Dessert for Breakfast: Wild Blueberry Banana Split Smoothie Bowl
Ice cream is by far my favorite dessert. It’s the perfect blend of cold, creamy and delicious. I have often said if I could have one food wish it would be to eat as much ice cream as I wanted (French fries, too, but that’s a whole different story)!
Since I don’t recommend ice cream consumption on a daily basis, I love looking for ice-cream-like substitutes. Blended banana ice cream is one. Have you tried that yet? It’s super easy. You just blend frozen bananas with your high powered blender and voila, you have ice cream. I don’t always have frozen bananas on hand so it helps to plan ahead.
Smoothie bowls are another way to “ice cream” deliciousness. A smoothie bowl is super simple too. You just whip up your favorite smoothie combination (making sure to keep it thick) and eat it with a spoon out of a bowl, rather than slurping it up through a straw. An added benefit of a smoothie bowl is that you can add lots of fun toppings.
This Wild Blueberry Banana Split Smoothie Bowl is my take on the beloved favorite. Believe it or not, the banana split was invented over 100 years ago! Walgreens pharmacy in Chicago is credited with spreading the popularity of the now legendary banana split (as well as the malted milkshake and a few other ice cream treasures). Back in the 1920’s, your local drug stores also had soda fountains, serving ice cream and milkshakes while you waited to pick up your prescriptions. Once they started serving the banana split sundae, it quickly became a hit across all of their Illinois stores, and eventually nationwide, making the banana split a household name.
What I love about my Wild Blueberry Banana Split Smoothie Bowl is that it’s creamy and decadent, just like the real thing. It’s also super cold, thanks to the frozen Wild Blueberries and my keep-the-bananas-in-the-fridge trick. Wild Blueberries are frozen within 24 hours of harvest, when their flavor and antioxidant goodness are at their peak. Wild Blueberries contain less water than regular blueberries so when frozen, they maintain their shape, color, flavor and nutritional value. This makes for a potent dose of antioxidant power with every bite!
To keep this dessert nice and thick, I blend the frozen fresh Wild Blueberries with chocolate hazelnut butter and just a little bit of almond milk. The creamy, chocolatey, nutty flavored base pairs perfectly with the cold bananas and fresh berries. Instead of a chocolate syrup topping I opt for cacao nibs. The nibs provide a healthy hit of chocolate taste (and some crunch) in each bite.
Compared to a real banana split, this smoothie bowl is downright healthy. It’s low in added sugar and big on intense Wild Blueberry flavor!