How to Make an Instagram Worthy Breakfast Bowl

You’ve seen them in your feed, now it’s time to make one for yourself, I’ll show you how to make an Instagram worthy breakfast bowl that’s gorgeous and good for you…

Breakfast bowls aren’t just pretty, they’re a really smart way to start the day —and in fact, the prettier you make them, the healthier they get.  You’ll work with a palette of fruits, nuts, and seeds to add color, texture, and nutrients to your bowl.   All of a sudden plain fruit and yogurt becomes a feast, and now you not only have something you can snap and post to make your friends jealous, you’ll be encouraging yourself to eat mindfully and healthily.  It’s a win win.   Breakfast bowls can be achingly gorgeous, and I could just sit here and stare all day if I wasn’t so hungry, so let’s get to it.

Be sure to follow The View from Great Island on Instagram, and tag me when you post your creations!

The first thing you’re going to need is the right bowl.  You want a small shallow bowl that holds just enough for one serving.  It should have a wide surface for displaying your beautiful toppings, but if it’s too big you’ll never finish your breakfast!  A cereal bowl is ok, but if you can find something shallower, that’s even better.   Thrift stores are fantastic places to find odd sized bowls, and because people used to eat smaller portions than we do now, you’re likely to come across more dainty bowls there than anywhere else.

The next thing you’ll need is your base — there are all kinds of breakfast bowls, they can be made with smoothies, grains, or in this case, yogurt.  It can be plain or flavored, but I like to start with plain because I know I’m not getting any added ingredients or anything artificial.  My secret is to add a bit of vanilla bean paste, or, when I’m feeling fancy, I’ll scrape the seeds from a bean into the yogurt and blend it up.  The vanilla tricks the taste buds into thinking you’re eating something sweet, even though there is no sugar added.

Next you’ll need your toppings.  This is where the fun comes in.  Instead of randomly plopping chopped apples or blueberries onto your yogurt you’re going to arrange it so that it’s pleasing to the eye and appealing to the stomach.  I suggest buying an assortment of fruit at your Sunday farmer’s market, and then mixing and matching it all week long into beautiful bowls.  Pick up a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.  I always go for something whole like berries or grapes, then something I can slice, like bananas or kiwi, and something a bit larger, like citrus that I can either slice or section.  You can go with a theme…like all berries, or all tropical fruit, or you can mix it up like I did.

Put each type of fruit in its own section of the bowl.  Lay down your biggest pieces in the center, and stack slices like banana along the edges.  Fill in with berries.  Don’t crowd the surface too much, I like to let some of the yogurt peek through so you can see what you’re about to eat.  When you’ve got your fruit arranged, it’s time to scatter on some crunch.  That can be nuts, seeds, or granola.  I used walnuts and hemp for this bowl.

The final step is to drizzle on a bit of honey, agave, or maple syrup, if you like.

notes:

• Recycle your leftover fruit into the next morning’s bowl.  I slice the citrus with the peel on, and then cut off the peel with kitchen shears, that way I can easily save the rest of the fruit.
• I like to alternate between plain yogurt one day, and then I blend pureed fruit, like blackberries or papaya, into the yogurt the next day for a different experience.  Sometimes I’ll blend it completely, other times I’ll swirl it thorough.
• Vary your cutting techniques…if you’ve sliced your citrus one day, section it the next.  Try slicing strawberries horizontally instead of vertically…cut grapes or blueberries in half instead of leaving them whole.
• Seeds are especially pretty and packed with nutrition.  In addition to the hemp seeds, try flax, sunflower, chia, sesame, and pumpkin.

don’t forget it — pin it!