When I was in Santa Barbara last summer, we discovered this fantastic breakfast place called Backyard Bowls. Since I avoid dairy and eggs, I often struggle to find healthy breakfast options when traveling (and quite often end up eating granola bars I snuck in my purse or baked goods). But this place was perfect for me. It had these bowls with blended fruit, oatmeal, açai berries, and fresh fruit on top.

I had yet to come across another similar place until I was in Manhattan Beach for a wedding two weeks ago. On a morning walk, I spotted a man walking on the street with a bowl that said Paradise Bowls and after some googling (and a little bit of stalking) I found the place. Their bowls were slightly different than those I’d had in Santa Barbara – they had granola instead of oatmeal – but they were still delicious.  This time I decided to come home and try to recreate what I had at Paradise Bowls.

Their version:

My version:

Ingredients
Smoothie Part–
1/2 cup of a liquid of your choice (coconut milk, almond milk, fruit juice)
1 1/2 cup of frozen fruit (pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, mango)
1/2 banana
1/4-1/2 cup of yogurt (if you buy yogurt individually, just throw in the whole individual container)
Optional: 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds and/or a handful of kale or spinach

1. Mix all of these ingredients up in a blender until smooth. Then pour into a bowl and set aside.

Granola-
See my previous post for a maple granola recipe (or do your own if you’re GF)

1. Put 1/4-1/2 cup of granola on top of the smooth part in the bowl.

Fruit Topping-
1/2 banana
4 strawberries
Honey

1. Cut up the banana and strawberries on top, then squeeze a little bit of honey on top. And now you’re all set to go!