I make Mr. DRL morning smoothies that probably have enough "good stuff" ie) antioxidants & fiber in them to last him the whole day and make up for god knows what else he ends up eating at the office. I send trail mix to work for him all the time but know that there are a ton of unhealthy quick food options for him near the office and let's face it the guy is busy and works long hours. So I do what I can.
In case you are wondering, the smoothie recipe is below, at the end of the post.
One of the main ingredients of his morning smoothie is ACAI. I like to buy the ICEFRUIT brand, it's just the pulp of the fruit with no sugar or guarana added, and comes in convenient, portioned little plastic bags. Super easy. I also buy lime, passionfruit, peach, strawberry, pineapple, and guava this way and they are great for making drinks or smoothies (having these on hand for caipirhinha's is a good idea!).
However, lately, I can't seem to source the acai very easily. Sometimes there will be one single bag of it at the store, other times none at all. I like to stock up. I've never had a problem with this before...
I can't help but wonder if this is somehow related to the ACAI storm that seems to be sweeping North America. There are advertisements for it everywhere as everything from an energy booster to a weight loss aid. I recently saw an ad in a parenting magazine for fruitcups with acai in them.
It's even turning up in people's facebook statuses:
"x started the new acai juice program today (tasty)...hope to feel a difference in a week or so... I'll keep you posted!"
and I have to admit seeing an ex-boyfriend from highschool's status about his and his wife's acai woes made me laugh:
"y is p*ssed off...try a free trail of acai-aslim and now the are charging sh*t to our credit card!!!!!"
Ahhh classy...
So now I am curious, is there an acai shortage back here in Brazil? It's good to know that it will be readily available to us back in North America now as I'd really miss it but still!
As an aside, I'm not sure how healthy acai juice is for you anyway - my understanding is that it's the seeds and pulp that pack the antioxidant punch, much like with the whole goji berry juice situation... which goes for any fruit, really. You can't expect to get the same nutrients out of a manufactured juice as from the whole fruit itself. Once again, North America takes something that is good for you and turns it into something that isn't... not exactly the first time. As a result, acai is now getting a bit of a bad name in North America but I believe it's because of how it is being processed and delivered to the consumer.
Anyway, enough ranting!
Mr. DRL's morning smoothie:
1 sleeve frozen acai (see above)
2-3 Tbsp goji berries (these are available at asian stores even here in RIo)
2-3 Tbsp ground flax seed
2 Tbsp Hemp protein powder
1 sleeve frozen fruit pulp (this is where I break up the monotony - you can basically use anything)
1/2 small banana
Top up with fruit juice (again I vary the types so it doesn't get boring. Cranberry, orange, fruit cocktail)...
Blend.
Thank goodness for the Magic Bullet!
Good to know I'll be able to get acai here (I'm back home for now and not at all happy about leaving Rio), but hopefully there isn't a shortage for you! I had never heard of acai until this trip, and love it.
On another note, thanks for the tip on ZaZa. We went for my birthday last Saturday night and it was wonderful. Romantic and tastey, thanks again!
Posted by: Alli | April 06, 2009 at 08:12 PM
Hi Alli
I am so glad you enjoyed it - I will have to make a point of getting back there soon. Like before the baby arrives! Let me know when you are coming back to Rio!
Posted by: Daily Rio Life | April 07, 2009 at 09:20 PM