One of my clients sent me this recipe, which also happens to be gluten-free. I'm thinking it could make a great Thanksgiving day breakfast, giving you a great Thanksgiving taste, fueling a great morning walk or workout, and keeping your appetite in check when the big meal is served. I removed the whipped cream and the sugar from the rims which you will see in the original recipe.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free + More Free)
1 cup pumpkin puree, chilled (fresh or canned)
½ cup full-fat coconut milk, chilled
½ cup filtered water
1 sliced, frozen ripe banana
1 tbsp almond flour (optional)
1 tbsp hemp seed (optional)
A tablespoon or two of honey, to taste
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice, or more to taste
Prepare glasses by dipping rims into shallow bowl of water and then cinnamon.
Combine all ingredients in blender. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds.
Pour into prepared glasses or pint-sized Mason jars as I did. Enjoy!
Just received an e-mail from our friends at Shape Foods (they're the ones coming out with the flavored flax oils we found at Natural Products West). They've got another wonderful product (in conjunction with Flax USA) that's only been on grocery shelves for 9 days…flax milk!
Andrew Lis of Shape Foods provided this interesting information about their product:
The key ingredient comes from our flax oil. Due to the superior quality of our oil and since we remove the impurities that can cause the oil to go rancid prematurely through our proprietary manufacturing process, it was the only flax oil on the market that was able to survive pasteurization without going rancid. That is why we are the exclusive ingredient supplier for this type of product.
This product is available at most Walmart stores, so intern Sarah Jones and I set out to find it. Here is Sarah with the original-flavored version (there is also vanilla-flavored).
This carton, here in Phoenix, is priced at $2.98, and it is in the refrigerator case near the other milks and milk substitutes.
It is a dairy-free, lactose-free, soy-free, and gluten-free product. Even though it's primarily fat-based, 8 ounces of the original flavor only contains 50 calories.
Here's the fatty acid profile on the side of the carton. As you can see, it's got a great omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.
The important thing to keep in mind is that this product is made with an oil, and it contains 0 protein. If you use this in place of milk on your cereal, be sure to add another protein source to that meal to keep your glycemic index in check.
I bet this would be a great substitute for creamer in coffee (you'd be hard-pressed to find another way to get omega-3's into your coffee!).
And if you have a fancy blender that makes ice creams, the vanilla version is likely going to be a nice treat. If anyone tries this in their kitchen, please share how you used it!
The following is a guest blog post from Dawn Marie Black, a woman with PCOS. Dawn is learning to cook in hormone-friendly ways, and has a great blog,Much Madness Is Divinest Sense, in which she records her experiences on this journey. In this post Dawn shares information about coconut flour.
If you'd like to try coconut flour but cannot find it locally, here are some options for online ordering.
What flour is high in fiber, and protein, low in carbohydrates and gluten free? We're talkin' coconut flour here!
I have PCOS, and found that these things are better for me, and having tried this flour I found I really like it.
Coconut flour is fiber from the coconut meat after most of the oil has been extracted to make Virgin Coconut Oil. Each brand of coconut flour will vary in their content of protein and fiber, but the protein and fiber is higher than gluten based flours, and that makes this flour very appealing for keeping my baked goods low carb, and to reduce other gastric issues that gluten can aggravate. Who really likes having IBS issues? I, for one, am not a fan. It is also considered a hypoallergenic food since so few people are allergic to coconut, which makes this easy to offer to many of your friends who may have other allergies. There are three things to remember when using coconut flour: One, always sift. Two, extra liquid is needed. Three, it needs something to bind it all together.
Coconut flour can be used in all recipes calling for flour. Most can be substituted with anywhere between 10% — 30% coconut flour, adding in the equal amount of liquid into the recipe as well. Other recipes may need further adjustments, for binding agents and liquid depending on the amount of fiber in the coconut flour. The easiest recipes to convert to 100% coconut flour are muffins, bars, pancakes, cakes, and quick breads. There are recipes on the internet and in print that can be helpful in building new recipes from. I have tried doing an equal exchange of flour, and without the extra binding agents and liquid the muffins were really dry, enough to toss with one bite. It was awful. If it looks dry, add more liquid.
There are several things to remember when using coconut flour. Always sift before measuring whether the recipe calls for it or not, it is inferred. If you forget to sift, you will be disappointed with your results as it will be dry and crumbly. This flour is very"thirsty", the fiber in the flour soaks up moisture, so more needs to be added to your recipes, it's usually an equal amount. Sticky sweeteners, such as brown rice syrup, can be included in your measurements for liquid, but oil is not included. Then you'll want to remember that since the flour has no internal binder, it requires additional eggs. The ratio is between 4-5 eggs per cup up to 1 egg per ounce of flour, there are other binders that can be utilized as well, egg whites, soaked flax, sticky sweeteners help with binding as well. I have found that those who are cooking vegan know many other binding agents and are good sources to ask regarding other alternatives in your baking. I've compiled a list of alternatives you can find by clicking here. I personally like eggs, they provide protein and are tasty, but I do substitute egg whites for some of the eggs, especially when I know I will be eating them in other forms through out the day.
If your batter is dry your baked goods will be dry, add in more liquids to moisten the flour for a more moist baked item. I forgot this once with a quick bread recipe, the batter was dry, and when the bread came out of the oven it was more lumpy and dry then when I had put it in the oven. Do not be afraid of a more moist batter, the fiber soaks it up. Coconut flour can be used in other common purposes such as breading and as a thickening agent for soups, stews, etc. If you are using it as a breading, make double the sauce to pour over your item in order to allow for the soaking up of the liquids. I made a Coq a Vin for a party, and overnight the breaded chicken soaked up all the sauce that was to be poured over the pieces of chicken. The flavor was there, but it would have been more delicious with the sauce to pour over the meal. Do not be afraid to make adjustments, print out your recipes make notes with your changes, decide how you liked your item and either make more corrections or make a note letting yourself know if you liked it or not. There will be some things that you will love the flavor, but maybe you will want a different texture. I'm still working on gooey brownies, I will be adding apple sauce to increase the moisture in my next batch.
Here are some helpful links to find recipes to begin your journey of cooking with coconut flour, and don't forget these three things when using coconut flour: always sift before measuring, extra liquid is needed, and it needs something to bind it all together.
It's a question we get all the time and the answer is yes, no, and maybe.
If you have a diagnosis of celiac disease, the answer is definitely yes.
If you are eliminating gluten from your diet because someone on the Internet has told you to do so, the answer is no.
If you think you may have a food sensitivity, then the answer is maybe. The problem with slapping a gluten-free restriction on yourself is that you may be eliminating foods you don't need to eliminate. You may have a simple sensitivity to wheat, for example, but that doesn't mean you need to eliminate ALL gluten-containing foods.
If you cast a wide net, and eliminate 200 things, and only one of them is the culprit, you've just eliminated 199 foods that you could have eaten that actually could have been productive for you. That's going to make it hard for you to stay on track, because you've limited the variety of foods you can eat, your ability to eat out, socialize, etc.
Michal Hogan, RD, one of our inCYSTers in Columbus, has shared that sometimes, when people don't have a gluten issue, simply by limiting gluten in the diet, they can create one! Don't want to go there, now, do you?
At inCYST we do believe that food sensitivities can trigger an inflammatory process and be a major factor in PCOS. We've even added that topic to our professional training. However, we believe there is a much more scientific and accurate way of pinpointing the problem. It's called LEAP testing. Many of our network members are Certified LEAP Therapists, meaning that if you believe a food sensitivity is part of your problem, they can help you to interpret a blood test that tells you EXACTLY what your issue is. So you're not unnecessarily eliminating foods, and you have a precise game plan.
To learn more about LEAP testing, go to http://www.nowleap.com/. If you'd like to find a LEAP therapist in your area, Michal is a LEAP mentor. You can contact her at nutritionresults@aol.com.
