Carrot Cake Smoothie Bowl

A creamy vanilla cinnamon smoothie bowl topped with all the carrot cake flavor of crunchy bites of carrots and walnuts plus sweet, chewy raisins.  High Protein, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan Option

Happy Monday!  This week I’m feeling like okay here we go again, but I feel more energized than the past few weeks.  Maybe it’s all the Greek Yogurt Carrot Cake Pancakes and Carrot Cake Smoothies Bowls I’ve been eating!  (PSST You can still enter to win Maple Hill Greek Yogurt until the 22nd!  Get on it; I’d love to see your creations.)

After doing some brainstorming/researching on Pinterest I found some fascinating recipes that claimed to be carrot cake flavor something, but I hardly think they came anywhere close.  In fact, I felt so strongly about this I text my friend who loves carrot cake as much as I do to see if I was crazy.  Turns out either I’m not crazy or both of us are certifiably insane (both options totally possible) but either way we agreed the

In my opinion, if it’s missing one of those it does not have real carrot cake flavor. Recipes which call themselves “carrot cake” yet are missing one of these essential ingredients are nothing less than imposters.  Not like this delicious smoothie bowl which has all necessary components as toppings!

Of course, one could argue that the cream cheese needs to be present too, but that’s more of an argument about frosting.  However, if you want to call me an imposter for lacking the cream cheese aspect, I will not rename my recipe, but I will respect your decision to do.  I will also respect your decision to think that smoothies don’t qualify as one dish recipes, but as I explained in my Healthy High Protein Shamrock Milkshake Recipe, in Arizona, they do.  Especially now that we have had several days reaching 90 degrees, I’ve had to change my entire schedule around.  Gone are the days of getting to

Especially now that we have had several days reaching 90 degrees, I’ve had to change my whole schedule around.  Gone are the days of getting to walk Nala whenever I needed to get out of the house, now it’s before 10 am or we are both miserable.  My dog, supposedly bred in Africa to defend against Lions, hates the heat and the water.  She runs around the pool repeatedly refusing to get in before whining at the door to go back inside.  She’d last about 10 seconds longer than I would in that kind of environment and so we walk before it gets hot (before it’s 80 out).  Soon, our walks will be at 5 o’clock in the morning; then I will refuse to leave the house all day unless it’s to the ice rink nearby, maybe they have a coffee shop I can work at located in the middle of the ice?  One can only hope!

I know this is motivation Monday and my complaining about the naming of carrot cake and the heat must be incredibly motivating for you. So, let’s jump topics really fast.  I don’t have a lot to share, but this week I started listening to the Joy of Less on audible (here is a link to my new audible and podcast library) help me meet my Lenten goal of becoming less of a messy person.   I’m only in the first chapter about reframing the way you think about reframing the way you think about your stuff.  The biggest revelation I’ve had so far?  She mentioned if half the stuff you owned in your house was gone would you feel relieved?  For me, yes.  Not because I don’t want or need it, but because of the rejuvenating space it would create.   This concept goes great with my morning gratitude journaling because I can be thankful for what I have that is useful or beautiful, and easily part with the rest.  Because ultimately, I’m mostly grateful for lots of space in my life.  I’m not sure how that will work out when it comes to throwing out that old cheerleading uniform or my college notes, but baby steps, right? First, carrot cake everything.

Carrot Cake Smoothie Bowl

Looking for more ideas?

13 High Protein Smoothie Recipes

13- Smoothies