Clean eating during the holidays...can we do it?

Ok so eating clean through the holidays is not going to be easy.  Let’s just get that straight right now.  If it were easy, everyone would do it right?

However, please remember 2 things:  

• You are doing this for your health, you are NOT on a diet!
• Its not as hard as you might think.  Keep it simple and you will be fine.

Start preparing your family and friends now!  Let them know you will most likely be cooking a separate meal for yourself and you could use their support.  Let them know it’s totally fine for them to have a separate meal and it doesn’t bother you, since food is your medicine.

If you are hosting the meal, you may ask for some help in preparing too!  And make enough for others to try “your food” if they’d like, most people are surprised that clean food actually tastes amazing!

If you are taking a dish to someone else’s dinner, pick something that is a traditional appetizer, dish or dessert and find a clean recipe and make enough for everyone.  If your family and friends support your healthy lifestyle, they should know you are bringing a clean dish, sometimes announcing it before everyone eats will keep people from trying it, but telling them afterwards is not only fun but you will see their surprise.  Especially when the dish is licked clean!!

The link below has some recipes you could consider for your holiday meals.  But it’s also simple to google Whole30 or Paleo dishes and find a ton of recipes.  Just don’t forget some will include nightshades which for us Fibro warriors and anyone with an autoimmune disease we need to stay away from.

Please feel free to post any recipes you try before the holidays that you’d like to share!  Wishing you the best for your holiday meals!!

https://lifehealthhq.com/whole30-thanksgiving-recipes/

Prep your favorites - you will be glad you did!

Prep prep prep!  You will be so glad you did!  When you cut up veggies or meats that you use often (for me this one is my go-to breakfast) go ahead and cut 2 or 3 days worth, put them in baggies and tomorrow when you can just pour them in the pan and have little or no cutting, your meal prep time is cut in half (at least) and you will be very happy with yourself!

This one is my default breakfast and if everything is cut in advance it’s about 15 minutes from pan to plate!

1 small or 1/2 large sweet potato 

1 Aidells chicken apple sausage

1/4 of an onion

1 small head of broccoli 

Sea salt

Pepper

Garlic (powder or granulated)

2 eggs (optional)

Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and when melted add sausage and sweet potato chunks.  Add a little olive oil if you’d like and let cook for about 5 min.  Add onion and broccoli, sea salt, pepper and garlic (if you like) and another tsp of coconut oil if needed, cook for about 10 minutes until everything is the consistency you like.  Stir as needed while cooking.

*You can also fry 1 or 2 eggs and throw on top for a delicious and filling, and most importantly, completely “clean” breakfast.  Enjoy!!

If you must cheat....keep it clean!

One of the reasons I started this blog and fb page is because while faithfully following other clean eating pages, I was vilified when I posted something I ate that was a slight slip or a  cheat according to their rules, even though it was a “clean” food!  When you are using food as your medicine, you just don’t need that!  We aren’t doing this as a diet, this is a way of life if you are treating your fibromyalgia with food.

So my motto is “if you cheat (a little) but keep it clean...go right ahead!”  Don’t be so hard on yourself, just know the possible reprocusion and if you can live with it, go for it!  It’s hard enough living every day with Fibro and all the terrible side effects it brings with it without having to feel guilty when you want to treat yourself to something a little different.

Now, what do I mean by a treat or a little cheat?  I don’t mean a candy bar or a big bowl of ice cream, those things are damaging to your fragile Fibro body and you have to work way too hard to eat clean just to put yourself in bed for days because you went on a binge.  

So if you must, treat yourself to something that is still clean, but normally off limits like peppers, or maybe a white potato.  Just something that is different to keep your menu interesting, but not something that is going to really hurt you.  If an occasional dish with peppers doesn’t cause you a great deal of inflammation then you are still keeping clean and allowing yourself a little cheat which if you’ve been eating clean for very long, is really nice.

All that just so I can share this incredible recipe with you that includes 2 tbsp of Thai curry paste.  That’s my cheat and I enjoy it just as much as a big ole bowl of ice cream!  I don’t do this often, and I don’t encourage you to either but my point is, try to stay with clean foods because it’s going to keep you healthy and keep your Fibro symptoms at bay, but don’t be so hard on yourself that you can’t enjoy something different every once in a while.

Here’s my (cheat) recipe in case you’d like to give it a try every once in a while.  If you don’t have an Instant Pot (yet) convert this one for your slow cooker.  It’s really incredible!!

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/139586356888/pressure-cooker-thai-beef-curry