I'm a smoothie lover.

From the very start of the green smoothie craze, I had my magic bullet out and ready. (Candice Kumai has been my green drink, and life, idol - check her recipes out!)

But, as with any food - you always hear the pros and cons. Haters saying you shouldn't drink your meals. Lovers saying smoothies are a great way to get in your greens. So what the heck should we do!?

For me, I look at smoothies as a meal. I look at them just as I would a butternut squash or tomato soup. A blended meal that you don't chew. But, that doesn't mean it's not nourishing.

And no matter what, I always eat a smoothie with a spoon. Ordering one at a smoothie joint? Just take off the lid eat it with a spoon. I'll even bring a smoothie in a mason jar to work and pour it into a coffee mug and eat it with a spoon.

Doing this makes eating a smoothie no different than slurping up a soup. It slows you down and makes you enjoy the meal. Don't gulp these down!

This past weekend was a bit warmer than usual, so hot foods and soup weren't on my mind. But rather, a bowl filled with a green, fruity smoothie was what I craved. I top it with bananas, berries, chia seeds and hemp seeds... and I'd take this bowl over oatmeal any day.

Make one large bowl as your meal or small bowls to eat alongside your breakfast or lunch.

Blueberry Smoothie Bowl

Makes 1 large bowl or 2 small bowls

1/2 avocado
1 cup coconut water (or a non-dairy milk)
2 large handfuls fresh spinach
1 banana (reserve 1/4 for topping)
1/2 cup berries, fresh or frozen (I use blueberries)
1-2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon natural almond butter
Toppings: sliced bananas, chia seeds, coconut, hemp seeds, fresh berries

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blender until smooth.
Pour into a bowl and top with the remaining banana, sliced. Then, sprinkle with toppings such as chia seeds, shredded coconut, hemp seeds and fresh berries.
Enjoy with a spoon!

Eat this because it's healthy, nourishing and most importantly - eat this bowl because it tastes really, really good.

Berry Smoothie Bowl {dairy-free}