Smoothie Bowls and Avocado Toasts FTW

As most of you know, we are big fans of the celebratory birthday breakfast in our house and, thankfully, that doesn't seem to be changing as the kids get older. In fact, they seem more into the tradition than ever, most recently evidenced by this spread for Andy a few weeks back. Influenced heavily by the All-Day-Cafe aesthetic of some of their favorite restaurants in New York, the girls seem to be moving away from mile-high stacks of pancakes and waffles with bacon, and more in the direction of smoothie bowls, avocado toasts, and cold brew -- a trend their parents, who would rather not spend Sunday afternoon in a food-comatose state, appreciate tremendously. The only burning question, on this particular morning, was: What kind of smoothie bowl and which recipe for avocado toast? (As for cold brew: There is really only one for us.)

. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that 75% of the meals Abby has eaten in the last six months have been either an avocado toast or a smoothie bowl. The best thing about this new obsession, besides how much healthier it is than, say, her brief Takis obsession, is that she has been very into making them herself, playing around with different combinations for both...

She has experimented with avocado toasts topped with Everything Bagel seasoning (above); drizzled with olive oil; spread with cream cheese or coconut oil underneath; topped with spicy sprouts or red pepper flakes; spread on toasted thick Pullman slices and thin sourdough ones...

. ...she's mixed in a few drops of Sriracha, a spoonful of salsa, or chopped grape tomatoes. There has been extensive field research in diners, cafes, Starbucks (!), and airport lounges in cities up and down the Eastern seaboard...

. ...as for smoothie bowls, she's watched what seems like hours worth of Earth Andy videos in search of the secret to creating a smoothie consistency that creates "quadrants" when blended. (No, this is not a technical term, but maybe it will be now?) She took careful notes on the ratio of frozen fruit to fresh, experimented with topping design and the most proper (read: photogenic) serving bowls. Abby has always been this way. When she gets into something -- whether it's smoothie bowls or Roald Dahl or Kanye or Emma Chamberlain or Milk Makeup -- she drills deep. So trust me when I say that when she decided on the smoothie bowl and avocado toast worthy of this birthday breakfast, they were extremely well-considered.

. Note: These recipes below, are written by Abby.

Abby's Strawberry-Banana-Nutella Smoothie Bowl (Makes 1 Smoothie Bowl)

1 banana (not frozen) chunked 1 cup frozen strawberries ½ cup frozen mango chunks ½ cup unsweetened almond milk Two handfuls of granola (I like Whole Foods 365 Oats and Honey granola, but check out my mom’s here) Desiccated coconut flakes (for topping) Sliced strawberries (for topping) Spoonful nutella (optional)

Blend bananas, frozen strawberries, mango and almond milk on low until four “quadrants” form.

Fill bottom of cereal sized bowl with one handful of granola. Pour the smoothie into the bowl and, using a spoon, smooth the top. Drop a scoop of nutella (if using) on one side of the bowl.

Top however you want, I like organizing in stripes: one handful of granola to cover the nutella, then a row of strawberries, and a row of coconut.

Abby's Avocado Toast with Sprouts (Makes two toasts)

1 avocado ¼ teaspoon Sriracha Three cherry tomatoes, diced Salt to taste 2 slices of crusty sourdough bread, sliced thin Microgreens, sprouts, or watercress for topping

In a medium bowl smash avocado, until chunky -- do not overmix. Mix in sriracha, cherry tomatoes and salt. Toast two slices of bread. Use fork to spread avocado mash on toast. Top with microgreens or sprouts.