Cacao & Acai Summer Refresher Smoothie Bowl Recipe

Name: Summer Refresher Smoothie Bowl Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 Sambazon unsweetened acai packets; 1 ripe banana; 1 tbs. cacao powder; 1/2 cup coconut water; 1 tbs. coconut nectar or 1 tsp. stevia; optional toppings; coconut shreds; cacao nibs; Sliced banana

Ta dah! I created my Cacao & Acai Summer Refresher Smoothie Bowl just for you my love! :)

Summer is certainly happening!! I LOVE the hot and more humid weather, but I know I may be in the minority there :). In the heat, spooning up bowls of yumminess are an amazing way to stay cool, but get tons of beauty nutrients.

What better way to fill up and refresh yourself, than with healthy fats and antioxidants from the acai, digestible banana, and energy-boosting cacao powder that will curb any afternoon craving.

Amazon Beauty Fruit: Acai

Have you heard of acai but still having a hard time finding it? It can be found at most health food stores, in the freezer section where they keep the frozen fruit. If not, never hesitate to ask the store manager if they can start carrying it- they’re usually quite happy to keep us happy.

The brand that I’ve been using for years (and if my fav), is the Sambazon Unsweetened Acai Smoothie Packets. This brand is made from delicious, organic acai, wild-harvested from the heart of the Amazon, using fair-trade practices, which means you can feel good about supporting and benefiting the local farmers!

Why am I so obsessed with acai and use it in my smoothies almost every afternoon?

Acai has:

Powerful detoxification capacities in the human body
Super high in powerful antioxidants
Loads of superfood nutrition
Fiber – a natural cleanser
Minerals
Essential Beauty Fats
And is naturally sugar-free

With the list above, you can definitely feel good about what’s going into your afternoon snack, knowing it’s providing one of the purest, most nutritional botanical on the planet!

Acai berries are great digestion foods (to help abate bloating, constipation, and gas) with all that fiber! They help act as natural cleansers.

If you’re interested in learning more about acai or how it can be sourced in an organic way using fair trade practices, check out my Beauty Inside Out podcast where I chat with Ryan Black, the Co-Founder and CEO of Sambazon. Listen in to this super fun interview and don’t forget to lick your smoothie bowl! ;)

Other Summer Refresher Ingredients

Bananas

I call Lil Bub my monkey boy because I think he loves bananas maybe more than me (if that is possible)!

And I’m happy he does. Here’s why:

Bananas have natural oils and enzymes to help your body easily digest them
They help lubricate your digestive tract
Bananas’ fiber helps keep bowel movements regular
The electrolytes help restore electrolytic balance
Bananas are a perfect, natural, human food

When it comes to purchasing natures most perfect food, try to get organic bananas (which can be found all year round at your local natural foods store). It’s also perfectly okay to buy green bananas since they will ripen on the counter. If you don’t want to wait to long to eat them, then of course, try to get them as ripe as possible. Select bananas that are firm and not bruised.

It’s best to store bananas at room temperature and avoid refrigerating them since this will stop the ripening process. I find they are best when they have some brown spots on them. The riper the banana, the sweeter the banana—which means they have higher levels of antioxidants than unripe bananas [1].

And of course, if you have an over-supply, you can always peel them and freeze them for your next smoothie or bowl adventure!!

Coconut Water

Coconut water is intensely refreshing and hydrating, which is why I especially like to use it in the summer as a base. You can use almond/hemp milk if you want something more filling, but coconut water is thin, super light, and has a sweet yet earthy taste, which is what we are using in this recipe.

Coconut water is rich in trace minerals that actually come up from the roots of the coconut trees. You really can feel like you are putting nature right into your body when you drink it down!

Some key nutrients found in coconut are:

Potassium—an electrolyte that helps to facilitate cellular cleansing and is about twice as concentrated in coconut water, as in a banana
Magnesium
Calcium

The electrolytes (like potassium), help to regulate the fluid levels inside cells and balance the high amount of puffiness, that may come from too much sodium intake.

If you’d like to boost your digestion & nutrient absorption, click here!

Coconut water is incredibly hydrating, which is critical for staying vibrant and being your most gorgeous self. So get ready for a summer refresher blast of energy, lightness, and beauty and get moving on the step-by-steps below!