Stir It Up! » Blog

Hi all!

So I had some questions from the last post regarding the serving amounts for each of the smoothie ingredients. Below are just suggestions so feel free to do your own research.

The recipe calls for 1 pound of chicken breasts, but instead I just used a rotisserie chicken. Thanks to Whole Foods for saving me time and from having to cut up raw chicken. Raw chicken is the worst.

Next week I’m going to post one of our favorite meals. I would love to hear about your favorite staple(s). Please share! I need new ideas!!

Hi all! Happy New Year. Sorry it’s been so long but life has been busy and tennis elbow has made typing tough. But I’m ready with some new recipes and tidbits for the new year. For starters, I have a class tomorrow (Tuesday January 10th) at CentreSpring MD in Brookhaven that starts at 7:00 PM. We’ll be talking about weight loss and how to keep metabolisms high, reduce inflammation, and how the key to weight loss staying satisfied, not feeling deprived. It’s a free class. Would love to see you there!

So I want to talk a little about smoothies. While smoothies can be tricky, they can also be a really easy way to get some great stuff into our bodies. Some people like fruit in their smoothie, some like vegetables, some like protein powders, but I think before we ever make a smoothie we need to think “what is the goal for this smoothie?” For example, my smoothie is very different from the one I make for my son (and husband, too). Mine consists of greens since I don’t love cold foods or salads in the winter time.  Also I include very little sugar since I always try to limit my sugars. My kids’ smoothies, on the other hand, include protein and fat to help them get through their long school day by keeping insulin levels steady, which in turn gives them plenty of energy and focus and in the classroom.

But regardless of whose smoothie it is, I like to add these four ingredients  that no one will taste, and everyone can benefit from:

1. D/k2 Thorne drops
2. Banana Flour 
3. Coconut kefir – Whole Foods
4. Avocado oil 

1. D levels tend to be low from October through March, so I like to add a few drops to keep immune systems strong this time of year. I also like vitamin K2 because it helps to keep bones strong.  Of course, some would say that K is more important than calcium for strong bones. 

2. Banana flour is an excellent source of resistant starch, a prebiotic. This helps to feed our good bacteria. There are numerous benefits t0 resistant starch. It helps keep you feel full longer, have deeper sleep, lower blood sugar levels (so be careful if you have hypoglycemia), improve insulin sensitivity, increase absorption of minerals. Here, Here, and here is more information on resistant starch if you’re interested. 

3. Coconut kefir is a great way to get beneficial bacterial. It is a fermented milk drink that is highly nutritious and contains live probiotics. And the Ancient Awakenings one is dairy free and low sugar. And it’s way easier to get this in my kids versus fermented veggies! And, yes, if you guys are taking probiotics, it’s good to also have fermented foods since we need a variety of good bacteria. 

4. It’s hard to get in the right fats if we don’t consciously do it, and if you know me, you know I take every chance I can to insert healthy fats (olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, etc.)  into our diets. I choose the avocado oil because it is tasteless. Sometimes I use a 1/4 avocado instead (it only makes it creamier) but this is just a simpler way to make a smoothie in the morning when we are all in such a hurry. Coconut oil would solidify in the cold and make for a not-so-pleasant chunky smoothie and the olive oil (the kind I use) can be a little bitter. Anyway, I like to think that it is just fuel for their brains. 

So enjoy your smoothies, have a happy new year and here is to a healthy and happy 2017!

Happy Labor Day! Need a good treat for the holiday but don’t want it to taste “healthy” or gluten-free for your guests? Then these are perfect! I promise you will never know these things are gluten-free. No, they aren’t paleo. And they do have a higher glycemic index since they digest faster and will raise blood sugar more than my normal posted recipes, but they are as good as gluten-free gets. And we do use coconut sugar and butter so it does help lower the rate of digestion a little bit. But regardless, they are a treat so enjoy them!!!

Alice has been quite interested in baking recently. Thanks to some friends, we were introduced to this new flour. It’s the best gluten-free flour we have tried – hands down. You can substitute it for any recipe that calls for white flour. Last week, Alice made sugar cookies (we will share that recipe soon), and I can honestly say they were the best sugar cookie, gluten-free or not, that I have had. Again, these cookies (or any recipe made with this flour) doesn’t even taste gluten-free so why not try it? It certainly couldn’t hurt to reduce overall gluten intake. 

When trying to go gluten-free for the first time, don’t load up on lots of “gluten-free” refined carbohydrates because those foods are very high glycemic and will digest quickly.  Of course, we also have to be realistic and sometimes it means taking baby steps. If you are trying to get your kids to go gluten-free, or reduce their gluten intake, maybe start with this flour in a recipe or two. Eventually you can shift to low-glycemic (paleo) type treats since they can help to reduce inflammation, increase overall energy and keep blood sugar levels stable. But for now, let’s take one step at a time, and I can promise you, this flour is a good first step. You can get it at vitacost.com (our favorite online retailer for food), Target, Fresh Market, etc.