Holiday Decision Making

The holidays are fast approaching and I cannot believe Thanksgiving is next week!! Not all of us will be able to host our own Thanksgiving or holiday dinner and therefore are at the mercy of all the temptations that will be set in front of us, from the dinner rolls, to the green bean casserole, to the pumpkin pie! Here's a few suggestions on how to survive this holiday season without putting on an extra 10 lbs of bloat or causing yourself annoying and uncomfortable health complications such as stomach aches, headaches, gas, IBS... you get the picture. And for those of you who are able to bring something to dinner or are hosting a dinner of your own, I've included a few of my favorite holiday recipes. Enjoy!

1. Protein. Load your plate with turkey and ham. Protein is the highly satiating, meaning it fills you up quickly. So, by starting with protein you are less likely to overeat.
2. Make sure to eat your veggies! The antioxidants and other micronutrients from the vegetables will aid with digestion and inflammation. Hopefully there are real veggie options to choose from, like grilled, steamed or sauteed vegetables. Green bean casserole and mashed potatoes don't count ;)
3. Walk away from the dinner rolls! Don't waste your appetite on these anti-nutritious, little suckers. They're just not worth it. After all, you need to save room for dessert!
4. Dessert: Use discretion here. Try to avoid items containing wheat or flour, like cookies, brownies and cakes. This is where moderation is key.   

Finally, when making your decisions about what to eat this holiday season, ask yourself the following:

1. Is it worth the possible health irritations? (i.e. stomach ache, headache, bloating, lethargy) 
2. Will eating this start a spiral effect and cause you to go completely off course and have to scramble to get back everything you have worked so hard for? 

• If you answer “no” to both: EAT IT!!
• If you answer “yes” to 1 and “no” to 2: EAT IT!! 
• If you answer “yes” to both: DON’T EAT IT!
• If you answer “yes” to both, but still think it’s worth it: EAT IT!! It’s the holidays 

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 bag of Cranberries

2 large Oranges (enough to yield 1 cup of liquid)

1 cup of Honey or Pure Maple Syrup

Allspice

Directions:

1.Juice oranges and finely grate orange zest from peel.

2.Place cranberries, orange juice, zest, and sweetener in sauce pan.

3.Bring to a boil for 10 minutes or until you hear cranberries pop.

4.Turn to low and add allspice and simmer for 15 minutes.

5.Let cool and serve chilled.

        

          Bacon Wrapped Asparagus 

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Asparagus Spears

Package of organic, nitrate free Bacon (I like Applegate Farms)

Olive Oil

Black Pepper

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.Drizzle olive oil on asparagus spears, sprinkle with pepper, then wrap each spear with one slice of bacon.

3.Place spears on slotted broiler pan.

4.Bake for 12 minutes.

       

         Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

Crust

1 cup of Almond Flour

½ cup of chopped Pecans

Pinch of Sea Salt

¼ cup Coconut oil or butter softened

2 TBSP Honey (optional)

1 TSP Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine almond flour, salt, pecans, in large bowl.  In another bowl combine oil, honey, and vanilla extract.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until completely combined.  Using fingers press the dough into a 9 ½ inch pie pan.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Cool completely before filling. 

Filling

1 – 14oz can of organic pumpkin puree (nothing added, just pumpkin)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

2 eggs

1/2 cup raw organic honey

1/2 cup coconut milk

While the crust is in the oven, whisk all of the pie filling ingredients together.  Pour into the crust that has been baked for 10 minutes, return to the oven and bake for and additional 45 minutes.  

 

Breakfast In a Hurry - Egg Bake

One of my favorite breakfast Paleo recipes is an egg bake casserole. It is incredibly easy and quick to make. I usually will make this on a Sunday evening and then eat from it the rest of the week. So it will save you time when you are rushing around in the morning to get to work. Plus, it gives you a decent serving of vegetables (where most of us lack at breakfast).

Ingredients:
6-10 eggs - depending on pan size
Spinach
Red/Green Peppers
Mushrooms
Broccoli
Onions
Ground Turkey, Chicken, OR Bacon
1 can of Coconut Milk
4-6 TBSP of Coconut Flour
2 TBSP of melted Kerigold Butter
Coconut oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop up all the vegetables into small pieces. Mix the eggs, coconut milk, butter, and coconut flour in a big bowl. Then throw all the vegetables into the egg mixture. Cook the meat or bacon in a pan and then chop into small pieces as well then throw into the bowl. Mix everything together and then pour into your pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Then you are done! Now all you have to do is cut a slice and zap it in the microwave before you leave for work.

Now I shouldn't hear anymore excuses that you don't have time to eat breakfast! Enjoy!

Crockpot Green Chile Stew

I grew up in New Mexico and green chili stew is a cold weather staple. The traditional recipes call for white potatoes and are typically cooked stove top. Well, I have no time to stay home to watch my stew simmer today and white potatoes are not paleo friendly*. So, I opted for using the Crockpot and substituted butternut squash for the potatoes, crossed my fingers and hoped it turned out ok...IT DID!!! Super yummy and exactly what's needed on one of the first cold days in Austin :)
  
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
2 small onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 butternut squash, chopped into bite size cubes
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 or 1 cup crushed green chile* depending on how spicy you want it. 
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the chicken is falling apart. You can speed up the process by cooking it on high. It all depends on how long you plan on being away from the house. I made this in the morning before class, and knew I wouldn't be back at the house until later that day, so I cooked it on low.

Enjoy!!

*The green chile I used was from a little gift shop in Chimayo NM called El Potrero Trading Post. They do ship chile and I HIGHLY recommend getting some! http://www.potrerotradingpost.com/
Alternatives would be frozen green chile (you can usually find good frozen chile at Central Market or Whole Foods) or canned green chile.

*White potatoes are high on the glycemic index, which means they break down into sugar very quickly upon digestion and spike your blood gluclose rapidly. In other words, they are basically sugar with little nutritional value. This is why they are not exactly "paleo friendly"