Sunny Morning Smoothie Bowls (+ How I'm Getting Back Into a Healthy Morning Routine)

I'm going to be honest with you guys and just spit it out right away - I let my health go (in a big way) in December. Now to be fair, I think this is a pretty common occurrence around the holidays. For me, I'd worked really hard to exercise regularly and eat well leading up to our trip to the Dominican at the beginning of the month, and when we returned, I just wanted to be a little gluttonous, man. (So many croissants. So much chocolate.) But I've posted here many times about my efforts to take care of myself, and with the new year I decided to get back on track.

My first task was to ditch the sugar-filled, processed breakfast in which I'd been excessively indulging and replace them with a more health conscious alternative that I know I'd still love eating - smoothie bowls. My regular readers are already well aware of my fondness for smoothies and smoothie bowls, but this one is my newest favorite so clearly I had to share the recipe. I call this the Sunny Morning Smoothie Bowl because even here in Chicagoland, where the skies are covered with dreary clouds pretty much everyday this time of year, my mornings feel sunny when I start the day with this breakfast. (No really, they do.) It's also incredibly quick and easy, with just a few ingredients. You're going to love it. Just wait.

SUNNY MORNING SMOOTHIE BOWLS
Makes 2 bowls

Ingredients 
1 cup Trop50 juice beverage
3 cups baby spinach
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup frozen mango or pineapple (I like mango because it's slightly less sweet)
granola for topping (optional)

Add all of the ingredients except granola to a blender and blend until spinach is pureed but mixture is still thick. Pour into bowls and top with granola. (My dad makes an incredible homemade granola at Christmas and gave us a ton, so I've been topping with that.) It's that easy. And so good. You can also let it blend for a minute longer and drink in a glass as a regular smoothie if you want something to take with you.

I tend to use Greek yogurt, mangos and/or pineapples, and baby spinach or greens as the base for most smoothies and smoothies I make, but my secret ingredient for this particular one is Trop50. The thing I really love about Trop50 (other than the fact that it tastes freaking delicious, and adds just the right amount of sweetness to these bowls without being overpowering) is that it has all the goodness of orange juice with only half the calories and sugar. Since I'm trying to cut down on sugar, it's the perfect ingredient to assist me in my goal of getting back on track health-wise for the new year. It also has no artificial sweetener and is squeezed from fresh oranges. The fact that is provides 100% of your daily vitamin C is a bonus too. It's definitely a big part of the sunny in these Sunny Morning Smoothies, but I like to drink it on its own too.

In addition to being more mindful of what I put into my body for breakfast (and other meals as well), I've also started doing yoga again almost every morning, and (this one is the hardest) trying to take a few minutes each day away from work and my kids and everyday life to sit and meditate. And I stretch for 2-3 minutes every morning, followed by drinking a full glass of water. I truly believe that they small changes add up. My goal is to get to a place where self care becomes habit again and a regular part of my life for the rest of 2017.

Who else let their health routine slip over the holidays? What are you guys doing to bounce back in terms of healthy living? Any other good smoothie bowls I should try?

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