Collard Greens Smoothie

This one turned out to be really good! I could hardly taste the collards.

-2 huge leaves collard greens
-1 cup water (add more to taste)

Blend this up until the greens are liquid, then add:

-2 bananas
-1/2 cup cranberries
-1/2 cup dark sweet cherries
-dash of stevia
3 ice cubes
-optional- spirulina, chia, maca, bee pollen, etc.

Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

And to go with your delicious raw brownies, I give you...

RAW BANANA ICE CREAM!! *sigh* I am in raw dessert heaven right now. I was going to take a picture of the brownies and ice cream together, but...unfortunately...they were eaten before I even had a chance. :D

Raw Banana "Ice Cream":

Serves 4
-3-4 frozen bananas
-dash of vanilla extract
-dash of cinnamon
-few drops maple syrup (optional)

Place bananas in food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. Add other ingredients and pulse a few more times to blend.

Serve alone or with homemade chocolate syrup (recipe coming up soon) or raw brownies (see previous post).

Enjoy!! I sure did. ;)

Delicious Raw Vegan Brownies!

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder
1 Tbsp agave nectar (I'm sure honey would work just as well)
-Note: If you're not vegan, add approx 1 Tbsp of raw milk to increase moisture-

Icing:
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder (or less if you want a milder chocolate flavor)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
dash salt
dash cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Food process the brownie ingredients until blended and chunky.
2. Press into a small pan.
3. Put all icing ingredients into blender, and blend on high until smooth.
4. Spread icing over brownies and pop in freezer to set for 1 hr. then cut and put in snack sized baggies.

Oh, and I sprinkled a little coconut sugar on top of the finished brownies to satisfy my ultra sweet tooth. *wink*

I was VERY impressed with these little treats! I've never made raw brownies before, but these are a definite win in my opinion. (My mom loved them too!)

Enjoy!

Good Morning Green Smoothie

Hi everyone! :) Just thought I'd pop in and post a nice PCOS-friendly recipe.

Red chard & fruit smoothie:

(makes about 2 glasses)
~2 red chard leaves (or regular chard)
~1/2 bunch of parsley
~1 banana
~1 pear
~1/4 cup frozen sweet cherries
~1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (GREAT for blood sugar control, helps with cravings)
~fresh sliced ginger root to taste
~stevia to taste
~5 ice cubes
~water, add until you reach desired consistency

optional (I add about 1 Tbsp each of the following):

chia seeds
maca powder
bee pollen
lecithin granules

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Enjoy!

Update

Well, I'm back...finally! :) No particular reason for my absence, other than just life in general! I'll try to get in at least two posts per week, even if it's just a PCOS-friendly recipe.

In the past few months, I have significantly improved my PCOS symptoms. I stopped the super-strict diet, it was too hard on my body. However, I'm still following a modified version. Very small amounts of wheat (but plenty of whole grains), very little sugar, lots of veggies and fruit, nuts/seeds, and raw dairy. And of course, lots of herbal tea! I'm drinking about 4 cups of herbal tea every day, and let me tell you, it makes a HUGE difference in how I feel. Even if my diet gets bad and I feel like a load of bricks, a few cups of tea will make me feel much better.

Here are the websites where I get most of my recipes and healthy living info:

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/

http://www.elanaspantry.com/

More later,

Erin

PCOS Diet: Day 3

More of the same. Still feeling light-headed, jittery, HUNGRY, and I cannot concentrate to save my life. I'm thinking about modifying this diet a little to ease the transition. Eventually I would like to go all out and be really strict with my eating, but the way I feel now is ridiculous. I can't function. I made a little bit of that Berry Coconut smoothie again, and it really does help.

I looked up "carb/sugar withdrawal" on the internet, and found a website where people were reporting how they felt for the first few days after cutting out certain things from their diet. Here's a few examples:

"I am on day 4 of a no sugar diet and I feel really dizzy, light headed, weak, tired and irritable!"

"For the past 2 weeks I have only eaten "fresh" foods, veggies, fruits, eggs, meats, etc.... and I can tell you that the headache part is real. My head hurt for 6 days and I mean it hurt!"

"I am just starting a diet plan cutting out sugar and refined flour; I've also opted to cut caffeine at the same time. As of Day 1 afternoon (now), I have second thoughts about taking this on all at once. I already am having difficulty concentrating and sinus pressure building towards headache."


Yep. My sentiments exactly. Grrrr...


Maybe tomorrow will be better! :)

~Erin

Smoothie: Berry Coconut Delight

I just invented this recipe 5 minutes ago, and it is heavenly. You must try it. :)

Berry Coconut Delight:

Ingredients:

-1-2 cups frozen mixed berries
-1/2 can coconut milk
-2 teaspoons coconut oil
-dash of stevia

Combine berries, coco milk, and coco oil in blender. Pour into a glass, and stir in stevia. Enjoy!


~Erin