Pear Blueberry Smoothie (AIP)

Detox. It usually isn’t a “fun” word. Customarily, it means giving something up--often an unhealthy something--to make life a little better (dare I say “healthier”) in the future. I usually follow the Julia Child quote  “Everything in moderation… including moderation.” But sometimes our bodies have different plans...

I haven’t written in great detail about my current personal health struggles. If you know me in real life, chances are I’ve mentioned them to you (and if for some reason I haven’t, please feel free to ask). I’m just not certain I’m ready to write about it... Joy the Baker has an excellent post that references qualms with sharing personal information online.  Those who have been readers of “Sweet Treats” for a while have probably noticed many of my recipes are now gluten free, mostly because I find that I feel better on a GF diet. But now I’m taking things even further and doing a major food/lifestyle detox under the supervision of a doctor.

Not just no gluten, but no grains at all either. Also, no sugars/sweeteners. No dairy. No eggs. No corn. No nuts/seeds. No pork. What am I eating, you may ask? Basically, I’m eating an extreme paleo diet of meat, certain fruits & veggies, coconut, and olive oil, plus supplements. Lots of supplements.  And this detox will last 3 to 6 weeks at minimum.

Sounds pretty radical, right? It is, especially for a pastry person like I am.  But really, you get tired of shuttling from one specialist to the next & STILL not feeling well, even though your prescription list is a mile long. You get to a point where you’re willing to try anything to feel better.

I’m not going to say this detox journey has been easy--I’m a little more than 2 weeks in at this point. Some days are hard (especially at the beginning), but more days are less hard. This detox does require time, both in planning & the prep of meals & snacks. Trust me, you don’t ever want to find your self hangry (hungry + angry) because you forgot to plan a snack.....

Having the support of my husband & family & friends has been key too. They’ve gone along with my new plan & had the discipline not to eat things in front of me that I can’t eat. They’ve encouraged me when I felt like giving up.

Some of these lifestyle & dietary changes may become permanent (which is still a very scary concept), but I guess we’ll see how my body reacts once this detox process ends.  Really, one of my top goals is to help my body heal itself through nutrition. I’m happy to say that I’m already starting to feel better!

In the mean time, this blog will also be following my detox plan, which may result in some rather unusual items. I understand that not all readers may be a fan, but my first loyalty has to be to myself and my health. I’m afraid that if I deviate from my detox, even just for a blog post, I’ll be too tempted to make further exceptions that won’t make the detox as successful. My limited list of “allowed” foods has forced me to stretch my recipe writing creativity, and I’m not disappointed with the results.

So welcome to this new chapter of Sweet Treats. I’m excited to see where it goes!

Note: I am not a doctor, nor a healthcare professional. I do not suggest you follow these extreme dietary measures unless your doctor tells you to (and gives you the proper supplements). If you’re interested in doing a free, less-intense diet-based detox, I suggest you check out Whole30.

Pear Blueberry Smoothie
Serves 1; This smoothie is designed to fit in the Ninja Professional Blender single-serve cups. The recipe could be doubled (or tripled) for a larger blender. 

Pre-detox, I was really a cereal-for-breakfast sort of a girl. Now I’m totally hooked on smoothies instead! Many smoothies include bananas, but tropical fruits (i.e. high glycemic) are not on my allowed list. So I’ve found that a very ripe pear makes a lovely stand-in. Smoothies really aren’t rocket science, so don’t fret too much over the ingredient amounts--they’re really more like guidelines than anything. Just make sure you don’t overfill the blender cup :)

1 medium to large very ripe Pear, organic, if possible, cored--mine weighed approximately 6.5 oz AFTER coring
2/3 c (approximately 3.4 oz) frozen Blueberries, organic, if possible,
2/3 c (approximately 6.3 oz) Unsweetened Coconut Milk (organic if possible) 
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional), or substitute Collagen Hydrolysate (if AIP) 

1. Cut the organic pear in half & remove the seeds/stem/blossom. place each pear half cut side down & slice pear into small cubes. Place cubes into the blender cup & mash down a little to ensure more fruit will fit. 
2. Add frozen blueberries on top of pears, making sure not to add anything above the “Max Fill” line. 
3. Pour over the unsweetened coconut milk, also making sure not to exceed the “Max Fill” line.  Optional: pour in the protein powder. 
4. Screw on the bladed top & tighten. Flip the cup upside down, and fit into the blender base. 
5. Pulse a few times, or until the smoothie is well blended. 
6. Remove the blade top (rinse immediately). Add a straw & enjoy immediately. 

 Note:

• Many varieties of pears will work. I usually use whatever kind of organic pear is the cheapest. The riper the pear, the sweeter the smoothie will be. 
• As much as I love wild blueberries in other applications, I do not recommend them here because they make a much pulpier smoothie. They work in a pinch, but will drastically change the texture. 

This post contains affiliate links. Though, Ninja has never heard of me--I just like their blender.