With the holidays approaching it's time for the three F’s of life - food, friends, and family. It’s common to look at this time of year as a time of weight gain and overeating but this doesn’t have to be the case. With the right tools and recipes, we can enjoy the 2020 holiday season and leave it behind us guilt free.
Know the Tricks
One of the ways to cook and eat delicious foods without feeling the guilt is to use fresh ingredients over canned goods. This can be a little more time consuming but worth the health benefits every time. Using fresh over canned or frozen not only helps with things such as bloating, indigestion, and feeling fatigued afterwards but it also helps to contribute in a lot of cases to local farms. This means that not only are you getting nutritional foods but you’re also helping support a local business.
When the food is good it’s common that even when we get full we continue to keep eating. Our urges can sometimes win over our full stomachs. Drinking a warm or hot glass of water before the meal and after the meal can help with digestion so you don’t feel backed up or deal with the food stagnation that is waiting for you behind those second helpings. If digestion problems do occur there are some acupressure points you can do to help yourself make it through. Be sure to consult your acupuncture physician at your next appointment about what acupressure points can specifically help you through the holidays when you’re unable to make it in.
Simple Recipes
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
What You Need:
· 4 pounds of cauliflower (about 2 heads)
· 6 tablespoons of butter
· 2 garlic cloves (2 tsp pre chopped garlic)
· ¾ cups of fresh grated parmesan cheese
· ½ tsp or dried thyme or 2 teaspoons of fresh
· Salt and pepper to taste
How to Prepare:
1. De-leave and cut your cauliflower into florets.
2. In a sauce pot bring 8 cups of water to a boil and add your cauliflower. Add more water to the boil so that your cauliflower is fully submerged.
3. Cover the pot until it’s brought to a boil & then turn the temperature down and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
4. Drain the water from the cauliflower and move to a food processor.
5. Add the butter, garlic, salt and pepper and pulse until it’s a smooth consistency.
6. Add the remaining ingredients (parmesan cheese and thyme) and pulse once more until everything is blended.
7. Place in a serving bowl and add more salt, pepper, garnish, and voilà.
Green Bean Casserole
What You Need:
· 2 ½ pounds of fresh green beans
· ¾ cups whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
· ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
· 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
· 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil divided
· 1 yellow onion
· 8 oz baby bella mushrooms
· 3 tbsp almond flour (can substitute whole wheat flour)
· 2 cups of whole milk
· 1 tsp salt
· ½ tsp black pepper
· 7 oz Greek yogurt
How to Prepare:
1. Preheat the oven to a broil and coat the baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley and 2 of the 4 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil and set aside a bowl of iced water with a dry clean towel set aside nearby. Place the green beans in the boiling water for about 3 minutes and then place them in the ice bath so that they stop cooking. Drain the water, place the green beans on the dry towel, and continue to pat them dry.
4. In a saucepan on medium heat, heat up 1 tbsp of EVOO, and add the mushrooms and onions to the pan. Cook for about 15 minutes until the onions are soft and the mushrooms are nice and brown and have released their water.
5. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and then sprinkle the flour over top. Continue to stir until the flour is dissolved, combined, and there are no white spots. About 2 minutes.
6. Slowly add the milk and continue to stir in between each addition so that clumps do not form. Add the salt and pepper and continue to stir until it thickens into a gravy like texture. About 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the Greek yogurt.
8. Transfer half of your green beans to the baking dish and spread half of the sauce over top, repeat this step with the remaining half of the green beans and sauce. Add the breadcrumb mixture over the top.
9. Put in to broil for about 1 to 3 minutes or until the casserole begins to bubble. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Skillet CornBread – Recipe from “erinliveswhole.com”
What You Need:
· 1 cup of all-purpose flour (can substitute almond flour)
· 1 cup cornmeal
· 1 tsp baking soda
· 1 tsp salt
· 2 eggs
· ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
· 1/3 cup honey
· ½ cup almond milk
· 1 cup corn (fresh is always better)
· 1 tbsp butter
How to Prepare:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 and stick the skillet in the oven while it’s preheating.
2. In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt)
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and Greek yogurt. When combined add in the honey and almond milk, continue to whisk.
4. In increments combine the wet and dry ingredients, stir until well combined but do not over-mix.
5. Stir in the corn.
6. Take the skillet out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Add the butter to the skillet and grease the whole thing including the sides.
7. Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for 20 to 22 minutes.
These are just a few simple recipes that have a healthier spin. Anything you make you can make consciously and with love by just substituting a few simple ingredients. Between thanksgiving and the remainder of this season's holidays it is a great time to schedule a nutritional therapy consultation and see what specific foods and recipes can help you combat digestion problems for the rest of the year. Share what you learned with your family and bring a newly found healthy recipe to your next socially distanced holiday gathering and impress everyone with not only your culinary skills but your healthy ingredients.
