When I first brought ten pounds of strawberries home on Saturday, I put them all on my counter and stared at them. I was overwhelmed. I knew I wanted to make jam and shortcakes, but I was also hungry. The idea for this strawberry banana vanilla smoothie bowl was born.

I get inspiration for my smoothie bowls from two sources: The produce, or fruit itself, and necessity. If the fruit is fresh, colorful, and juicy, I’m more excited to make something out of it. Also, I try to work with what I have on hand. Sometimes my best creations are when I have the fewest ingredients. I make the most of what I have.

Strawberries pair well with lots of flavors but one of the best ones is vanilla. Strawberries–not grocery store, homogenized berries, but real strawberries—are complex. They’re sweet, tart, juicy, and if they’re really good, you can almost taste where the sun kissed them.

Vanilla is also complex but in a different way. It’s like the supporting character in a movie. It enriches everything else going on in the bowl without stealing the show.

I used Siggi’s vanilla yogurt to make the smoothie bowl but you could use another brand. Just make sure that it’s lowfat or non-fat and that it is thick enough to give the smoothie some substance. There’s nothing worse than making a smoothie bowl and having it be too runny. All the toppings with sink to the bottom.

I think I’m going to write a whole post about how to craft beautiful smoothie bowls soon. But for now, I’ll leave you with a couple tips: If you mess up, don’t panic. You can use the tip of a knife or your finger to press the toppings under the surface so you can start again. My second tip would be to put the small ingredients such as chia seeds or hemp hearts in little bowls. They’re easier to pinch that way and they won’t get stuck on your fingers and then come off in random places.

Here’s a song to get you started on your strawberry banana vanilla smoothie bowl making journey. I rarely listen to it but whenever it comes up on my Spotify, I’m reminded of how beautiful it is. I could listen to the violin solo for hours.

Strawberry Banana Vanilla Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients

1 banana, peeled
1 cup strawberries, stems and tops removed
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1 container of vanilla Siggi’s (nonfat)
fresh sliced strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, hemp hearts, and chia seeds for topping

Directions

Blend the banana, strawberries, vanilla almond milk, and vanilla Siggi’s in a blender on high until smooth. Top with fresh strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, hemp hearts, and chia seeds in your desired pattern. Enjoy!