Pink Pitaya Bowl
With all the components necessary for a vibrant morning, this dragonfruit bowl is sure to put some pep in your step. A bit tart thanks to the pitaya powder & perfectly sweet due to the addition of the cherries, it lends a little bit of everything a good smoothie should be. Not to mention it’s STUNNING. A vibrant pink hue that serves as the perfect backdrop to fruit toppings (& maybe some edible flower or bee pollen too :) All the fruits included below are amazing for liver health, and therefore immune function & weight balance, but the addition of spinach sneaks in a heavy dose of extra fiber & iron, as well. Not to mention spinach is a great protein source!
As per usual, you really want to opt for organic produce where you can, especially here – as it’s your first meal on an empty stomach, which means absorption will be at an all time high. So make to to pack quality nutrients into this one! You want to ensure your blueberries are WILD – they have a much higher nutrition profile. You can find all of the organic frozen produce below in the frozen section at Trader Joe’s.
You also want to make sure to avoid the addition of fats, which slow digestion & will inhibit absorption of all the good stuff in the produce! I love topping my bowl with some kiwi, but you could also just include one banana in the smoothie & top the bowl with the other one. I also like to top it off with some bee pollen or a sprinkle of edible flowers (lemon thyme blossoms pictured here).
In the warmer months, I prefer to make a thicker smoothie for a bowl with fruit toppings, as pictured. But in the winter months I like to use hot filtered water in the smoothie in order to yield a room temp liquid I can slurp through a straw - so I don’t freeze & stress my system. Regardless of the time of the year, you can thin the smoothie as you like so you can take it to-go in a cup like this.
Recipe:
makes 1 large smoothie (about 32 oz), or 2 smaller 16 oz smoothies
takes less than 5 minutes
2 bananas (bright yellow, light spotting for optimum digestion)
2 c frozen wild blueberries
½ c frozen mango
½ c frozen dark sweet cherries
3 tbsp pitaya power (I like this one)
2+ c fresh baby spinach (you can also opt for frozen, but I really like to get the natural probiotics from the raw greens)
½ c filtered water (you can add more or less to get the desired thickness)
Place everything in a high speed blender in the order listed & blend on the frozen dessert setting (for thicker texture) or smoothie setting (thinner texture) if you have, using the tamp as needed. Top as desired :)