For many, January is the beginning of resolution season, and resolution season means smoothie season. Green smoothies, purple smoothies, fruit smoothies, vegetable smoothies – smoothies of all kinds (with a base of kefir, of course). We surely love smoothies in the Lifeway kitchen, but sometimes we miss eating our breakfast/lunch with utensils. When we’re feeling like a sit down meal but don’t want to miss out on the nutritional punch packed in kefir smoothies, we turn to kefir smoothie bowls!
As the name implies, smoothie bowls are basically smoothies served in a bowl (instead of a glass or blender bottle). They’re quite a bit thicker than smoothies so they hold toppings well, and like smoothies, they’re endlessly customizable. They’re also incredibly easy to make and take almost no time at all. Today, we have a kefir-ized banana smoothie bowl base recipe that can be customized to fit whatever it is you have in your pantry, or you’re craving for the day.
Again, in the Lifeway kitchen, simplicity wins every time. We start the smoothie bowl with a base of three ingredients almost everyone has in their kitchen: bananas, kefir and nut butters. Blend those together, top and enjoy. Check out our base recipe below for complete details, and our recommended toppings for healthy, potentially indulgent, smoothie bowls you and the whole family can enjoy together.
Probiotic Kefir Smoothie Bowl
- 2 ½ bananas, frozen
- ½ cup Lifeway Lowfat Plain Kefir
- ¼ cup nut butter of choice*
- Optional toppings: almonds, raw honey, bee pollen, unsweetened shredded coconut, dark chocolate chips, fresh berries, banana slices, low-sugar granola, whole-grain cereal, chia, hemp or sunflower seeds
Pour kefir into a blender. Add bananas (broken in half) and peanut butter on top. Blend until smooth. Pour into two bowls and top with desired toppings.
*When you choose a nut (or seed) butter, make sure the only ingredients are that nut or seed. Often, commercial varieties add stabilizers, salt, hydrogenated oil and sugar.