This little tasty number comes to you courtesy of some Backyard Bowl inspiration. When we stopped by Backyard Bowls post run this past weekend, I was amazed by the number of options they had… TJ and I looked at each other and simultaneously said, “What are you going to have?” We settled on our tried and true… me, simply because I tend to be a creature of habit. Yet, there was one bowl combination that piqued my interest, mainly because it involved cacao powder, cacao nibs (hello better for you chocolate chips), and peanut butter… to me, it sounded like a Reese’s Pieces breakfast bowl…

So, having passed on it the first time, when the craving for the acai goodness hit yesterday, I decided it was time for a little experimenting (I mean, this isn’t groundbreaking or anything… it was just experimenting on my part… which can either be a good thing or a bad thing…). What resulted was a bowl of healthy goodness, and that’s something I love!

A few quick bullets about the benefits of this entire bowl (since I like to know exactly what I’m putting in my body, I assume you would too)…

– The acai berry is known for numerous health benefits, including the following: promotes heart health (in a similar way red wine does… and since I have currently removed wine from my diet, I will accept this as an alternative…), skin health, aids in digestion, may help fight cancer, has anti-aging affects, and improves mental functioning.

– Cacao Nibs and Powder are known to contain a hearty supply of magnesium, fiber, and antioxidants. These antioxidants ultimately stabilize and destroy free radicals in your cells and tissues… they are of particular benefit in breaking down environmental toxins such as cigarette smoke.

– One tablespoon of almond butter provides you with 11% of your daily intake of calcium (or 1/3 of the recommended amount). For me, someone who doesn’t eat much dairy, this is a great way to sneak in my daily calcium

– Bananas help to lower your risk of cancer, a child’s risk of developing asthma (by 34%), and helps to improve overall brain functioning.

So, there you have it… a super food bowl of goodness!

Ingredients:

2 Sambazon Acai Packets (let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, and then break into cubes before placing in the blender)
1 large banana
1 1/2 tsp of cacao powder
1 tsp of cacao nibs
1 tbsp almond butter
1/4 cup cashew milk (or any nut milk)
1/3 cup of granola (my new favorite is Simply Elizabeth original)

Directions:

Place 1/2 banana, cacao powder, and then the acai packets into the blender (in that order). Next add the cashew milk. Blend on medium to high. Scrape the sides of the blender and then blend again for about 30 seconds.

Pour mixture into a bowl and top with 1/2 banana, cacao nibs, almond butter, and granola.