PCOS Smoothie Bowl
I do love smoothies, but. a smoothie bowl is even better. From a time perspective, smoothies are great (throw them in a blender, and then transfer to your favorite mug, or bowl) and you’re good to go. You can also fill your smoothies/smoothie bowls with lots of vegetables and greens (shhh you’ll never taste them), and up your protein if that’s something you’re after. I’ve found that Kelly LeVeque has a great recipe for success. She calls them “fab 4 smoothies”, I’ve found it to be a pretty helpful framework for building out your smoothie bowl. A little further down, I’ve put a video of her explaining how it works. But for ease, I’ve broken it down to make it the best for PCOS. Ultimately smoothies can be sugar bombs if your not careful, so read more for your PCOS smoothie bowl.
So here’s your order of operations.
First thing’s first, you need a blender.
I personally use the Nutribullet, which is easy to clean, cheaper than the fancy vitamix’s and does a great job at make JUST the right amount (the goldilocks of blenders if you will). Mine came with a few different blade options, a few different sized containers and even lids. Honestly, at the $79 price tag, it’s pretty hard to beat.
Next up is picking a protein powder (if you plan on using one). I’ve gone through a long exercise of helping you pick out healthy and clean protein powders in a previous post. The goal is to really look at the nutrition and ingredients on the back. First up look at your calories (it’s important, but not THE most important). Then I usually check the carbohydrates and the fiber content. I did a post on how to count carbs (hint it’s total grams of carbs minus your grams of fiber), this is your net carbs and a great way to keep track of what your carbs are going to be. If you have PCOS you probably already know about counting carbohydrates, but the quick and dirty is if you’re trying to be low carb/keto you need to know how much you’re consuming.
I also like to check the protein content, for me personally a protein powder that only has 10-11 grams of protein probably isn’t enough, and remember our pcos friendly smoothie bowl needs to keep us FULL. If you’re hungry immediately, it’s defeated the entire exercise. If I’m eating a smoothie/smoothie bowl in the morning, I like to know I’ll be full until lunch. So that’s say 4-ish hours of being satiated.
Last thing to check is sugar content, this is where you can really blow the whole recipe. How much added sugar is there? If there’s no sugar, what are the sweeteners? If. you’re educated on sweeteners and know what works best for you, make sure your protein powder is using those. You can also go the collagen route, and do the unflavored collagen powder, or unfavored protein powder. That way you can get all the benefits of the protein without the concerns of the sugar.
Eat your veggies. One of the best thing in my humble opinion about smoothie bowls, and PCOS friendly smoothie bowls in particular is the amount of vegetables you can cram in one meal. Look let’s call a spade a spade here, sometimes you need veggies, but you don’t particularly WANT them. Been there, let me tell you. While vegetables may change the color of your smoothie, it won’t affect the flavor too much. The other great thing, is if you use froze veggies, they make the smoothie cold and mimic the use of ice. I’ve done some experimenting over the years, and my favorite veggies for smoothie bowls are:
Spinach (fresh)
Cauliflower (frozen). I actually find cauliflower rice is the best
Kale (I take fresh bags and throw them in the freezer)
Fats keep you full. That’s the reality, and there’s a lot you can do for your fats in your best PCOS smoothie Bowl. This is also the point where I caveat, if you. have any allergies or restrictions, you need to be cognizant of that. I’ve been going dairy free, so this is something I keep in mind for fats, but you can do a lot here. Some ideas and favorites (a list of all so pick your favorites) include
MCT Oil— derived from coconut oil, this liquid oil makes your smoothie extra creamy
Avocado—Need I say more? If you’re watching your calories however, be careful not to load up too much. I tend to go 1/4-1/2 an avocado depending on the size of the said avocado
Nut butter/tahini—I LOVE tahini, I really do, and you can use peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter (you get the idea). But, make sure your nut butters contain just one ingredient: nuts. A lot of brands will throw in a sneaky oil (palm, sunflower, etc.), and you want to be in full control of what you’re eating
Wondering how to swap out your peanut butter? I’ve done the work for you!
Fruit for sweetness. Remember this is totally optional. If you’re going keto, skip the fruit, but if your’e low carb, try berries. Low glycemic load fruit (I mainly stick with berries) are a great addition. I will also caveat that this when your smoothie bowl starts to look particularly murky. Beware, it does not affect taste, but it’s going to look very muddy. You can use whatever fruit you want, but here are my favorites (always frozen). Again the frozen fruit is going to make your smoothie (bowl) extra thick.
Frozen berries (blueberries, mixed berries, strawberries, rasberries). When I can, I usually get organic.
Frozen bananas. This takes a little prepping, which is why it’s not always my go to. Take a ripe banana, cut it up into slices and then throw in the freezer. If I do banana, I usually stick with about 1/2 of one in frozen form. I will say, banana makes smoothies EXTRA delicious and creamy.
Fiber for your tummy. Sometimes when I want to feel more full, or am worried about getting my full 25-35 grams of fiber, I’ll throw in some easy fiber. Note to all those who are exploring this, psyllium husk powder, when left too long, will make your smoothie gloppy and weird. It works, but you’ll need to finish the smoothie fast. Here are some less texture upsetting options:
Flax seed—Throw them in whole. The ones that you buy at the store pre-ground can go rancid quickly.
Chia seeds—Also make sure you blend these and don’t just throw them on top of your smoothie bowl. When they absorb water they kind of balloon and get stuck in your teeth (or worse. your throat), so blend these babies.
Add your favorite liquid. I go for water, or clean alternative milks. Be careful with your milks though. Some oat/nut milks have added oils (yuck) and you really need to read the ingredient list. Ideally your milk only has 2 ingredients (maybe 3 if they’ve added salt). The best ones I’ve found are Elmhurst, and Malk, but there are others out there. Beware of the “gums” especially if you have some digestive issues.
So now you’ve made your smoothie! Congratulations.
Let’s talk about toppings. Remember here, the world is your oyster. These are just some of my favorites, but get creative and do what feels right to you!
Unsweetened coconut
Berries (fresh or frozen)
Granola (be careful here if you’re low carb). Maybe go with something that’s either homemade with no gluten, or pick a store bought that you trust and have read the label.
Extra taihini/nut butter. THE LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST (please tell me you’re with me on this Mean Girls reference. Love Tina Fey, she’s truly the best. But, I digress)
So now you find your bowl, beautiful mug, or whatever vessel makes you the happiest for your smoothie bowl and enjoy! Don’t forget though, if you’re like me and ALWAYS running late, you can throw your smoothie into a to-go container and grab a stainless steel straw and be on your merry way.
Have you tried making this PCOS friendly smoothie bowl? How did it work for you? Make sure to share your favorite combinations and share in the comments below.
