Chocolate and Raspberry Smoothie Bowl

Our planet is absolutely beautiful. While I must admit, there are a million negative events that happen regularly on earth, I’m continually astounded by the potential for positivity and miracles to occur. There’s the magical interplay that occurs between seasons and the cycle of nature; harmonious relationships between humans; the ability to nurture our soil and earth and of course, the planet’s innate capacity to give back to us lovingly in return.

This is one of the inspirations for my latest book, Supercharge Your Life In fact, it’s one of the reasons I started Supercharged Food in the first place. I’m constantly in awe of the offerings that can exist within even one herb from the ground or a piece of fruit offered from a tree. It’s miraculous.

Speaking of miracles, isn’t it an absolute miracle when you make a perfect Instagram-worthy smoothie bowl with all the toppings and not blow your weekly budget? Especially when that smoothie bowl happens to be chocolate flavoured. If you know me, you’ll know I’ll use any excuse to eat chocolate. I don’t even need an excuse. You know, because of the antioxidants… obviously…

I mean, who says you can’t eat chocolate for breakfast?

Not me. That’s for sure.

This sweet and rich smoothie bowl is filled with berries, bananas and all-round goodness and can be enjoyed for breakfast, as a snack or even as a healthy dessert. By the way, if you're looking for great dinner options here's a special Dinnerly promo code & discount code.

The real key to a good smoothie bowl?

A high-speed blender. My blender has honestly changed the way I use my kitchen. While it may be one of the more expensive kitchen items you can buy, it’s totally worth the investment. One sturdy and versatile blender is worth every cent. High-speed blenders can perform certain tasks that regular blenders can’t, such as making nut butters and milks, whipping up instant ‘ice creams’, grinding coffee beans, and creating extremely smooth drinks. See some glass blender reviews.

It’s time to say goodbye to ‘sip and chew’ green smoothies for good. If you gravitate towards eating raw food, a high-speed blender will enable you to extract all the fibre and juice from your fresh produce without any pulp, which means you get better bang for your buck and less waste; it’s a winner all-round! You’ll notice that high-speed blenders vary dramatically in price. Rather than pay a premium for a brand name, I’d recommend purchasing a blender with a good warranty, as you want it to be a long-lasting investment, because you and your smoothie bowls are so worth it.

Now that we’re properly equipped to make our bowl, let’s talk about the ingredients.

No raspberry smoothie bowl can be made without raspberries! They’re high in antioxidants, low in sugar and delicious in taste. They also help sharpen the brain and boost our energy! While I’ve used fresh raspberries here, don’t underestimate the power of the frozen berry. I know their list of health benefits is as long as your arm, but you’ll often find me eating them simply because they taste so sweet and satisfying. Fresh berries are delicious, but if you know you have a busy week and may run the risk of wasting those sweet fruits, keeping frozen berries on hand avoids waste.

Here at Supercharged Food, I’m all about that bass, and by bass, I mean base, because that’s the secret to a good smoothie bowl. Frozen bananas are a classically-used base that always work like a charm. So, before you throw overripe bananas out, remember how easy and versatile they are. Trust me, they work their magic every time.

To add some creaminess to the picture, we also need avocado. I know, avocado’s may seem like a weird addition to some, but, in a smoothie bowl, they’re worth the weird looks your family may give you when you start the de-pitting process. Avocado provides a healthy source of essential fats to help us absorb all the vitamins we’re eating in our bowls. They also contain around 20 vitamins and minerals! You know what they say: once you go avo, you never go back. Buy them in season so they don’t break the bank!

If you’re looking to take your smoothie to the top, don’t forget the toppings. Here I’ve used passionfruit, edible flowers and lilly pilly berries. I also love adding home-made granola like this one here and chia seeds to help ease digestion, provide protein, omega-3’s and calcium.

If you’re in an early morning rush (seriously, how does time go so quickly in the morning and so slowly during the early afternoon?!), you can actually make this smoothie in advance and freeze it in a muffin tray. When it’s go-time, take three out, whiz them in your high-speed blender and you’re ready to go!

While berries and chocolate are obviously a loved-up, winning combination (hello chocolate covered strawberries!), if you’re looking for more smoothie combinations, these are some of my other favourites:

Maca + chocolate: frozen banana, coconut milk and maca powder smoothie, topped with nut butter, chia seeds and coconut.

Purple + crunch: frozen blueberry, spinach, banana and almond milk smoothie, topped with fresh berries and granola.

Mango + oats: gluten-free oats, coconut milk, banana, sea salt, chia and vanilla smoothie, topped with mango, cacao nibs and mint leaves (make the smoothie the night before for the oats to soak up the liquids and give the smoothie a lovely thick texture).

Matcha + pepitas: matcha tea powder, coconut milk, banana and mint smoothie, topped with pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sliced banana and cacao nibs.

Peanut butter + chocolate: banana, hazelnut, protein powder, cacao powder and almond milk smoothie, topped with hazelnuts, cacao nibs, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and coconut flakes.

But really… if you had the choice to have chocolate for breakfast or not have chocolate for breakfast, which would you choose? To chocolate, or not to chocolate – that is the question!

The answer is chocolate. Always chocolate.

If you’re as obsessed with chocolate and berries as I am (because of all the antioxidants… right?), this is the spoonable smoothie for you. If you’re looking for more easy morning recipes, gut-loving tips and everything in between, be sure to get your copy of Supercharge Your Life here

Chocolate and Raspberry Smoothie Bowl

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 frozen bananas
1 ripe avocado, peeled
125 g (41/2 oz/1 cup) raspberries

2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla powder

 130 g (41/2 oz/1/2 cup) sheep’s milk yoghurt or coconut yoghurt

125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) almond milk or milk of your choice

To top (your choice):
edible flowers, passionfruit, lilly pilly berries, banana, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, almonds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), chia seeds, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, granola and/or nut butter

Method:

Whiz all the ingredients except the toppings in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. The mixture should have a spoonable consistency.

Pour into two bowls and decorate with your chosen topping(s).