Looking for a healthier, customizable alternative to ultra-sweet breakfasts and snacks? You’re in luck because açaí bowls are all the rage! Check out this Hawaiian-inspired Byrds of Paradise Açaí Bowl Recipe; we think it might just stand the taste of time!
Our açaí bowl recipe comes straight from the kitchen of Hannah Byrd, whose Hawaiian family vacation-inspired this recipe. After spending a week enjoying the gorgeous sunsets and cool night breezes, the Byrds brought a taste of the islands back to the east coast of Virginia.
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The Byrds of Paradise Açaí Bowl Backstory
Every summer, Hannah and her husband Ross Byrd spend their time running a stay-away teen surf camp in the outer banks of North Carolina. Healthy food isn’t an option– it’s a necessity. Having the right fuel to keep campers happy and hydrated in the water is extremely important. So when the Byrd family found themselves enjoying the best açaí that Hawaii has to offer, they knew they needed to bring the idea back home.
For the Byrds, a healthy lifestyle is important year-round. Hannah homeschools her four kids full-time, and she and Ross fight hard to find snacks without processed sugars to feed their family. After the Byrds fell in love with the taste of acai, they reached out to a family friend and professional surfer Brett Barley. They tweaked Brett’s personal açaí bowl recipe to perfectly suit their family of 6, and have enjoyed this easy and healthy acai bowl recipe ever since. Sometimes, Hannah says, they’ll even have açaí bowls for dinner. So, what’s all the hype about?
The Magic of The Açaí Berry
This nutrient-dense Brazilian superfruit has amazing health properties. Somewhat similar to blueberries, açaí berries are high in antioxidants. Rumor has it that this mysterious fruit also improves cholesterol levels, boosts brain function, and helps prevent certain types of cancer.
In particular, açaí bowls have become a trending item in health food restaurants all over the country. They’re healthy, delicious, and simple. What’s not to like? These acai bowls consist of a base derived from açaí berries and are topped with fruits like bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and coconut flakes.
(Fun fact: The açaí bowl’s rise in popularity has been credited to Carlos Gracie, a Brazilian Jujitsu martial artist. So if you eat enough of them, you might even become a world-class fighter…)
Hannah’s “Byrds of Paradise” Açaí Bowl Recipe
There are dozens of açaí bowl recipes all over the internet, and most of them follow a simple process. The ingredients for Hannah’s vegan açaí bowl aren’t anything new, but the added spinach gives her version an exciting green twist. Read on to learn about Hannah’s iteration of this superfood smoothie bowl.
Easy and Healthy Açaí Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 bananas
- 1/2 cup spinach
- 1 cup blueberries, strawberries or both
- 2 tablespoons almond butter ((or other desired nut-butter))
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- coconut flakes
- 1 frozen Acai packet ((Trader Joe’s is best, but any will do))
Instructions
Easy and Healthy Açaíi Bowl
- Freeze your fruit: Slice banana and place onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or plate. Next to the banana, add blueberries, strawberries and other additional fruits. Place baking sheet into the freezer and let sit until completely frozen.
- Blend the ingredients together. After the fruit has thoroughly frozen, add milk and nut-butter into a high-speed blender. Add frozen fruit, spinach, seeds, and acai packet into the mix. Blend on low, using a wooden spoon to evenly push down fruit (carefully). Allow blender to mix the ingredients for as long as needed until consistency is even. Continue blending on low, adding more milk or nut-butter until the texture is smooth throughout.
- Put it all together: Pour smoothie mixture from blender into 2 cups or bowls. Top it off with additional fruit, spinach, seeds and other toppings until smoothie bowl is the way you like it. Eat it soon before it melts!
Nutrition
The Right Blender
Having the right blender is critical for this quick and easy recipe. Without a decent blender, it takes much longer to find a satisfactory consistency for your açaí mix. If the only available blender is a low-powered one, then it’s best to blend the spinach into the almond milk first. Afterward, add in the rest of the ingredients later. The Byrd family uses a refurbished Vitamix blender. Despite the additional cost, this high-quality blender paid itself off when Hannah realized smoothies made up a big part of her family’s weekly diet. In Hannah’s words, “It’s been purely amazing.”
More Smoothie Bowl Recipes
Even though we’re partial to Hannah Byrd’s acai creation, there are plenty of other tasty recipes out there if you want to change things up. Smoothie bowls are so versatile, and that’s why we love them!
Green Goddess
- frozen banans
- spinach
- almond butter
- almond milk
- vanilla
- cinnamon
- toppings: hemp seeds, chia seeds, blueberries, raspberries, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut
Orange and Cream
- frozen bananas
- vanilla protein powder
- orange juice
- vanilla extract
- toppings: sliced banana, orange slices, coconut flakes, granola, almond butter drizzle.
Pina Colada
- frozen banana, plus more non-frozen for topping
- frozen pineapple chunks
- coconut
- almond milk
- toppings: banana slices, coconut flakes, granola
Chocolate Peanut Butter
- almond milk
- cocoa powder,
- frozen bananas
- dates
- toppings: cinnamon, peanut butter
Mango Mania Smoothie Bowl
- frozen mango
- bananas
- avocado
- lemon juice
- frozen mango
- almond milk
- dates
- toppings: granola, dried coconut, fresh strawberries, banana slices
Fun Tips for Your Next Acai Bowl Recipe
Try oatmeal instead: “All of the toppings included in our acai bowls taste great on oatmeal, too. Just mix in some chia seeds, honey, and cinnamon to the oats for another delicious snack. Or, you can even add everything right on top!”Use frozen ingredients: Wherever possible, use frozen ingredients to get a cold and frosty texture. The instructions on the acai packets may say to slightly thaw the puree packet before using – which isn’t a great idea. You want the acai and the fruit to be as frozen as possible to achieve a thick, smooth consistency.
Make it vegan: You can make any acai bowl recipe vegan by skipping the honey and using juice or coconut water instead of milk.
What’s in Your Bowl?
The Byrds run a tight ship when it comes to eating healthy and cutting back on unnecessary sugars. With four growing and energetic kids, this easy and healthy açaí bowl recipe has served them well all year round. Especially in the summers, where they spend their time running a surf camp on the east coast. Give Hannah’s recipe a try and let us know some of your favorite açaí bowl or smoothie toppings!
