Moving to California gave me the chance to be introduced to quite a few things. One of my favorite introductions was to the açaí smoothie bowl. I used to work at a local gym for a period of time which oddly enough had the Açaí Project smoothie bar in the lobby conveniently next to the front desk. My love for açaí bowls was born.

I read about the açaí fruit trend on Instagram and Pinterest prior to my first encounter, but I never took it as something I would get on board with in my personal life. I and many others constantly hear about amazing food hacks that will make our lifestyles healthier and better. It’s hard to scroll through my feed without new fitness tips popping up, and with the continuous cycle of new health methods, it’s hard not to feel desensitized to it. That is why I decided to write my first review-style post.

I am blown away by these frozen pre-blended açaí bowl from Trader Joe’s. I really like these bowls because they are cheaper than buying a pre-made bowl elsewhere, they are effortlessly ready, they easily defrost, and they are completely customizable. Unfortunately, these açaí bowls aren’t available to purchase online and they are an exclusive product to Trader Joe’s. Also, the justifiable quarantine restrictions make it a little difficult to buy a stock for the coming week, but no one likes a hoarder anyway.

Looking at the cost effectiveness of the bowls this is what I have considered. Each 10-ounce 260-calorie bowl is priced at $3.99 plus tax and has 4g of protein and 9g of fiber. I want to look at the price first; a typical small smoothie bowl price in California ranges from $6-10. Moreover, if you wanted to make your own bowl, you would need to purchase the ingredients required to make the smoothie. To keep it basic let’s say you want to use a milk-substitute, açaí fruit smoothie packs, frozen berries, and granola mix. Now, if you were to divide that total cost by the number of açaí packets in the bag you purchased, you generally get four servings with the packs in this example. The cost of those four individual servings is already $5.00 each without the other ingredients, which is already more expensive than the pre-made Trader Joe’s bowl. You could argue that there are bags of açaí powder that you could use instead of frozen açaí packets which would be cheaper and you could get more use out of them. That is definitely an option, but I prefer to eat fruit closer to its natural state rather than in a powder form.

When it comes to taste, the bowl is very basic. It has the açaí base blend with blueberries, bananas, and halved strawberries in the smoothie, all topped with a coconut-granola mix. It isn’t the best açaí bowl I have ever tasted, but it is affordable and I can adjust the toppings and additional ingredients to my liking. By itself it tastes good, but the beauty of it being basic gives me the option to enhance it to my liking and that makes me feel better about my purchase.

In my video, you will see I add dark chocolate and extra bananas to the bowl which is one of my favorite ways to eat it. Sometimes I re-blend the smoothies portion with spinach, yogurt, almond butter, or protein powder to give it a different kick. You can really just have fun with it and then share it on social media to show you are using your time well during the COVID-19 quarantine. #StayAtHome

One final thing I want to say about these bowls is that they create a beneficial relationship for you my friend. Previously published research articles explaining the benefits of açaí fruit pop up on Well+Good, Healthline, and Eatingwell. They all suggest that açaí is a natural inflammation deterrent, can increase the health of your skin, will not make your blood sugar spike, and have healthy nutrients your body needs.

In summary, whatever you are putting into your açaí smoothie is the outcome of how healthy it is for you. If you are loading your bowl with a lot of fruit, then it probably will spike your blood sugar levels. Just keep that in mind when trying this smoothie bowl from Trader Joe’s.

Have you tried this bowl? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this product or your favorite açaí bowl. Leave a comment below and remember to follow Live Wandering to receive new post updates!