Ah, the start of March, makes me think of Spring! Although, we Albertans typically get winter for another two months or so… BUT I’m not thinking of that right now as I’m still basking away in the Hawaiian sun!
Spring always makes me think of carrot cake, likely because of Easter so this recipe is right on time for the carrot cake recipes inspiration! The recipe isn’t actually cake, so it’s not technically the same, but the flavour of this smoothie bowl is pretty spot on to that classic carrot cake flavour and what-do-ya-know, it’s FULL of the bright orange root vegetable too!
I got the inspiration for this recipe from Joy McCarthy of Joyous Health! She’s a fellow Holistic Nutritionist and a beautiful little lady to say the least. You can tell just by looking at her that her healthy habits truly make her glow! Joy has a fantastic cookbook called Joyous Health and it’s full of great recipes including a carrot cake smoothie! I adapted her recipe by adding in some different fruits and other ingredients and turned the smoothie into a “bowl”!
I don’t know why, but my favourite way to enjoy smoothies is in a bowl with a spoon – it kind of feels like ice cream that way!
This carrot cake smoothie bowl combines carrots with frozen pineapple and peaches to give the smoothie base that carrot cake taste with ample sweetness. The addition of a couple dates brings in some more natural sweetness and fibre, and the hemp seeds add a dose of healthy fats and protein.
I also used North Coast Naturals Vege Pro-7 in vanilla to bring in a good serving of vegan protein and topped it all with some creamy, dreamy, almond milk!
Oh, and not to forget the classic carrot cake spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger!
To top it all off? Shredded coconut, hemp seeds, pineapple, raisins, and shredded carrot worked perfectly to add extra texture and crunch to the smoothie bowl! Not to mention the extra health benefits of all those yummy toppings!
I don’t know about you, but I’d trade this smoothie bowl for it’s not-s0-healthy counterpart most days (yes, most days, once in a blue moon you just gotta have cake…and eat it too!), and with the leftover carrots you can make some carrot cake overnight oats or some raw carrot cake bites too!
- ¼ cup diced carrot
- ½ cup frozen pineapple
- ½ cup frozen peaches
- 1 heaping tablespoon raw hemp seeds
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used North Coast Naturals vegan Vege Pro-7)
- 2 pitted dates
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or more for a runnier smoothie bowl)
- Toppings:
- 1 tablespoon shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ tablespoon hemp seeds
- ½ tablespoon raisins
- 1 tablespoon shredded carrot
- a few chunks of pineapple
- Blend ingredients to make a thick smoothie, pour into a bowl and top with the toppings!
*recipe adapted from Joyous Health cookbook
Have a lovely Sunday! Mahalo!
Christal
Nutritionist in the Kitch
Cassie says
This looks like perfection!
Christal says
Thanks Cassie – it truly was!
Lennae says
WOWZA! This sounds divine!
Lennae xxx
http://www.lennae87.wordpress.com
Christal says
Thanks Lennae!!
Judith says
Wow! This looks fabulous. I will make sure to round up the ingredients in my next shopping trip. I love your blog, Christal! Enjoy Hawai’i! Boston has gotten its own little bit of Alberta weather this year, so I am in awe of the stamina of true Northerners.
Christal says
Haha – yep we have weather stamina, that’s for sure!! Thanks for the comment Judith!