Happy PALEO Thanksgiving!

For those of you who just started reading, please enjoy the following reprise of the newsletter I sent out on November 1st to help stay on track for what could tentatively be a disaster! With a little planing, you can be true to your body and enjoy the holiday without the consequences you might face if you were to load up on grains, dairy, gluten and sugar!

And, by the way... the idea that people feel sleeping on Thanksgiving from the Tryptophan in turkey? Come on! Do you REALLY think it has nothing to do with saturating your body with

a) too much food... period

b) too much sugar

Alright then!

All the more reason to approach the holidays healtfully... PALEO style!

As with any dinner party you're hosting, there's no need to deviate from your Paleo lifestyle in terms of what you're going to serve just because Uncle Jack loves his Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or Grandma tires to insist on having (awful!) green bean casserole, tossed with canned cream of mushroom soup and topped with deep fried onion rings!

Keep the holiday theme in place, and use the basic ingredients that convey the spirit of this wonderful time of year.
Pumpkins, apples, turkey, greens, roasted veggies... and spices! Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves for the more 'sweet' dishes and thyme, sage, celery seed and onion for the savory palate.
Focus on what you ARE serving and don't even mention what you're NOT.
Offer a wide range of colors, flavors and textures, and you're more likely than not to have the same great results I've been happy to have had: no one leaves asking "where are the stuffing and pies"? Rather, they comment that they enjoyed the variety of foods that were quite seasonal and they LOVED the fact that they left feeling satisfied but not stuffed!

You know that you're not doing anyone a disservice by NOT offering the traditional, non Paleo Thanksgiving foods. Think of it as an opportunity to introduce your loved ones to a fabulous way of eating. They may even take something away such as 'I never knew roasted Brussels Sprouts could be so tasty' or 'I really didn't mind not having stuffing after all'!

Incidentally, I have to interject here briefly and add a note about 'stuffing'. If you really stop and think about it, why would you really want to literally eat something that is going to stuff you with bread!?!?

Here's a re-cap of what a Thanksgiving meal tends to look like at The Stephenson's:

Passed Hors d'oeuvres

Figs stuffed with raw walnuts

Melon wrapped in thinly sliced turkey

Crudites Plate (lightly steamed broccoli & cauliflower, baby carrots, cherry tomato) with avocado and lime

Sliced Apples (toss them in lemon juice to prevent oxidation, which causes the brownish color to occur) tossed in cinnamon, served on a platter with raw almonds & walnuts

Main Course

Mixed Green Salad with dried (no sugar added) cranberries, toasted pecans, red onion, sliced figs & apples; olive oil on the side, along with freshly ground pepper

Pureed Baked Yam Casserole, topped with Sauteed Golden Delicious Apples with a hint of rosemary

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, or Braised Wild Turkey Breast

Roasted Vegetables in Olive Oil

Cranberry Sauce (see The Paleo Diet Cookbook for my recipe!)

Dessert

Baked Apples with Cinnamon (Recipe also i n the cookb ook)

Fresh Seasonal Fruit Salad

Now, here comes the 'BUT'....What if you're NOT hosting and the person preparing Thanksgiving dinner is going all-out from the garlic-butter mashed potatoes with gravy to the lattice-topped apple pie. You don't want to be rude but you also don't want to starve...so what can you do?

If you know the host or hostess personally, you can call ahead (far in advance, as Thanksgiving meals don't exactly tend to be prepared on a whim) and explain your food preferences (oh, go ahead and call them allergies; it's not that far-off!), and ask if they'd mind if you brought along a dish or two to contribute to the feast. This way, you'll not only be able to rest assured that the food you've prepped are Paleo friendly, you'll take the burden off the host so as not to make her or him feel she's got to cook you an entirely separate meal.
If you do NOT know the person throwing the Thanksgiving Dinner gathering, you'll need to be a bit more creative. First of all, do NOT arrive hungry. (This applies to everyone, actually; as it's not a good idea to go hungry and over indulge on any food, even if it IS Paleo!). Scan the table and choose wisely. Fresh veggies on a platter with dip? Go for the veg and skip the creamy-ranch. Salad? Ask to be served yours before its dressed with the thousand island. You're not going to go wrong eating the roast turkey and it's not even all that unlikely that there could be roasted veggies, baked yams and maybe even fresh fruit for dessert. Worse case scenario, pack along a 'plan B' snack or two so that if there is absolutely nothing you can eat, you won't be setting yourself up for a blood sugar rash which could lead you right to a gluten festival of indulgence.
Most importantly, promise yourself that you're going to stick to your healthy, Paleo habits. If your mind stays in the right place, your body will follow.

Paleo Chef's Corner

I've found that when cooking for smaller parties, the turkey breast only does a great job of being the centerpiece, as it, by itself, can often feed eight to twelve. This recipe can easily be adapted to prepare a whole turkey; just break the bird down in advance to optimize for more even cooking, and be sure to let internal temp reach 170F for dark meat.

BRAISED WILD TURKEY BREAST

5-pound wild turkey breast, bone-in, skin-on

1 large yellow onion, cut into chunks

1 bunch celery, cut into 2" pieces

1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2" pieces

Olive oil

Bay Leaf

5 sprigs fresh Thyme

5 leaves fresh Sage

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups homemade chicken broth

Pre-heat oven to 500F. Combine onions, celery and carrots into large roasting tray and douse with olive oil. Tie bay leaf with thyme and sage with kitchen twine and place in dish. Place turkey breast, skin side up on top and rub olive oil into the skin. Cook for 15-20 minutes, then reduce heat in oven to 350F. Pour in wine and broth and cover tightly with foil. Cook 1 1/2-2 hours (all ovens vary) or until internal temp equals 160F. Remove from oven, let sit under foil tent for 10-15 minutes, then carve and serve, with bountiful vegetables!

Reader's Question

Nell,

Help! I don't know what I'm going to do. I just found out I have Celiac Disease, and while I'm really relieved to finally know why I've been feeling so awful, I now have another problem to deal with. The holidays are just around the corner and my mom always cooks a HUGE Italian Meal for Christmas. There is NO saying 'no' to my mom. She makes enough food for an army and although we DO have a big family, there are always tons of leftovers. Last year, my sister tried to turn down mom's tiramisu because she's trying to lose weight and my mom more or less forced her to eat some! I can only imagine the look of disbelief I'll likely see on her face when I turn down the gluten-containing parts of her meal! How can I keep from feeling like I'm insulting mom and ruining the meal (trust me- my whole family is going to see it that way) but not sabotage myself and literally make myself ill?

Thanks,

Linda, New Jersey

Linda,

I've had several clients who have had to deal with the exact same issue. It is not easy, but it's doable. I'd suggest talking to your mom NOW; the sooner the better. Plan a time for just the two of you to sit down and have a serious talk about the serious nature of Celiac Disease. Stress to her that it's not a simple matter of you 'being picky' about what you're eating. Bring her some literature from the Celiac Disease Foundation if need be, to illustrate and support your case! Then, in an attempt to offer the proverbial olive branch (assuming, based on what you wrote, that she's likely to feel insulted), by talking with her about some of the things she makes, that you love, that you still canhave (perhaps she has a signature veggie dish, too?) and ask for her help in coming up with some creative holiday-themed dishes (even though you may already be equipped to do so yourself) to make her feel needed and appreciated. If you can clear the air now, with a few weeks to spare, you're far more likely to have a festive, enjoyable meal with the family, and one that no-one is going to feel the need to fuss about!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

4 Comments

Nice menu, Nell! I'd also suggest spaghetti squash with a home-made "sauce" consisting of heirloom tomato, fresh basil, fresh garlic, scallion and olive oil. It makes a great side, and squash is both a fall dish and native to North America.

Posted by: KPOM | November 24, 2011 at 10:33 AM