Hello! It’s been an interesting season of figuring out my energy, weight fluctuations and what’s been behind them and frankly just balancing trying to homeschool three children with running a few businesses. I have needed quick, simple and light lunch options to break my fast as I usually breakfast with a somewhat bulletproof style coffee that satisfies my morning ritual and has just enough of the right kind of fat and amino acids to keep me satiated and sharp through the travail that is called elementary homeschool. I have to laugh about it as I’m not wired for teaching small children but I love them more than life and want the best for them so I’m doing my best to give them what they need.
I found if I started with breakfast… my brain was useless and I couldn’t focus as well on the kids because I was just hungry and irritated. But a clean intermittent fast (IF) didn’t work for me either as I found I didn’t have much to give the kids. So I fell to a cheaters IF which consisted of some powdered MCT & collagen frothed with my organic mostly Swiss water decaf. If I kept it under 50 calories my body was none the wiser and continued in autophagy, which is important for me as I have issues detoxifying and it is a sort of damaged cell cleanup system. Fasting promotes self-healing and I desperately need that so it’s perfect. All that to say post homeschool I need some sort of sustenance but putting a whole meal in my body meant I was basically useless as my body was focused on digesting for the rest of the afternoon… which doesn’t work for me as I really need both productive work time and my emotionally restorative workout or run! Exercise is deeply therapeutic for me and I feel it restores my soul. I run or work my body until my muscles are happily used and then my mind is free to move into creativity… and a sort of spiritual openness and readiness for God. It is where I find my peace. So… I started hitting up the smoothies because it gives me everything I need physically so I can thrive through the rest of my day rather than survive it. As much as I miss my pre-autoimmune life when my body was more resilient and I was more metabolically flexible, I am learning how to work with what I have and still enjoy it immensely. I enjoy the simplicity and there is something to be said for that.
This smoothie is full of medicinal mushrooms, sprouted pumpkin seeds and flax seeds for seed cycling in the follicular phase. I have boosted it with modified citrus pectin as the clinical studies on it are spectacular and help with a myriad of issues from autoimmunity to arthritis. I get MCP from EcoNugenics (PectaSol-C) as it is an extremely powerful immune modulator, detoxifier and supports cardiovascular and cellular health. It doesn’t taste like much so blends into everything. You can pick it up in my Wellevate Store.
I use Ancient Nutrition Chocolate Bone Broth Protein for this (available in Wellevate Store). This is my autoimmune friendly go to… so if you struggle with inflammation from legumes and veggies… this is the safe pick. I love making up an afternoon smoothie to break my fast as it’s light, nutrient dense and is great for my post-homeschool run or workout whether I have it as a pre-workout shake or for post-workout recovery.
If you prefer a vegan option, the Q Sciences EQ Protein is pea based and comes in vanilla and chocolate. They come in little packets to throw in a lunch bag or purse which is helpful. They are full of vitamins and digestive enzymes and are only 175 calories so can help to fill nutritional gaps without too many calories.
I sometimes like to add dōTERRA’s ingestible oils, which are marked with a nutritional label. They undergo stringent lab testing which unfortunately is not usual for the industry. Safety first. You can read more about that in this post. This smoothie is lovely with a bit of cinnamon or turmeric EO. You can get smoothie friendly culinary oils here.
I would love to know what you think about my recipes and what you would like to see. I can’t promise I can deliver… my food restrictions are pretty severe but I love creating.
Now for the recipe!
Brenna 💛
Mocha Mushroom Pumpkin Seed Smoothie 💛
Ingredients
- 1 cup ice
- 3/4 cup filtered water
- 1/4 cup organic Swiss water decaf cold brew
- 1/4 cup avocado
- 1 scoop Chocolate Bone Broth Protein or 1 pack EQ Chocolate Pea Protein*
- 1 scoop OM Master Mushroom Blend
- 1 tsp OM Brain Fuel Mocha
- 1 tbsp sprouted pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp flax seeds
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1-2 tbsp coconut kefir yogurt
- 1 scoop PectaSol-C* optional
Instructions
- Blend in a high powered blender until smooth and serve!
