For Intermission 
Hi everyone! Here is a recipe for something delicious, healthy, and quick to make:
acai bowls! These have become a recent trend as of late, being touted as the new 'it' food and for good reason - acai (pronounced 'ah-sah-EE') berries are low in sugar, high in fiber, and extremely high in antioxidants. They make a phenomenal base for all sorts of fruity, veggie-type smoothies/bowls, and for me at least they seem to curb my carb-cravings. Toss in some protein powder and you most likely won't be hungry for at least 3-4 hours!
Now acai berries come in 2 common forms: powder and frozen puree. For this recipe, I highly recommend the puree form over powder, as the consistency will be better for scooping with a spoon. You can find them on Amazon (Sambazon is a popular brand), but my preference is for Trader Joe's Acai packets, if you happen to have a TJs near you:
As far as the remaining ingredients, the sky is the limit! Some popular ones include:
Blendables:almond milk
soy milk
milk
yogurt (plain, vanilla)
frozen fruit (berries, mango, banana)
fresh/frozen banana
nut butters of choice (personal fav here is almond)
leafy greens (spinach, kale)
avocado
protein powders (flavored or unflavored)
Toppings:any fresh fruit
unsweetened coconut
Nutella (can't be 100% healthy all the time)
granola
chopped nuts
dried fruits
nut butter
(One thing to keep in mind when adding fruits - the more fruits you add, the more the sugar content goes up. A full-on fruit-based acai bowl can have upwards of 30-40 grams of sugar from the fruits alone, so try to balance the fruits with some avocado or nut butters.) Don't forget you'll have some fruit for topping!
A good quality blender is a necessity (I use a Vitamix) as you want to really get a smooth, relatively thick consistency (think Wendy's frosty-like) so that you need to eat it with a spoon. The order of ingredients is also essential to ensure the proper blending and generally goes
acai -> frozen fruit -> liquid -> powder -> leafy stuff. Also I wouldn't start off with more than 1/4 cup of liquid at first - you can always add more later. And if you add some greens be aware it might be an offish color, but no worries - it tastes amazing! And you can always cover it with toppings.
So, here is one of my favorite recipes - my very first creation, actually!
Izzy's Alpha Acai Bowl
1 frozen acai puree packet
1/2 fresh or frozen banana
1 cup frozen mango
about 2 tablespoons almond butter
1/4 cup milk
1 cup spinach
Toppings: Granola, sliced strawberries, sliced banana, almond butter
Place into blender in the above order of ingredients. Blend thoroughly until consistency of a Wendy's frosty (this is a legit cooking description), adding more liquid if necessary. Spoon into a bowl and top as you like. Get spoon. Indulge.
