada but the opinions in it are our own.