Nourishing Summer Chill Bowl

As seen in my article on YorkRegion.com - Renata's Table: In the summertime, when the weather is hot — treat yourself!

Summertime! Long, hot summer days that turn into lazy warm summer nights are the best. A quick cold snack or dessert in the summer is so very welcome and when it’s healthy and nutritious as well as delicious, who could ask for more! This Nourishing Summer Chill Bowl is what you are looking for!

This Chill Bowl is made with frozen fruit which is where the cold part comes from. The nutritiousness comes from those frozen fruits (so many vitamins and minerals in the banana, raspberries and mango) and also from the almond butter - a good source of healthy fat. Hemp Hearts are rich in essential fatty acids, are a high-quality protein source, contain VitB, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc. Coconut kefir is a fermented food which is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, has probiotic properties to boost the immune system and provides great benefit for the gut to aid digestion. Get your blender ready to make a Chill Bowl!

Interesting fact: Hemp Seeds are from the same species of plant as cannabis (marijuana) – the plant Cannabis Sativa. However, hemp seeds come from a different variety of this plant so they only contain very trace amounts of THC, the compound found in marijuana, so completely safe to be sold and to consume!

As always, when you make this recipe, please post a photo of your Nourishing Summer Chill Bowl goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!

Prep Time: 5 minutes / Cook time: No cook time / Makes: 2 Generous Servings

Ingredients:

1 Frozen Banana – peeled
1/3 Cup Frozen Raspberries
1/3 Cup Frozen Mango
1 Tablespoon Almond Butter (Alternate: another nut or seed butter of your choice)
1½ Tablespoons Hemp Hearts
½ Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
¼ Cup Coconut Kefir (Alternate: plain yogurt of your choice)
Toppings as in the photo: Blueberries, Pumpkin Seeds and Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

How It’s Made

Put all the ingredients into your blender and whirl to combine into a thick, soft ice cream-like, consistency. You may need to add additional almond milk, a tablespoon at a time, and stop your blender to push down the ingredients to help the blending. It should be smooth and will have a pretty light pink colour thanks to the raspberries.
(Note: If you don’t have kefir or yogurt, you can increase the amount of almond milk but you will lose the probiotic benefits – the Chill Bowl will still be delicious and still provide valuable nutrition!)
Pour into bowls and garnish with blueberries, pumpkin seeds and unsweetened coconut as in the photos, or any toppings of your choice. Serve immediately or freeze. Remove from the freezer for a few minutes before serving if stored in the freezer.

Enjoy!