Christmas can be a magical holiday!
If you are struggling to figure out your dinner menu, or simply want some healthy alternatives try some of these recipes. They will make your holidays not only delicious, but nutritious as well!
You may find that you enjoy your meal more knowing you won’t have that heavy sluggish feeling after dinner. And hopefully you can have lots of leftovers that you won’t feel guilty eating in the following days.
Main Course
Paleo Christmas Ham • Paleo Diet Lifestyle
Paleo Whole30 Roasted Turkey - Real Food with Jessica
Sides
Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole {GF, DF} - The Paleo Running Momma
Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles (Paleo, Keto) - I Heart Umami®
Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower Recipe - Evolving Table
Paleo Dinner Rolls Made with Tapioca or Arrowroot Starch & Coconut Flour (ourpaleolife.com)
Desserts
Paleo Sugar Cookies - Gluten-Free Baking (glutenfreebaking.com)
Vegan Christmas Crack (paleo, gluten free) - Pure and Simple Nourishment
I would love to hear your favorite healthy recipes that you’ll be making this year!
With Love,
Dr. Jamie
We all know that we should eat our vegetables, but sometimes we get into a rut and it becomes boring. Changing up your routine can help you achieve this nutrition goal, so having new ideas for a simple and delicious salad can be helpful.
This salad calls for fresh shredded beets. Many people think they don't like beets because they have only had cooked or canned beets, but fresh beets are completely different. And since beets are loaded with nutrient - Vitamin C, magnesium, folate, calcium, and a fair bit of iron - they might be worth trying again!
Sweet Beet Salad with Blueberry Dressing
Salad ingredients:
3 c. mixed salad
1/2 c. shredded beets
1 T. dried cranberries
2 T. chopped pecans
Dressing ingredients:
1/2 c. olive oil
4 T. blueberry balsamic (or any other sweet balsamic)
Directions: Layer the ingredients in the salad. Mix the dressing ingredients in together and pour the desired amount over the salad.
Do you have a favorite salad recipe? Have you made homemade dressing before? I'd love to hear about your experience and get some new ideas.
Dr. Jamie
This breakfast wrap is delicious and filling! It is easy to make and uses only one pan so clean up is a sinch too. To make it even better, it is both dairy and gluten-free.
Ingredients
1/2 T Organic Coconut Oil
1 Kontos Gluten-Free Wrap
2 Large Organic Eggs
1/2 T Myoko's Scallion Vegan Cream Cheese
One Handful of Micro Greens
(Optional: avocado, peppers, or other veggies.)
Directions
1. Melt the coconut oil in a skillet.
2. Fry the wrap until it is brown on both sides
3. Remove the wrap from the pan and fold it like a burrito (It will be harder to shape later since it gets more crisp as it cools.)
4. Scramble the eggs in the skillet.
5. Spread the cream cheese on the wrap.
6. Add the eggs and microgreens to the wrap. Enjoy!
*I found the wraps at Family Foods in Warrenville, and the Miyoko's at Whole Foods.
Looking for a yummy Valentine's Day treat??? Try making these coconut fat bombs! They are a delicious not sweet treat without all of the sugar and processed ingredients in most boxed chocolates! My sister introduced me to them years ago, and I just love them!
Ingredients:
***This Recipe was adapted from the RESTART Cookbook by Jeni Hall, NTP
2½ c. unsweetened shredded coconut
1 t. vanilla
⅛ t. cinnamon
1 pinch of nutmeg
½ c. coconut oil (melted)
2 T. cocoa powder (optional)
Almonds, Walnuts, or other nuts of choice
Directions:
- Simply blend the unsweetened shredded coconut in a food processor with the vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- When it starts to form a butter, pour in the melted coconut oil. Continue to blend until smooth!
- Pour half of the mixture into silicone mini muffin molds or heart-shaped molds.
- Mix 2 tbsp cocoa powder to the other half (if you want to make the chocolate version).
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the molds.
- If you choose, add a nut of your choice to each fat bomb for some additional crunch.
- Throw them in the fridge and they harden right up!
- Enjoy!
I hope that you will be intentional about taking care of yourself this Valentine’s Day! Whether you love the holiday or not, take some time to think about how you can show yourself some extra care. This may be something little or something big (getting a massage, curling up by the fire, making a healthy meal, spending time with a friend, etc.) Decide on a couple of things you can do to show yourself kindness and make the holiday enjoyable.
Dr. Jamie
This savory dish is great for a quick meal at home but tasty enough to serve to company!
By adjusting the amount of curry you put in the spread, you can make it either mild or bold. If you are new to curry dishes start with less as you can always add more.
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 T coconut oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1lb ground breakfast sausage (365 from whole foods)
- ¼ c dates chopped (no sugar added)
Curry Spread:
- ¼ c mayo made with avocado oil (Chosen Foods)
- 1-2 t curry powder
Wrap:
Directions
- Heat oil in a skillet.
- Add onions and cook until nearly caramelized.
- Add breakfast sausage and cook through.
- Add chopped dates to the meat mixture.
- While sausage is cooking, mix the mayo and curry powder together in a small bowl.
- Take sausage out of the pan and heat the coconut tortillas in the pan. (Add more oil as needed if doing many tortillas.)
- Spread the curry mix on the tortilla and top with sausage.
- Serve with a side of veggies.
Enjoy!
P.S. You can buy the coconut wraps online or at Nutrition Network in Windfield, IL.
With football season in full swing, these bacon nachos make a great addition to any game day party!
You can prepare the nachos for your guests, or create a nacho bar where guests can assemble their own. (Just be sure to get a good quality bacon that is nitrate free.)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. bacon (good quality nitrate-free)
- ½ lb. chicken, shredded
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 handful fresh cilantro
- ¼ c black olives, sliced
- ½ c guacamole
- ½ c salsa
Directions:
- Prep the chicken in advanced. (I prefer to make a chicken dish the day before and use the leftovers for the Bacon Nachos.)
- Cut the bacon in half. Weave six slices together (Use three pieces across and three down.) Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crispy.
- Wash and chop tomato, onion, cilantro and olives.
- Make (or open) your favorite guacamole and salsa.
- Let the bacon cool enough to handle easily.
- Top the bacon with the other ingredients and enjoy!
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