Food & Cooking

Holiday Treats That Won’t Let You Down

Nobody likes to feel left out at a holiday party. And certainly no one wants to be sick for Christmas. So how can you have your cake and eat it, too? How can you enjoy social warmth and celebrate festive food without indulging your sweet tooth and weakening your immunity? I’ve scoured the internet to find whole food dessert recipes for that won’t trigger a sugar rush and subsequent crash! Here’s my winning  line-up of TEN remarkable desserts:

Spiced English Pear Trifle from Autoimmune Wellness

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares from Rachel’s Nourishing Kitchen

 

Key Lime Pie from Pretty Pies

 

Chocolate Beetroot Cake from the Nourished Psychologist

with Chocolate Avocado Icing from Chocolate Covered Katie

 

batch_carob cup cranberry fig ice cream pro

Mini Carob Cups with Cranberry Ice Cream from Autoimmune Wellness

 

Sweet Potato Pie Pudding from Blissful Basil

 

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookie from Gourmande in the Kitchen

 

Coconut Milk Eggnog from Wellness Mama

 

Chocolate Turtles from Meghan Telpner

 

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge from Bakerita

 

Stamina Snacks

Can’t get through the day without eating every 2-3 hours? Need a pick-me-up between meals? Optimally, the digestive system should rest for 4-5 hours between eating. The drive to fuel frequently in order to keep energy up can be a red flag for blood sugar dysregulation and may indicate an imbalance of macronutrients.

Nevertheless, there are those times when having compact, shelf-stable food in a purse or backpack, can save you from shakiness, irritability, faintness, or an emerging headache. If you’re going to reach for something, make sure it’s nutrient dense, with a proportionate ratio of carbs, fats, and proteins. Grabbing a snack bar or candy bar with something like 36 grams of carbohydrate will only aggravate the energy bursts followed by bouts of weariness.

These stamina snacks offer you some wholesome, real food nutrition, with plenty of minerals, vitamins, fiber, protein, Omega 3’s, and antioxidants. They contain selenium for the thyroid, zinc for immunity, copper for the genitals, calcium and magnesium for healthy muscle contraction, Vitamin E to scavenge free radicals, and a host of B vitamins to support detoxification. Plus they make up quick as a wink!

Ingredients

1 c. chia seeds

1 c. sesame seeds

1 c. pumpkin seeds

1 c. sunflower seeds

1/2 c. sliced almonds

1/4 c. honey, warmed

2 c. water

2 Tb. dry rub seasoning (or use 1 tsp. each of sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and chili powder plus 1/2 tsp. each pepper and cumin)

Method

  • Combine everything in a large mixing bowl. Let stand 5 minutes (while chia seeds absorb water and create a “slurry”).
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spray paper with cooking spray.
  • Divide the mixture between the two trays. Place another sprayed parchment (sprayed side down) on top of each tray.
  • Pressing on the top parchment with your hands, spread and smooth the mixture until it evenly fills the tray.
  • Bake for 25 minutes. Carefully flip the sheet of cracker mixture over, remove the top parchment, and bake another 25 minutes.
  • If not crisped and brown, bake 5-10 minutes more. Cut with a pizza cutter.
Ginger Cookies are Big Fat Treat #3

These Ginger Cookies are a Snap!

Who doesn’t love a good cookie? Especially one that is fragrant, warm, and chewy! This gingersnap takes advantage of the earthy spices we seem to crave during autumn. Made without refined sugar and rich in natural fats with a touch of protein, these cookies pair well with fall fruits, such as apples and pears.  Make ’em and bake ’em in under 30 minutes. (You will need a food processor for mixing.)

Gingersnaps

Ingredients

2 c. raw walnuts or pecans

1 c. dried dates (pitted) or figs

1/4 c. molasses

4 Tb. arrowroot or tapioca starch

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Process nuts and dates until they form a smooth paste. Add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Form 1″ balls. Place on a greased, sprayed, or parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 18.

a sheet pan meal with tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and beef

Fall Fare: Oven Roasted Dinners

Comforting, quick, and complete, this one-pan meal allows you to help the kids with homework or run a batch of laundry while its enticing aromas fill the kitchen. You’ll find this hearty meal warm and satisfying on crisp nights. With hardly any planning, the whole family gets balanced nutrition. Mix and match ingredients to adapt to your budget and availability.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pork, beef, poultry, fish, or vegan alternative (such as tempeh)
  • 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, ghee, tallow, pastured lard, or virgin red palm oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Several cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups chopped root vegetables: carrots, potatoes, rutabaga, beets, turnips, parsnips, etc.
  • 4 cups non-starchy cut vegetables: green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, bell pepper, celery, etc.
  • 1 teaspoon each: paprika, chili powder, thyme, oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons vinegar, any flavor

Instructions

Cube the meat and toss with cooking fat and cut vegetables in a roaster pan. Season with herbs, spices, salt and peper. Roast in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through.  When meat is cooked and vegetables are tender, remove from oven and sprinkle with vinegar. Serves 4 generously.

Like this recipe? Find more in our Balanced Bowl Cookbook

Brownie Bites

Carob Hazelnut Power Bites

Mmmmm! Rich! Satisfying! Guilt-free! You’ll feel like a queen. Just one will nip those cravings and carry you through until meal time. Loaded with healthy fat, they’ll give you the energy to pull through that 2 p.m. coma. And with a great blender, you can have them made in just minutes! Throw a few in the freezer to have when “hangry” sets in.

Ingredients

2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes

2 c. raw hazelnuts (may also use raw almonds, cashews, walnuts or pecans)

1/2 c. honey (may also use pure maple syrup, date paste, or fig paste)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. roasted carob powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla powder

optional add-ins: additional coconut flakes, any chopped nuts, seeds such as chia, sunflower, pumpkin or sesame

Instructions

Blend coconut flakes until they release their oil and form a paste. Scrape into a mixing bowl. Do the same for the nuts. Add remaining ingredients. Press into a square pan and chill before cutting into squares, or just roll into balls. Stores best in the refrigerator or freezer.

 

Like this recipe? You can find more in our Balanced Bowl Cookbook.

Power Up Your Picnic!

I love a picnic! Sunshine, fresh air, laughter and food – all the ingredients to create wholesome and delightful nourishment – are abundant even through autumn. But are you sabotaging your health with the lunch you pack?

Here’s a typical American picnic:

  • Sandwiches
  • Pop
  • Fruit
  • Chips
  • Cake or cookies

It’s appealing fare for all ages, but it’s a great mis-adventure for your physiology! Without realizing it, you and your loved ones are becoming so imbalanced in your nutritional needs, you are likely to be blind-sided by energy deficits that can someday become chronic health challenges, such as food sensitivities, chronic fatigue, weight gain, mood disorders, hormone imbalances, insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, and even auto-immunity.

Let’s dissect this picnic. Given that the sandwiches are either made with 2 ounces of thin-sliced deli meat, or peanut butter and jelly, the meal stacks up at approximately 66% carbohydrate (with all but the fruit as simple, refined carbs), 32% fat (none of which is natural, nourishing fat), and 2% protein. I’m sorry, Beautiful, but 2% protein is NOT ENOUGH to make your hormones and hemoglobin, your enzymes and anti-bodies, your skin and your tissues. And if you keep putting soybean, cottonseed, corn and canola oil through your gall bladder, it will be as congested as a CD player with a pancake in it!

I’m not anti-carb. I just believe in real foods, properly balanced! So what can you do?

Try out any of these ideas:

  • Fill a whole grain wrap or pita with meat and veggies, allowing you to get more filling and less fluff. Or pick up some dolmathes from a nearby Greek restaurant.
  • Substitute real whole milk, herbal tea, or flavored water for your soda. You might even try a homemade electrolyte drink, such as these or these. 
  • Need some crunch and some flavor? Try nuts and seeds instead of chips. Just make sure they are raw so the fats are not oxidzed. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are cheap and satisfying.
  • How about some cheese with your fruit instead of cookies? I’m partial to herbed chevre spread on apple slices.
  • Cut veggies with hummus make a great filler. Cherry tomatoes and petite bell peppers might be more add interest to celery and carrot sticks. Throw some olives in, too!
  • No time? Grab a container of ceviche from the market along with an avocado, and don’t forget to pack a knife. At your picnic site, slice the avocado in half, fill with your seafood salad and serve. If you don’t like crab and shrimp, you might try this Mexican-themed chicken filling instead.
  • Hard-boiled eggs and jerky both travel well and add extra protein. By the time you eat them, along with the other ideas here, you won’t even want cake!
  • Proscuttio goes well with melon. You could even put some on a skewer with cantaloupe balls before you leave home to moderate the insulin surge you get from eating carbs without fats and proteins.
  • Use jars to transport non-finger foods. For example, you could layer toasted oats and almonds with plain coconut yogurt.
  • Make a cookie that uses coconut or almond flour, rich in natural fats, instead of grain flour. If you use honey in place of sugar, you can cut the amount of sweetener in half.
  • Try a dessert recipe from our cookbook that uses only unrefined ingredients and has balanced carb-fat ratios.

Best Sesame Snacks

I couldn’t help giving you this sneak peek from our newly-released cookbook! These sesame squares make up in a snap and truly hit the spot when cravings strike. Easy and satisfying, the snack bars travel well for hiking, car trips, and picnics. They taste sweet, but have plenty of natural fat to prevent a blood sugar spike. As a bonus, they are gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free, and nut-free. (For those who have an allergy to egg, flax or gelatin can be substituted.)

Like the other recipes in our book, they use whole foods, not ingredients you can’t pronounce. (Get your copy of the cookbook here!) Best of all, they don’t require any previous cooking experience – your kids could make them! Just mix and spoon into your baking pan. In less than two minutes, you can leave them baking in the oven while you hustle up your backpack for an adventure!

Ingredients

1 c. tahini (sesame seed butter) or sunflower seed butter

1/2 c. honey

2 c. toasted sesame seeds

2 eggs (or use 2 Tb. chia seed and 6 Tb. water OR 2 Tb. unflavored gelatin and 6 Tb. water*)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Mix everything together and press into a greased 9″ x 9″ baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees until browned and set, about 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Raspberry Sorbet

Fab and Frosty Treats

Simple and sweet, from whole foods and healthy fats, these soft-serve ice creams whip up in minutes and leave you satisfied, not sick. Bursting with flavor, they need no artificial ingredients to engage your taste buds!

Blend or process until smooth:

  • 1 c. frozen fruit
  • 2 servings of natural fat (such 1 avocado, 1/4 c. nut butter,  or 1/2 c. coconut millk)
  • 1 Tb. citrus juice (or other liquid)
  • 1 Tb. natural sweetener (such as honey, pure maple syrup or coconut sugar)

Winning combinations

  • raspberries, avocado, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and honey
  • peaches, coconut milk, and orange juice concentrate (no sweetener needed)
  • cherries, 1/4 c. almond butter, pomegranate juice (may need water or ice for blending)
  • bananas, cashew butter, almond milk, and pure maple syrup
  • Pineapple; coconut milk; lemon, lime or orange juice; and coconut sugar

Find more treats and satisfying recipes here.

Photo credit: Mordi Photographie

 

Crepe Fest

Crepes. The word conjures up a secluded celebration between two lovers with raspberries and cream in a candlelit dining room. Or an indulgent weekend soiree between close friends with spring chicken, fresh asparagus and a little mushroom sauce. Crepes make you feel cherished.

Try this sweet twist on crepes from a whole food perspective:

Ingredients

  • 1 c. cooked sweet potato, pumpkin, or plantain puree
  • 1/2 c. brown rice or buckwheat flour
  • 1/4 c. starch (potato, tapioca or arrowroot)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 c. honey
  • 1 c. water
  • butter, ghee, coconut oil, pure lard or tallow

Method

Combine vegetable puree with flour, starch and salt, mixing until no lumps remain. Beat in eggs and honey. Slowly add water, while stirring, until batter is thin and smooth.

Preheat a heavy  8″  skillet over medium low heat. Evenly coat the surface of the skillet with 1 tsp. of cooking fat. Pour 1/2 c. batter into center of skillet and rotate pan with your wrist until batter fills the bottom of the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes, until crepe is bubbly and edges begin to brown and curl. Flip and continue cooking another couple minutes. Remove to a plate for filling.

Repeat this process of coating the pan, pouring in the batter, and cooking until batter is gone. Makes 8 crepes.

Fillings

 Savory

  • a variety of raw or sauteed vegetables or sprouts
  • any cooked meat, fish, or poultry
  • herbs to complement your choices: parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, sage, etc.

Sweet

  • fruits in season
  • freshly ground nut butter or creamy cheese such as chevre
  • avocado (pairs especially well with mandarin orange)
  • spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice

 

 

Bowl Meals

Versatility! Bowl meals suit your individual tastes and diet requirements while still appropriately balancing fats, carbs and proteins. Make them vegan, make them paleo, make them traditional… it matters not. You can be assured that your body is being nourished with power-packed ingredients geared to keep blood sugars stable while fueling you with the vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients you need to condition muscles, keep your brain sharp and focused, empower your heart, and stay ship-shape.

Start with a Starchy Base

  • No more than a cup of grain (rice, millet, quinoa, barley, etc.), legumes* (lentils or beans) OR starchy vegetable (potato, yam, beans, sweet potato, peas, etc.)

Smother in Leafy Greens

  • As much as you can eat of sprouts, micro-greens, spinach, romaine, kale, chard, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, arugula, bok choy, etc. – raw, or sautéed

Add a Protein Layer

  • 4 oz. beef, pork, fish, seafood, poultry or tempeh

Use an Abundance of vegetables

  • Radishes, bell peppers, jicama, cucumber, zucchini, snap peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, parsnips, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, etc.

Top with ONE Healthy  Fat

  • 1 Tb. of expeller-pressed oil*
  • 2 oz. nuts or seeds
  • 2 oz. cheese
  • ¼ c. avocado or olives

Be Generous with Extras:

  • Fermented veggies, kelp granules, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar* and/or fresh lemon/lime juice

*You can make a dressing with ¼ c. chickpeas, 1 clove garlic, 1 Tb. olive oil and 2 Tb. apple cider vinegar