Berry Pitaya Smoothie Bowl

by Rachel Conners on Jun 1, 2016 (updated Sep 22, 2021) 27 comments »

This Berry Pitaya Smoothie Bowl is made from mixed berries, banana, and pitaya – also known as dragonfruit! Top with fresh fruit and other toppings for a nutritious and delicious breakfast or brunch.

I hope everyone had a wonderful long Memorial Day weekend, and is enjoying the short four-day week! Mine has been nothing short of fantastic – if you’ve been following along on Snapchat, you’ll know I’m currently road tripping with my dad from Seattle down to San Diego.

We are not taking the quick way though. We’re winding slowly but surely down the 101, and we’ve spent three nights on the Oregon coast so far. The first night was spent at an adorable bed and breakfast on the beach in Newport, which is just about the cutest fishing town ever with delicious seafood.

On Sunday, we meandered our way down the coast to slowly towards Southern Oregon, stopping at the Yachats farmers market and Bandon farmers markets on the way, because I am not one to resist a small town farmers market. These did not disappoint! I did a happy dance hen we stumbled upon the first farmer’s market in tiny Yachats and ended up buying some beautiful handmade pottery from a local artist that I can’t WAIT to use in photos.

Then, when we were stopped for lunch at a crab shack on the water in Bandon, I spotted a sign directing to another farmer’s market…and made my dad come with me after lunch. There, I found the most beautiful hand-carved wooden plates, platters, and cutting boards from a local woodworker (check out his work!) who works with mrytlewood, which is local to Oregon and only found here. I couldn’t decide on just one piece, so I ended up snagging two plates from him (and wish I had gotten a cutting board too!). My dad also got a delicious gluten-free chocolate cherry cheesecake from the farmer’s market that I definitely need to replicate for you all!

From there, we ventured to more familiar territory: Gold Beach, Oregon. We’ve stopped at the Tu Tu Tun Lodge a few times throughout the years and each time I love it more and more. It’s situated about an hour north of the southern Oregon border, a few miles inland on the Rouge River. The lodge is small and intimate with the most beautiful gardens and grounds, run by the friendliest people. My favorite thing about it though, is the meals.

First: the FOOD. Talk about from scratch, you guys. They make everything in house, and I mean everything: the bacon, sausage, bread (regular and gluten free), smoked salmon, granola, and even the yogurt was made in house. It’s swoon-worthy, and it’s made even better with how you enjoy the meals there.

Dinners are communal, so you’re always seated with other guests. Every single time we’ve come here, we’ve met the most amazing people, all doing such unique things and having a different story of why they’re there and how they found it. One night, the guy seated next to me was talking about his job as illustrator, and his wife mentioned that he just won an Emmy. So. Cool.

On Monday, we took the day off from driving to go on adventure: kayaking down the Chetco River. Holy cow. It was one of the most majestic places I’ve ever seen, surrounded by gigantic green trees casting shadows over the river with by FAR the clearest water I’ve ever seen. You could see straight down to the bottom, no matter how deep it was, and it was so exhilarating, floating and paddling through bubbling, rocky rapids for 4.5 miles.

The trip is still going, and we have a few days left, so I’ll be updating you in my next post about the rest of the adventures (or you can follow along on Snapchat in real time :D)! But now – let’s talk about this beautiful bowl you’ve been staring at while I rambled about my trip. It’s a pretty straightforward smoothie bowl, which if you haven’t had before, is a super thick smoothie that’s served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon, usually with some delicious toppings on top.

This one is made using mixed berries (my mix has blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries – I bought a premixed bag frozen at the grocery store), a frozen banana for added creaminess, and pitaya. Pitaya, if you haven’t heard of it before, is another name for dragonfruit. It’s pretty mildly sweet tasting, but my favorite thing about it is the color – on it’s own, it’s the brightest hot pink color and makes smoothies a whole lot more fun. I found mine in the freezer section of Safeway, from the brand Pitaya Plus. Here, mixed with the berries, it turns the smoothie bowl the prettiest shade of fuchsia.

Topped with fresh fruit, some granola bar crumbles, and a drizzle of almond butter, it makes the perfect breakfast. You could also go for some shredded coconut or nuts, depending on what you’re into. Anyway, you’ll probably love it! Stop and savor the smoothie bowl :) enjoy!

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Remember to #bakerita if you try the recipe!