Yuck Yum Bitty

Note

BUILD A YUCK YUM BITTY IN FOUR OR FIVE ITTY-BITTY STEPS:

1. Yuck Yum Bitty Base
2. Yuck Yum Bitty Proteins - pick 1, or pick 2 and halve them:
   • 1 scoop unflavored Pristine Whey Protein Powder (you can use chocolate or strawberry pristine whey, but if you do, don’t add the stevia)
   • 1 scoop Integral Collagen (1.5 Tbsp)
   • 1 scoop fermented pea protein (Serene uses Nutrasumma plain Fermented Pea Protein)
3. Yuck Yum Bitty Superfood Fats - leave out or pick 1: (See *FP or E Version Note below.)
   • 1 to 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
   • 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
   • 1 to 2 tablespoons cold-pressed flax oil (from a refrigerated black bottle)
   • 1 tablespoon MCT oil
4. Yuck Yum Bitty Superfood Spices and Powders - pick 1 to 3 choices; cinnamon is great if you prefer to keep things simple.
   • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   • 1 teaspoon matcha tea
   • ½ teaspoon maca powder
   • ½ teaspoon chaga extract (Serene uses VitaJing Herbs brand)
   • ½ to 1 teaspoon ashwaghanda root powder (such as Terrasoul Superfoods brand)
   • ½ teaspoon amla powder
   • 1 teaspoon lúcuma powder
5. Yuck Yum Bitty Thickeners - leave out or pick 1:
   • 4 tablespoons whole soaked chia seeds with 1 cup water (Note: If using chia, don’t use another superfood fat.)
   • 1½ teaspoons Just Gelatin (with 2 tablespoons cool water and 2 tablespoons just-off-the-boil water for blooming)

*Note for Yuck Yum Bitty FP or E Versions:

• Don’t add an extra fat option and thicken with the gelatin rather than the chia seeds.
• Consider your Yuck Yum Bitty an E if you use low-fat kefir from a store.

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From Trim Healthy Table, pages 497-498:
SERENE CHATS:  And now for the last smoothie of the book... Pearl literally steals this from my blessed hands! Everywhere we go I take my Bitty as a meal or snack to fall back on. Whether we are recording for our podcast, at the THM office for a meeting, writing together for our books, at the airport, in Pearl’s MESSY van (she drives me everywhere), I always pull it out from my diaper bag and save my own day. It’s my perfect GTPAM (go-to plan-ahead meal) for our beautifully chaotic lives. If I’m rushing out the door I can throw it together in a few seconds and know I have a Super Purist healthy and satisfying meal or backup plan for if we are only around junk food. You see, this thing is a cross between a drink and food. To me, it is like a hearty meal in a mason jar. It is not cold and icy like other smoothies; it actually tastes best at room temperature in my opinion, right out of my bag. You can literally eat it with a spoon if you make the thickened version, no straws required.

Pearl, of course, never plans ahead and always wants a sip or a bite of mine when she is starving on days when we have business meetings and the guys at the office want Chinese food for the umpteenth time in a row. Of course, that one sip goes from one to twenty-one. She always starts with the word “yuck” but keeps on chowing down and very soon changes it to “yum . . . YUM!!!” You see this Bitty is so uniquely yum that it almost has a little yuck. But the yuck is intriguingly exciting and delicious. There is suspense and victory in every swallow. It’s a thriller of a drink, an awesome mouthful experience where you get to push against the normal boundaries of yum and see how far you can go without falling into the pit of yuck! Want to try some? This is all part of the dare.

To be honest, I never planned on sharing the recipe for this Bitty with the whole wide world. It is kind of like a personal blankie with my own “goobers” on it and I didn’t think anyone else would really get it, so I never thought of it as cookbook material. I really don’t like overly sweet foods, so I designed the Bitty to achieve the very flavor pinnacle of how I enjoy my smoothies... a little tart... a little earthy... a lot creamy, with a deep base note of antioxidant-rich bitter cocoa. But on one of our podcasts Pearl opened up her trap about the crazy smoothie I was drinking (and that she was stealing) and it was suddenly public. I thought people would listen and shudder and that would be that, but shockingly we had so many Mamas write in wanting the recipe for the “Yuck Yum Bitty.” Those e-mails just keep a-coming—our listeners keep demanding this drink!

It rocks my world, I kid you not, and I could eat/drink it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (with some salads and a few of my Trimmy Bisque soups thrown in for a now and then change-up). In this busy season of book writing I can sip and keep working away (I know it’s naughty to not relax and eat at the table, but sometimes life throws a curve ball and you gotta keep truckin’). So rather than derailing to sugar when life gets chaotic, how about letting the Yuck Yum be your lifeline, too!

This recipe, when mixed with the chia seeds, swells up into a big quart of wonderful Yuck Yum stuff. I throw in all the superfoods I ever get for treats from my husband and for birthdays and Christmas and blend them with cocoa, tart homespun kefir, and berries. The chia-thickened version is usually enough for a couple of small meals or snacks for me. I usually just eat it slowly until I am satisfied and put the rest away for a snack later in the day. It stays great in the fridge or in your bag. You can divide it from the beginning into two separate jars, but you don’t have to. The thickened version can be enjoyed with a spoon and is especially delightful when you want to eat rather than drink your meal. That is Pearl’s favorite.

P.S. My body thrives on my double-fermented, pasture-fed raw-milk kefir. I almost always have this as a filling S, using full-fat kefir, but I seem to burn it like rocket fuel and it keeps me Trim. There may be some of you who will not be able to down it with as much abandon as I can. We all have different genetic metabolisms and certain foods, like dairy, work better for some of us than others. Keep in touch with your weight loss or maintenance progress and see if the S Bitty is something you can have regularly or just occasionally. Perhaps try the FP version described below or the Coconut Yuck Yum Bitty, if the full-fat dairy stalls you.
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KEFIR NOTE:

Store-bought kefir is not really fermented enough if using this as an S recipe like I usually do. You need a homemade kefir when in S mode. You can make this an FP smoothie by using low-fat homemade kefir. Consider your Bitty an E if you use low-fat kefir from a store. For these FP or E versions, don’t add an extra fat option and thicken with the gelatin rather than the chia seeds. (See page 459 of Trim Healthy Table for the Shockingly Simple Milk Kefir recipe.)

Be sure to check out the "Kefir" Page in the FAQ Area for updated guidelines on kefir!!

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Complimentary Recipes:

Dairy-Free Version: Coconut Yuck Yum Bitty recipe, page 499 of Trim Healthy Table Cookbook.

Pearl's Counterfeit Yuck Yum Bitty recipe.