.png)
What is a SmoothieBake I asked when I heard about a popular yoga teacher and mother of three who was selling out daily of these popular bakes in a national fitness chain? The answer may seem too good to be true but the truth was in the pudding, no pun intended. It is in the healthy ingredients she bakes into a delicious SmoothieBake - a combination of organic plant protein, antioxidants like chia, flax, hemp, Madagascar Vanilla, real Brazilian Cacao and gluten free homemade granola as toppings to name a few of her favorite ingredients then combined with vegan yogurt and non-dairy-milk which create a delicious SmoothieBake providing natural energy “sans the sugar but filled with taste” says Founder and Owner of SmootheBakes by Ivy located in Miami, Florida.
In a world of health and wellness products in every grocery store, ever-growing fad diets and low calorie options, protein-rich snacks are nothing new but this lovely health and fitness enthusiast in South Florida is certainly bringing something new to the menu in the way of her organic vegan protein, fully plant-based fillings and no added sugar smoothie ingredients baked right into delicious little brownie-size bakes, no straw needed and without eggs, dairy, gluten, soy or whey not to mention added sugars. Her name is Ivy Diel and she has had a purposeful journey of healthy living for most of her life and has remained dedicated to keeping herself and her family as healthy and fit as possible and, quite incredibly, both pre and post having her children.
I sat down to speak to Ivy and quickly learned of her passion for healthy living and love of all things good for the body and the soul and her contagious dedication was hard to ignore. Although Ivy maintains a spin instructor certification and was physically active from her teen years doing ballet and dance most of her life, it was her recent yoga teacher training completion that led her to what she calls “absolute and undeniable necessary connection of mind/body/soul synergy“ as she correlates wellness to both exercise and the right foods to achieve our best potential. Ivy feels that “various genres of exercise in any form are not enough; overall health is in large part what we eat and also what we do not.” Being a health enthusiast and maintaining her fit physique is nothing new for this vegan entrepreneur as she began her plant-based health journey at the young age of 18 at the advice of her father who was a well-known local physician whom she admired greatly and who she claims started her on her passion for being her best from the inside out primarily eating organically and avoiding processed foods, artificial additives and steering clear of dairy and meat.
Through her dedication to both daily yoga and her healthy lifestyle, Ivy has well earned her title of health and fitness enthusiast and feels her formula truly works by combining daily movement like yoga or stretching exercises and also by choosing a SmoothieBake “especially in a world of diet fad potions, quick-fix weight loss medications, artificial sports drinks or sugar-laden protein bars, and eating her recipe is a better choice thereby avoiding the artificial options that don’t really fuel the body with proper nutrients for those who may not have the time to consistently eat a healthy, whole-food-based organic diet rich in vegetables, fruits, grains and other nutrient-dense foods made from primarily plants which is what a single SmoothieBake provides.
As we spoke on how she maintains her slim yet strong frame post three children, Ivy believes her health journey has served her body well and she is proud that it shows merely eating what she enjoys and practicing yoga. She prides herself on maintaining high energy levels as a yoga teacher and this fit mother of three believes her SmoothieBakes could influence others to eat more healthfully while on the go and help the busiest of people to move away from the unhealthy foods and bakes goods most people snack on daily and her healthy recipe for these SmoothieBakes is a great start. The story of SmoothieBakes became an idea when Ivy married at the age of 21 and soon became a mother at the young age of 25. Always a great believer in keeping healthy and fit predominantly through her food choices, she felt pregnancy was a great time to continue this philosophy and secured a conscious decision within herself to continue her health journey through motherhood by eating organically and she also chose to remain primarily plant-based.
She quickly realized there were not enough options to choose from in the genre of organic and vegan baked goods with low sugar and could only find whey filled protein bars and felt there were not nearly enough options for her or her children. This thought process that the world needed a better option for a truly nutritious baked good with high vegan protein and low sugar is what prompted her recipe for SmoothieBakes which is now a popular vegan choice in one of the largest fitness chains in the country inside of its popular juice bar and would become the very product she herself searched for to eat years ago. As an ex-swim and fitness model who also taught as a spin instructor during her years pre and post-motherhood, Ivy was certain that her body was her temple and it should be treated as such and becoming a mother would not change that philosophy.
With three children under the ages of three in only three years she decided that while on the go to various activities, smoothies were a great, healthy choice. Ivy began by making her own smoothie recipes that would serve as mini-meals on the way to sports practices or ballet for her kids until the one day a smoothie spilled in the backseat of her new car by her son who labeled it just what it was - “messy”. She knew that there had to be a better way to have a healthy, vegan and nutritious smoothie or mini-meal for her children than needing a straw and risking a very messy outcome so that is when the idea for her original recipe for SmoothieBakes came to fruition.
She began to realize that the concept of eating all of the ingredients of a healthy smoothie versus having to blend it and drink it was a revolutionary idea and one day she knew she would bring it to fruition and after having the confidence and belief in herself and her product two years ago after making a change in her life and as she says “becoming her strongest and most confident self”, she has now made her dream and vision a reality. While Ivy solidified her original recipe for what she creatively calls SmoothieBakes, Ivy simultaneously became a Certified Yoga Instructor and began teaching private clients the practice of yoga.
She would bring each one a SmoothieBake and her clients quickly learned both the practice of yoga and also began to eat more healthfully and they loved the concept so much so that they asked if they could order some SmoothieBakes for family and friends. Ivy also joined her local gym, Equinox Fitness, two years ago and handed out some samples to members and they seemingly wanted more and asked where they could be purchased as they felt energized and ready for a workout by fueling their bodies with natural energy instead of a crash and burn sugared bar or cake. Before long Ivy was selling her SmoothieBakes inside the Aventura location of Equinox at TruBar and each day the popularity grew leaving empty trays by closing time each night.
Ivy then expanded her sales of SmoothieBakes to all of the other TruBar locations in all South Florida Equinox Fitness club locations of TruBar with a total of five locations today including the original one in Aventura where her SmoothieBakes remain a favorite amongst club members and other health enthusiasts inside the mall.
Ivy’s favorite part and “most meaningful and satisfying aspect” of selling her SmoothieBakes which she makes hand-baked by herself, although recently is expanding her recipe to a much larger ghost kitchen, is knowing that the customers who love them are truly getting a product unlike any other out there as she has yet to find a comparable product that is truly organic, parve, no sugar added that is also gluten and soy free yet high in organic plant protein and all without the use of artificial preservatives or other chemicals or sweeteners.
Her SmoothieBakes are “proudly sweetened with homemade “date dust“ and pumpkin or banana purée in small amounts to give the bakes just enough sweetness and flavor with a smooth and creamy texture very much like a smoothie but baked to the consistency of a slice of cake. Ivy remains the sole owner and founder of SmoothieBakes although she is approached often to discuss potential partnership and growth on a larger scale which is a true success story after only almost two years in business. Ivy says she will continue to expand nationally and has plans for SmoothieBakes to become a household name amongst vegans and health enthusiasts everywhere.
Ivy spends her time both teaching yoga and being “a forever student of the practice” and is focused on her SmoothieBakes company and believes it has all the elements that define who she is and what she stands for. SmoothieBakes is the “pure definition of happiness to pursue what you love and believe in” so she plans to own and run SmoothieBakes for years to come. If you are interested in ordering her delicious, vegan and nutritious SmoothieBakes, they are sold in several local stores and cafes such as Juice and Java and TruBar just to name a few and she is expanding to more in the coming months. One can also purchase directly from her website at www.SmoothieBakes.com
Ivy’s logo is the same slogan she lives by with her own plant-based diet of “Fuel Your Body and Feed Your Soul” because she says very passionately “If we truly want to feel and look our best, it must start from the inside out with the foods we choose to eat; after all, living energetically and healthfully would not be sustainable without the help from the foods we consume to help feed our bodies in a beneficial and delicious way like with a SmoothieBake for instance which provides perfect high plant protein sustainability for our busiest of days”.
Her advice when I asked which flavor is her favorite was: “Try one of my six signature flavors like Coco Loco Chia Crunch, Nutty Butter Cacao Craze or a favorite for berry lovers is my Goji Berry Crunch or simply create one of your own.
Once you try a SmoothieBake, you may find your own best version coming through mind/body/soul and all you have to do then is embrace that feeling….”
Comments