Autumn Leaf Smoothie Bowl

Just how we have to heat up our bodies to begin our yoga practice, we must also heat up our digestive fires so that they can break-down food, absorb nutrients, and detox toxins more efficiently.Our digestive fires are in charge of digestion, metabolism, nutrient absorption, and elimination, so it is important to keep that fire burning bright. A warming smoothie bowl with ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and a grounding root vegetable base is a perfect way to do it. The spices heat up the fire by stimulating digestion and increasing nutrient absorption, while the cooked root veggies are grounding and easy to digest.Vatas (the airy Ayurvedic mind-body type, which I describe here) are already naturally cold so it’s best for them to avoid frozen fruits and favor grounding root veggies instead. Choose this instead of your frozen fruit green smoothie and notice how much better your digestion, skin, and life (in general) becomes!*Note: you don’t need to be a Vata to enjoy this smoothie. During the fall season, all of our Vatas go up because it’s cold and dry. Excess travel will also create a Vata imbalance, so we can all use more grounding in our on-the-go lives!

AUTUMN LEAF SMOOTHIE BOWL INGREDIENTS

½ cup Cooked Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, or Sweet Potato1 handful Spinach1 teaspoon Cinnamon¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric½ inch piece Ginger, peeled and grated1 tablespoon Almond Butter1-2 cups Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk1 scoop Plant-Based Protein Powder(Optional: 4 drops Liquid Monk-Fruit Sweetener or 1 Pitted Date, to sweeten)

For the swirls:

⅛ cup Cooked Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, or Sweet Potato½ teaspoon Spirulina½ handful Spinach½ cup Non-Dairy MilkToppings: Almond Butter, Pumpkin Seeds, Cinnamon, and Sliced Fig.

AUTUMN LEAF SMOOTHIE BOWL ASSEMBLY

1 | Combine all the bowl ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl.2 | Rinse out the blender and combine all the swirl ingredients in the blender, blending until smooth. 3 | Place one spoon over the bowl and use a toothpick, metal chopstick, or straw to create swirls, moving your hand back and forth.4 | Drizzle with almond butter and sprinkle on pumpkin seeds and cinnamon. Adorn with sliced fig.*To make this smoothie more warming for your digestive system, gently heat on the stove after blending.**Serves 1.Sahara Rose is the best-selling author of the Idiot's Guide to Ayurveda and has been called “a leading voice for the millennial generation into the new paradigm shift” by Deepak Chopra. She is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and host of the #1 spirituality podcast on iTunes, Highest Self Podcast. Discover your mind-body type with her interactive quiz on IAmSaharaRose.com and connect with her on social media at @IAmSaharaRose.