Healthy Holiday Treats You Can Feel Good About Eating

Traditional holidays are a time for celebrating family, friends, and delicious food, including a wide array of sweets and desserts.  Unfortunately, even most homemade treats are made from harmful ingredients such as refined sugar, gluten, processed dairy, and unhealthy fats which contribute to fatigue, bloating, headaches, weight gain, and sickness.

 My question to you is this:
“If you are going to eat a dessert, why not use the most nutrient dense ingredients that nourish and support your body, and leave you feeling energetic rather than sluggish and tired?”

Many healthy holiday desserts and treats will satisfy your sweet tooth and are free from gluten, diary, refined sugar, grains, and other inflammatory foods.  What you’ll be using instead are foods that contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, natural sugars, fibre, and healthy fats.  You will be fueling your body and nourishing every cell.

For example, pure maple syrup is often used as a sweetener because it has a lower fructose component than other sweeteners and contains calcium, magnesium and manganese. Other options are stevia, raw honey, or lumuca.  

Cacao butter or grass-fed butter, raw cacao powder, cashews, dates, coconut oil, pure vanilla extract, and berries are excellent nutrient dense ingredients that will nourish your body and provide all the rich, luxurious taste of traditional holiday treats - without the sugar and gluten.

Try these decadent holiday recipes:

SHORTBREAD COOKIES
(gluten-free)

​Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup cold grass-fed butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a bowl, stand mixer, or food processor, combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder, and sea salt. Add the maple syrup and mix until combined.
3. Drop the grass-fed butter into the mixing bowl in 1 tablespoon increments for easier incorporation. Pulse a few times until a crumbly ball forms.
4. Place the ball of dough in between two pieces of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, roll into a 1/2 inch thick disk. Cut into small bricks or cut using biscuit cutters. Use fork to press edges and make small holes as decoration.
5. Place the cut cookies onto the baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
6. ​Once baked, place on a cooling rack to cool. Once fully cooled, store in air-tight container or bag in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA BARK

​

​Ingredients:
12 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate (aim for 85 – 90% cacao), break into small pieces
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. Heat 2/3 of the chocolate in saucepan on the stove. Create a double boiler by filling a pot with a few inches of water then balance or hold a smaller pot filled with the chocolate just above the water line. As the water gently boils, the steam will melt the chocolate in the smaller pot without burning it. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, removing from heat as soon as the chocolate melts completely.
2. Remove the melted chocolate from stove. Add the remaining hard chocolate to the hot melted chocolate, stirring vigorously until it melts as well.
3. Stir the macadamia nuts into the chocolate.
4. Line a rimmed dish, such as a casserole dish, of your choice with parchment paper or wax paper. The size of the dish will determine how thick the bark is. A 2-quart square baking dish makes thicker bark. A larger dish will obviously yield thinner bark.
5. Spread the chocolate evenly in the rimmed dish. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, longer if chocolate isn’t solid yet. Use a knife to cut the bark into squares or misshapen pieces. Store the bark at room temperature.

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I am thrilled to bring these decadent recipes to you and I know you’ll be amazed by their quality and taste.  Just remember that when it comes to these decadent yet healthy desserts, you need to watch your portion size. Although all of the ingredients are highly nourishing, you may find them quite rich and calorie dense, Serve yourself a small piece and savor every mouthful.