I accidentally made the best smoothie bowl of my life this morning. I say “accidentally” because it wasn’t on purpose. I guess deep down, I knew what I was doing.

It all started when I got near the coffee machine in the kitchen and something smelled like maple syrup. I’m not sure what, because I haven’t made pancakes or french toast for a while. I suddenly got a craving for maple syrup. The problem was, I’d already started making a smoothie bowl. I had strawberries, almond milk, and yogurt in a blender. At the last minute, I poured in a couple tablespoons of maple syrup.

When I tasted the resulting mixture I swooned. “Whoa,” I thought. “This is the best smoothie I’ve ever made in my life.” That seemed extreme because I’ve made A LOT of smoothies in my day, but it’s true. It was also confusing because essentially, all I’d done was add maple syrup to strawberries and milk.

But cooking is all about subtle flavor combinations. The rich flavor in the maple syrup brought out the sweetness in the strawberries. I added some cacao nibs, cashew granola, and coconut on top for crunch. Writing about it makes me want to eat it all over again.

Until then, I’ll leave you with this recipe. Also, here’s a song I’ve been jamming out to recently. It’s good for weeks when you forget your wallet and don’t realize it until you get to the grocery store checkout aisle, days when you wish that you were closer to vacation, or pretty much whenever.

Fresh Strawberry Smoothie Bowl with Cashew Granola, Cacao Nibs, and Coconut 

Ingredients

1 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp maple syrup
cashew granola (I like Milk + Honey’s mix), cacao nibs, and shredded coconut for topping
sliced strawberries for topping

Directions

Blend the strawberries, almond milk, Greek yogurt, and maple syrup in a blender on high until smooth. Pour into a bowl and smooth out the top with a spoon.

Top the smoothie with granola, cacao nibs, shredded coconut, and sliced strawberries. Enjoy!