Comfort food, but make it healthy!

J a n u a r y.  For some of you it evokes feelings of coziness, snowy days, warm meals and winter activities.  For others it evokes dreariness, bitter cold, long dark days and a desire to eat comfort foods and stay inside curled up with a blanket.  Whatever your outlook is, January is often a long, cold difficult month and it is A-OK to admit that!  

If you are looking for ways to pamper and nourish yourself with yummy, tasty, satisfying foods, then you are in the right spot!  This week we are talking about all things ‘comfort food’ but with a focus on healthier options that still ease that craving for cozy, curled up bowls of steaming hot goodness (think carb overload!)

First, let’s understand why we turn to comfort foods more so in the winter than in other seasons.  One main reason is the relationship between the gut and the brain.  One way that our brain receives “feel good” hormones such as serotonin and dopamine is when we eat.  Other ways are through exercise and exposure to sunshine.  Often, these last two ways decrease over winter months, which disrupts the complicated balance between the good and bad bacterias in our gut, which leads us to naturally eat our favourite comfort foods to restore that rush of hormones to our brains.  Another reason could be the lower mood that many people experience during winter months, leading us to turn to food and emotionally eat for comfort.  And yet another reason could stem all the way from our early days as humans when it was a matter of survival to increase our food consumption and body fat over the winter months.  Craving and eating heavy carbohydrates and sugar was therefore a protective mechanism and may still be lingering somewhere in our complicated cell structure.  

Whatever the reason, there is NO reason to feel shame or guilt for turning to food for comfort, unless it is disrupting your health in a MAJOR way.  We can enjoy these comforting, steaming foods that ooze goodness and nourishment while still focusing on nutrition and balance.  Here are some ideas when considering your next comfort meal.  (Read to the end for some of my fave healthy comfort food recipes!)

• Try swapping out sweet potatoes for white potatoes.  (Honest disclaimer - as I’m writing this I am enjoying a bowl of WHITE mashed potatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper! Just keeping it real folks! We are all human!). Potatoes form the basis of many delicious and satisfying dishes and casseroles (shepherd’s pie, loaded baked potatoes, hot & crispy French fries, mashed potatoes as a base for anything…). But have you tried swapping these same things with sweet potatoes? You will be amazed at the depth of flavour and fill-you-up factor that sweet potatoes give.  Not to mention being an excellent source of beta carotene, antioxidants, fibre, Vitamin C and potassium.

• Instead of the heavy gluten and simple carbohydrates found in traditional Mac and Cheese, try substituting all (or even some!) of your starchy pasta noodles with nutrient rich and versatile cauliflower.  Don’t say "no way" until you’ve tried it!  The cauliflower allows for the sharp cheddar to shine and still provides that gooey, creamy consistency that we crave with a Mac and Cheese dish. 

• If chocolate is your thing, opt for darker chocolates which are amazingly high in antioxidants and make for a tasty treat or way to end your supper meal. 

• SOUP! There are so many ways to create low sodium soups that satisfy our cravings for hot bowls of goodness!  Making bone broth stock is an absolutely fabulous way to feed our gut the nutrients it needs (high in the amino acids glutamine and glycine) but it also supports our skin’s elasticity and glow by encouraging collagen production).  So simmer your leftover turkey or chicken carcasses for maximum nutrition benefits and turn them into all kinds of delicious soups that feed a crowd and freeze well too! 

Bottom line? Enjoy this time of year for what it is.  A time to get outside and brave the cold, feeling the brisk air on our cheeks and challenging ourselves with long walks or new winter activities, but also a time to get cozy on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea.  

Stay healthy and smile :)

Melissa

Recipe links: 

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipes/cauliflower-mac-and-cheese-recipe-low-carb-keto-gluten-free/

Sweet Potato & Turkey Chile 

Ingredients:

• 20 oz 93% lean

ground turkey

• kosher salt, to taste • 1/2 cup onion,

chopped

• 3 cloves garlic,

crushed

• 10 oz can Rotel mild

tomatoes with green

chilies

• 8 oz can tomato sauce • 3/4 cup water • 1/2 tsp cumin, or to

taste

• 1/4 tsp chili powder • 1/4 tsp paprika • 1 bay leaf • 1 medium sweet

potato, peeled and

diced into 1/2

-inch

cubes

• fresh cilantro, for

garnish

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown

turkey over medium

-high

heat, breaking it up as it

cooks into smaller pieces

and season with salt and

cumin. When meat is

browned and cooked

through add onion and

garlic; cook 3 minutes

over medium heat. Add

the can of Rotel tomatoes,

sweet potato, tomato

sauce, water, cumin, chili

powder, paprika, salt and

bay leaf.

Cover and simmer over

medium

-low heat until

potatoes are soft and

cooked through, about 25

minutes stirring

occasionally. Add 1/4 cup

more water if needed.

Remove bay leaf and

serve.

Chicken & Avocado Soup

The shredded chicken

perfectly compliments the

smoothness of the

avocado in this

wonderfully filling soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts

• 3 teaspoons olive oil,

divided

• salt & freshly ground

pepper to taste

• 1 1/2 cups green

onions, finely

chopped, divided

• 1 teaspoon minced

garlic

• 1 tomato, diced

• 3 - 14.5oz chicken

broth MAKE YOUR OWN!

• 1/8 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon coarse

salt

• 2 avocados, diced

• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely

chopped

• lime wedges

Instructions:

1. Season chicken with

salt and pepper. In a

large skillet over

medium-high, heat 1

teaspoon of the olive

oil. Add chicken to the

heated skillet and

lower temperature to

medium, cover pan

and grill chicken until

the internal

temperature reaches

165° F. Shred chicken

and cover with foil to

keep warm, then set

aside.

2. In a dutch oven or

equivalent, heat the

remaining 2 teaspoons

of oil over medium

heat until hot.

3. Add the 1 cup

chopped green onions

and minced garlic to

pot; Sauté about 2

minutes.

4. Add diced tomato;

Sauté 1 minute, until

soft.

5. Add chicken broth,

cumin, and salt to pot.

6. Stir well and bring to a

boil.

7. Cover pot and simmer

on low for 15 to 20

minutes.

8. Layering in separate

bowls; Fill each bowl

with shredded chicken,

diced avocado,

chopped green onions

(from the remaining

1/2 cup), and cilantro.

Next, ladle the chicken

broth onto the layered

chicken in each bowl.

Serve each bowl with

a lime wedge.