Tropical Smoothie Bowl with Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt

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Today, I am resetting your expectations about what breakfast can be with a quick and easy recipe that is packed with nutrition but tastes like a trip to a tropical island. This tropical smoothie bowl, which is dairy-free thanks to Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt, will fit right into your busy morning routine while making you feel full and energized until lunch.

What’s a smoothie bowl you say? So glad you asked. I wish I could tell you that I was all over the smoothie bowl trend, but naturally I had to learn about it from my 12 year old. Zuzu is the queen of the Internet and hence always know what the latest thing is. Just the other day, she suggested that I create a recipe for a smoothie bowl because they are “so Tumblr.”

I hope this picture is Tumblr enough for Zuzu.

Excuse me? A smoothie what-now? Somewhat embarrassed to be so out of it, I did a little research — because even forty-one year olds can use the Internet. I learned that smoothie bowls are like smoothies but thicker, served in a bowl and topped with interesting add-ins, such as fresh or dried fruit, nuts and seeds. I loved the idea of the smoothie bowl because it turns a drink into a meal.

Like smoothies themselves, smoothie bowls lend themselves to a million variations depending on your tastes and dietary restrictions. The goal, of course, is to provide yourself with several servings of fruits and vegetables, as well as some protein, in order to start your day on a strong nutritional footing.

In my house, we know all about dietary restrictions. Zuzu started life with many food allergies and remains allergic to eggs (in some forms), nuts and peanuts. Having had a dairy allergy for most of her life, although she has now outgrown it, Zuzu still prefers to drink Silk Vanilla soy milk. So when I saw that Silk recently introduced a dairy-free yogurt, I had to buy it.

Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt tastes rich and creamy right out of the container, but it is also a wonderful, dairy-free ingredient to use in recipes. In this smoothie bowl, it adds six grams of plant-based protein, enough to keep myself, or my active tween, fueled throughout the morning. Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt is a terrific option for anyone who avoids dairy, or simply those who want to incorporate more plant-based protein into their diet. And naturally, Silk Dairy-Free yogurt is a good source of calcium and vitamin D.

Because I am trying to hang onto summer for as long as possible, I created a tropical smoothie bowl using Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt in the peach-mango flavor. With bananas, mango chunks and some pineapple — pineapple season is now, people — this smoothie bowl tastes like breakfast on a tropical island.

I added even more tropical flair with my toppings: banana chips, unsweetened coconut, crunchy granola and local blueberries. Each sip reminded me of our trip to Costa Rica last year. Not a bad way to start the day!

You may be wondering where to find Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt. At my local Walmart, I found it in the dairy aisle next to all the other kinds of yogurt. No mystery here! In addition to peach-mango, there is vanilla, which is very versatile for cooking and baking, blueberry and strawberry.

I would love it if you gave my tropical smoothie bowl a try, because I think you will enjoy it as much as I do. But you should also feel inspired to create your own smoothie bowl recipes using your favorite ingredients. And remember to add plenty of plant-based protein with Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt.