Sponsored Post: It’s the perfect time of the year to remember to be a little sweeter. Whether it’s dropping off dinner for a neighbor or bringing in a treat for your coworkers, let’s be sweet more often. We’ve partnered with the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission to bring you some sweet inspiration.
Get cozy with this spiced sweet potato pie smoothie bowl that tastes a bit like a creamy, fall dessert, but packed with nutrients. Plus, enter for a chance to win a Vitamix in the post.
I have been into no-fruit smoothies lately. Nothing against fruit at all (love fruit and eat it every day), but sometimes I like to use smoothies as a way to sneak more vegetables into my diet early in the day. It’s nice to kind of check that off my “list” so to speak. Not that I have a daily to-do list that includes eating vegetables or anything…no that would be totally weird. Anyhow, this smoothie is made with sweet potato to give it a vibrant orange color that lets you know you are getting all that immune boosting vitamin A (also helpful for vision and bone health). Sweet potatoes also offer dietary fiber and potassium and are high in vitamin C. So, with this recipe you may feel like you are eating sweet potato pie, but you can rest assured that you are getting important nutrients and a healthy breakfast. 
As far as smoothie bowls go, this one is pretty decadent. The smoothie base itself is naturally sweetened from the sweet potato itself and from dates. I then flavored it with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla for that classic sweet potato pie flavor. I topped it off with my Easy Pecan Granola for a satisfying crunch that compliments the flavors perfectly. And to make it even more filling I sprinkled chia seeds and hemp seeds for good measure. You could also add unsweetened large flake or shredded toasted coconut, diced apples, sliced bananas, chopped raw or toasted pecans, chopped dates, a drizzle of nut or seed butter or melted coconut butter. Have fun with this one and make it your own. The granola is great because it sort of mimics a pie crust in a sense so I would highly recommend that topping.
A key component of this recipe is clearly the sweet potato. Using a perfectly cooked sweet potato is important to the recipe and in the instruction notes below I share my tips for how to cook them. It couldn’t be easier and I hope you find this method helpful. It always works for me and yields the best baked sweet potatoes. You can do this part the night before and then throw everything together in the blender in the morning. I would also recommend making a batch of the pecan granola the night before.
I’m excited to be partnering with the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission (NCSPC) on this recipe. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods. They are convenient and versatile and somehow serve as both a comfort food and health food all at once. A medium sweet potato is just a little over 100 calories and they are loaded with fiber and nutrients. They are available year-round, naturally sweet and easy to prepare.
The NCSPC has been supporting growers since 1961 and has maintained North Carolina as the number one sweet potato producing state in the United States since 1971. November 13th is actually World Kindness Day, so in honor of that the NCSPC is emphasizing sweetness and created a ‘Be Sweet More Often’ initiative which is about finding little ways to make a difference. “Be Sweet.” Wouldn’t the world be just a little bit better if everyone followed this mantra? I think about that a lot and try and remember to resist the temptation to always be right or to defend myself and just be nice to everyone and give people the benefit of the doubt. I try and be friendly to strangers and greet people by name (when I can remember). I reach out to my neighbors and try and find time for random acts of kindness like making a meal for sick friends or calling relatives that I haven’t spoken to in awhile. It all adds up and in the end it makes me feel happier too. It really is true that if you put positive and sweet vibes out in the universe that you will feel it too.
Oftentimes when I would complain to my dad about problems I was having his advice was to “be sweet.” It always seemed to apply whether it was about work or personal matters. It was basically his simple way of telling me to take the high road. I do believe that if you put positive vibes out into the universe good things will come your way.
When I was asked to create a recipe for this initiative I thought an easy sweet potato pie smoothie bowl would be the perfect fun and sweet way to bring this message home. Who doesn’t love when breakfast tastes like dessert? When I made this for my family they all were a bit sweeter that morning.
So let’s all be sweet not just today on World Kindness Day, but year-round. And maybe when you make this sweet potato smoothie bowl it will remind you to try a random act of kindness and to take a sweeter approach in your relationships. I hope it does!
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE.
For even more sweet holiday inspiration, check out this video.
