Acai Bowls

Lisa VanWilliams

Acai (pronounced ah-sah-EE) Bowls have become very popular over the past few years and unless you have been to Brazil or been hiking around Hawaii, you probably have not had the opportunity to try one of these. You can easily make your own variety of this healthy breakfast bowl in your own home. The acai berry is a delicious fruit packed with tons of health benefits. A typical acai bowl is a mix of berries, and then it's topped with oatmeal/granola, fruit, peanut butter or almond butter, and whatever other healthy goodies you may want to load on top. People use a variety of things like flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, fresh fruit, dried fruits, honey, coconut, goji berries, cacao nibs, and nuts. Others like to add in coconut water/milk, almond milk, soy milk, juice, or frozen bananas.

Acai berries are full of antioxidants, fiber, and heart-healthy fats. It is a cross between a blueberry and a grape and they are said to have a chocolate/exotic cocoa taste. They are harvested from the Amazon River Basin of South America.

There are a few places in Connecticut you can find these, and one of them is a food truck in Madison, CT called Bowl'd Creations (Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bowldcreations/) and they are getting great reviews. Otherwise, you can find acai bowls at juice bars or smoothie spots.

Whole Foods sells a 4-pack of single serve acai for $6.99. These are a healthy, delicious snack for anytime of day.

Here's the mix we used:

Blender
2 acai packs
2 frozen bananas
1 cup+ almond milk

Toppings
coconut shavings
fresh pineapple, strawberries
granola
and I added some almond butter to mine