Day 5 - Smoothie In A Bowl

Breakfast time for me is a make or break time of the day. I know two things to be true for the first meal of the day for me:

1. If I put off eating till, say, afternoon, I don't get the hunger pangs and cravings.
2. If I don't just buck up and eat a breakfast featuring fiber and protein I'll be in binge mode by nightfall.

To help focus on number two and avoid number one, I make SIABs...Or 'smoothie in a bowl'.  I first got this idea from a cool blogger named Kathy. She writes a great healthy food blog called KERF- Kath Eats Real Food. Many of my best breakfasts are thanks to her.

This mornings smoothie was fantabulous! Let me show you :)

I'm such a perfectionist... That little bit running down the inside of the bowl at 5 o'clock in the picture is driving me CRAZY!!! And I already ate it, so I can't snap another shot. Please forgive me.

What's in it? Well there's a base that I always star with, but I improvise to suit my cravings.

Base:

• 1/3 cup raw rolled oats
• 1/2 cup fat free milk
• 1 Tablespoon Chia seeds*
• 1/2 cup vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cups frozen fruit (this is also changeable, which makes tailoring it so easy and fun!)

The frozen fruit were strawberries and peaches. My typical toppings (which are shown here):

• 1 whole sliced banana
• 14 grams shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 Tablespoon Justin's Chocolate Almond Butter** softened in the microwave to make it drizzle-able

How do I prepare it? Well, the oats need to be softened with the milk. You can do this overnight by just placing both of them in the bowl of your food processor or blender, or heat them together gently over a low flame just before blending. I also add the Chia seeds at the same time to soak up some of the milk and get soft. After the oats and Chia have softened, I scoop it all into the food processor with the fruit and yogurt and blend away. You could put the banana in, too, but I prefer slices atop my bowl. More chewing action. Drizzle/sprinkle your toppings and then omnomnomnomnom!

For weight watchers this bowl provided: 1 serving low-fat/fat free dairy and 5 serving of fruit (wow!). Also, with the Chia seeds you get tons of wonderful Omega-3's and lots of fiber. They keep you feeling fuller longer. Yum...

Tomorrow: The results of the sushi making evening.

*Chia seeds... I use Bob's Red Mill. I met Bob (yes, the real Bob) last Fall and toured his facilities. I was impressed by his genuine nature, good heart, and commitment to wholesome, healthy, delicious foods. He's kinda the Grandpa everyone would want to have ;) Find this in your local grocery store's health food/natural food section, or specialty stores. He has TONS of gluten free products too.

 ** Justin's Chocolate Almond Nut Butter... Yum. Just yum. Find this also in the health foods/natural foods section of your local grocer. He has quite a variety of nut butters and flavors of them. And they also come in individual squeeze packs. Traveling packages of deliciousness. Oh my.









And just an FYI-- I'm not paid by any of the companies whose products I review or drool publicly over. They don't send sample or anything like that. I find good tips from others online or see them in my grocery store and like anyone else I figure, "Eh, what the hay... If I don't like it, I'll give it to the kids." :)  But if anyone wants to send me free yummy sample I would gladly review them. But I'm brutally honest. So it better be good. LOL