Do you want to know how to make a morning smoothie just a little fancier? Pour that s*** into a papaya. Just ask any hotel in Maui, they will charge you $10 more for it! I jest but papaya smoothie bowls are delicious. They are a great way to have an elegant breakfast jam-packed with healthy ingredients!
When are papayas in season you ask? Being here in Minnesota we don’t exactly have papayas growing all year round. Most papayas sold in the US are grown in Hawaii or Florida. Typically they are in season starting in summer to early fall, but you can find them all year round because the southern hemisphere also grows them.
In picking your papaya, look for a fruit that is heavy for its size and without skin blemishes. It should be just starting to turn yellow. Allow it to ripen at home for a few days before using. If the fruit is completely yellow, it is probably on its last legs and should be used quickly.
For this recipe, I only made half of the recipe for just one person. In order to cut down on food waste, I cut the remaining half into chunks and froze to use at a later time. Frozen papaya will keep in the freezer for a few months and is easy to throw into a smoothie.
Now on to building the smoothie bowl! I used an acai smoothie pack, papaya scrapings, frozen berries, a frozen banana, spinach, and blue spirulina. The acai berry pack not only adds extra antioxidants but acts as the liquid needed to blend. And blue spirulina is a rich source of vitamins and protein.
And don’t forget the toppings, of course! I used extra berries, granola, hemp seeds, coconut flakes, goji berries, and chia seeds. Basically every jar of health foods I could find in the pantry! If I had some extra bananas, I would have added that too.
Check out this other breakfast recipe, too! https://hemingwaycollective.com/2021/07/28/strawberry-rose-oatmeal/
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