With Thanksgiving just a day away, there are plenty of opportunities to fall off the wagon and give yourself a food coma. Now don’t get me wrong, one piece of pumpkin pie won’t kill you, but there are certain strategies you can take to avoid the Thanksgiving hangover.
The first thing to understand is that you don’t want to offend anybody by pushing away their dish, but you also don’t want to make it appear as if you are on some “diet”. Paleo is more of a way of life than a diet. If you are questioned about your eating style, you have two options, and knowing your family, you should choose wisely.
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Tell grandma you can’t eat her stuffing because it contains gluten, then falling into the rabbit hole of explaining to your entire family what gluten is and why wheat actually isn’t as healthy as they believe. (Please spread the real food message, but this might not be the easiest time.)
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Let your family know that you don’t do that well with certain foods, and simply feel better when you eat this way (paleo way).
Choosing the second route will not only be an easier way to explain yourself, but an overall better invitation to eating a Paleo diet by being an example of feeling great rather than telling your loved ones how they should eat. Trust me, trying to change love ones is the hardest thing to do. It is much better to walk the path, and let them decide if they want to follow.
Okay so on with the food!
Here are some of the ideas to navigate your way around the dinner table.
It is extremely important that you keep this simple statement in your head. You can only remember one thing from this article just remember this:
Protein, produce, 80/20.
Protein, produce, 80/20. It’s very simple. If you find yourself lost, just remember: protein, produce, 80/20.
You usually can’t go wrong selecting some veggies and some meat. This is basically the default option in a Paleo diet. The 80/20 rule is in place for insurance, and also in place for you to enjoy your holiday and not be you the weird one with a special “diet”.
Here is a quick cheat list to go to. Is your Thanksgiving Paleo?
Paleo:
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Turkey
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Goose
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Ham
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Brussels sprouts
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Green Beans
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Sweet potatoes
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Yams
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Chicken Broth (fresh)
Kinda paleo:
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Pumpkin Pie
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Coleslaw
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Chicken broth (box)
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Cranberry sauce
Avoid:
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Dinner rolls
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Whip cream/cool whip
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Marshmallows
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Stuffing
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Pie crust
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Gravy
Be careful of granny’s special secret sauce. Many sauces are sneaky! You will find hidden gluten, dairy, and sugar. Most are filled with tons of sugar or salt. Be smart with the sauces and dressings. If you do decide to be saucy, do it lightly.
Stock up on the greens! The best way avoid eating crappy food is to eat as much awesome healthy food that you can. Make a big salad, throw some turkey on it, and you can eliminate half of your cravings right there. The goal is to leave enough room for a slice of pie, preventing you from eating a whole pie!
Now most of the desserts that are made are going to be loaded with sugar. It is important to try and limit this, but c’mon, it’s Thanksgiving, you have to eat dessert right? One thing you can do is to toss the crust. Avoid the marshmallows on the yams. It is probably already loaded with brown sugar anyways.
With all that being said, just remember… Protein, Produce, 80/20.
The best scenarios is that you cook Paleo approved Thanksgiving foods! So I will leave you with two appetizers, an entree, and a dessert!
Appetizer:
Deviled Egg
Deviled eggs are extremely easy to make, and a great way to serve your family a healthy appetizer. I like to do something special with my deviled eggs; add guacamole!
Ingredients:
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20 boiled eggs peeled, halved and deyolked
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yolk of 20 eggs
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2 hass avocados
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2 tsp lime juice
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2 green onions chopped
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1 bunch of cilantro
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4-5 Tbsp coconut oil
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4-5 Tbsp olive oil
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1 tsp tsp garlic powder
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1/2 tsp sea salt
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1/2 tsp ground black pepper
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1/4 tsp cumin
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1/4 tsp ginger
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1/4 tsp paprika
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1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Hard boil your eggs. It’s simple.
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Put the eggs in water about 1 inch over the eggs
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Cook on high until the water boils, then turn off the stove
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Cover the pot and leave on warm stove
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It should take about 12-14 minutes to cook
Here is a cool wikihow article on the process.
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After this is done, place all the ingredients, except for the egg whites into a bowl to mix or blend them together.
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Then simply add this mix into each halved egg white.
Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries
You haven’t went full paleo until you have made sweet potato fries wrapped in bacon. Yes it is no secret the paleo community loves to wrap everything in bacon, and their favorite starch is the sweet potato. So why not combine the two to create a sweet and salty treat of a lifetime.
Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 pound of bacon
This is another easy one.
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Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
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Cut sweet potatoes into fries
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Cut bacon in half lengthwise (makes it easier, trust me)
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wrap sweet potato fries with bacon
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Place on baking sheet (if you don’t have a baking sheet, no worries, the fries will still be good, but they will be a bit more sougy as they will cook in the bacon fat as opposed to the fat dripping down).
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Place pan under baking sheet
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Cook for 10-15 minutes then turn with tongs and repeat or until crispy
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Serve and Enjoy!
Entree
The first time I ever cooked for Thanksgiving was a few years ago when me and my buddys celebrated our own Thanksgiving the following day (Black Friday) because we just wanted to eat more! That day we created the best Thanksgiving turkey ever…Bacon Wrapped Turkey! Unfortunately I don’t remember the ins and outs of how I made that bad boy, but I found an awesome blog by Marla Sarris who runs PaleoPorn.net who made that same recipie! You can get the recipe here.
Dessert
Paleo Pumpkin Pie
How could you possibly have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? For me, you don’t! The pumpkin pie is essential, so why not make it yourself so that way you can gorge without guilt.
Ingredients (Pie Crust):
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1 cup of almond flour
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1 1/2 cups of walnuts or pecans (or a mix)
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pinch of sea salt
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1 tsp of baking soda
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2-4 Tbsp of grass-fed butter (optional)
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1 egg white
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Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
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Mix everything together
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Pat down into a 9 inch pie plate
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Bake for 15 minutes then pull out and let it cool for 10 minutes
Ingredients (Pumpkin Pie Filling):
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One 15-ounce can of organic pumpkin
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1 cup canned coconut milk
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
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1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
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1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
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pinch of sea salt
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3 tablespoons maple syrup
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1 tablespoon of honey
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3 eggs, whisked
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Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or blender
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Pour into crust
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Bake for 50 minutes
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Let it cool completely (can put in fridge)
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Enjoy!
Let’s be thankful for our family, friends, and the food that we eat. Let us cherish these meals, memories and people we share our time with. And if you choose to add heavy cream on your pumpkin pie, don’t feel guilty, I’ll be exercising my 80/20 rule and enjoying some pie with you!
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