Tropical Smoothie Bowl

I am a total coffee addict. I discovered I was hopelessly addicted last summer when I tried to stop drinking coffee cold turkey immediately after finishing the USMLE Step 1. Big mistake. I ended up getting a headache and decided it wasn’t worth it. I definitely blame the USMLE for this. I’d been drinking coffee long before, of course, but I was usually able to quit whenever I was on vacation without any problem. Step 1 clearly made a monster of me. So now, I usually have at least 3 cups of a coffee if it’s a working day. But if I have the day off, I try my hardest to get by on my one cup of coffee in the morning. Though, even then, I’ll end up having a hot cup of chai in the afternoon. PSA: it’s just chai, not chai tea. Chai literally means tea.

Anyway, moving along. This morning I decided not to have coffee and made myself a lovely smoothie bowl instead. I mean, look at the picture. Isn’t it gorgeous? I might still get a headache, but one can hope (fingers crossed!).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup frozen mango
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
• 1 ripe medium banana
• 2/3 cup almond milk

Toppings (Optional):

• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup raw shelled pistachios

Instructions

1. Blend together mango, pineapple, banana, and almond milk until smooth.
2. Pour into a wide bowl.
3. Add toppings if desired.
4. Dig in!

Now I decided to have this smoothie in a bowl. I love smoothies but I also love having a variety of textures in my food. Keeps things interesting, you know? So discovering a way to have the smoothie and also throw in a bit of crunch with toppings was a win for me. But of course, you could pour the smoothie into a glass and forgo some of the toppings (so as not to choke…just looking out for you). It’ll still be delicious.