Holiday Food Ideas
December 2021
Photo by: Nadine Greeff
As the holidays approach and many of us begin to plan for beautiful tables filled with delectable treats, some of us begin to think about the foods that we should have vs. the food we want. I have found myself, for many years now, trying to find things that fill my senses with holidays' past but don't make me suffer from an overload of sugar and things that I know I will pay the price for later.
For those of you that are just beginning the journey of discovery around food being either the root of ailment or healing, I hope this post will be of assistance to you. I also hope you will begin to discover that there are so many options out there that will satisfy you without compromising your health and well being.
Raising your vibration with food
It's been scientifically proven that everything is energy. Our bodies, our thoughts and our food are just some examples of this. In order to maintain good health, we require the consumption of high vibration energy in the form of food and water as well as the air we breath. Don't get me wrong, we all will eat something that does not have a high vibration, but as long as we eat high vibration food as much as possible, we can keep our bodies healthy and feeling good in the process.
For me, I find when I over indulge, I get sluggish, have stomachaches and headaches and I overall have aches an pains over my whole body. I swell up in my feet and fingers with excess water wait and find my clothing cutting of circulation. Here is the issue! We don't want to feel horrible yet we don't want to go through the holidays without eating food that feels special, adding to the overall special times of year. Trust me, I get it! So how can we accomplish it all?
Ideas for Breakfast & Brunch
If you are the lucky one to have everyone to your home for breakfast, then you are in control of the food. I recommend having something available that you enjoy eating along with items you might not consume but others will enjoy. For me I can't have a lot of gluten. If I do, it needs to be in small amounts and not highly processes. So when in doubt, I don't eat anything with gluten. That's just me and in general I want to make it clear, I am not at all telling anyone what they should or shouldn't eat. This is 100% up to you. I just offer the information and you do with it what you would like.
Some ideas for a high vibration holiday breakfast/brunch:
Fruit - I recommend those fruits that can be easily sourced from your part of the world. For someone like me who lives in New England, that is not an easy task in December. I often pick apples and pears at this time of year but also choose blueberries from time to time. In small amounts I eat dried fruit that has no added sugar or preservatives. Mango, apricots, dates and figs are on my top list.
Vegetables - A beautiful tossed salad for brunch is always a nice addition. You can add in leafy greens, sprouts and top it off with apples and nuts. For a little something extra you can sprinkle on cinnamon and make a nut butter dressing.
Grains - Oats, barley, millet, rice and farro are all grains that are a good source of fiber and can be categorized as high vibration food. Think about a hot cereal topped with apples and blueberries, a dash of cinnamon, honey or date sweetener and nut butter. Add in whole nuts and seeds for a little crunch. Some great choices are pumpkin, flax, hemp, and sunflower. This might be a good thing to do as a "make your own" on a buffet table.
Beans & Legumes - A beautiful bean salad is always a good choice. Toss together together lentils, black beans, thinly sliced red onion, white beans, salad nuts of your choice, spinach or kale, lemon zest, olive or avocado oil, avocado slices and lemon juice.
Chocolate - The rumors are true, chocolate is good for you. However, you want to choose a chocolate that is not made with processes white sugar. A better choice would be munk fruit or stevia.
Holiday Table Recipes
Bean and Lentil Salad:
1 cup French green lentils or any dark colored lentil you can find in your local market
2-3 cups thinly sliced Tuscan kale or Spinach
1 (15 oz) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup nuts or seeds (any nut or seed you enjoy will work)
1/3 cup freshly chopped parsley
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1 medium avocado cubed
1 Tbs. lemon zest
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Charcuterie board:
Fresh Berries
Chocolate pieces
Chocolate covered strawberries
Dried dates & apricots
Hot Chocolate Cookies (important note: these ingredients mostly are not high vibration)
1/4 cup vegan butter, soft but not melted
1/4 cup Monk Fruit
1/4 cup Monk fruit brown sugar
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
2/3 cup (80g) all purpose flour or 1:1 GF flour
1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegan chocolate chips
3 vegan marshmallows, chopped into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat.
To a medium mixing bowl, add the vegan butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Cream the ingredients together using a hand mixer, about 1-2 minutes. Add the non-dairy milk, and cream together again.
In a separate bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. The dough will be a little sticky.
Fold in the chocolate chips and 2/3 of your chopped marshmallows.
Roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon balls and place on the lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently push the remaining marshmallow pieces onto the tops of the cookie dough balls.
Bake in the center rack of the oven for 13-14 minutes, until the edges of the cookie are just starting to firm up.
Remove the cookies from the oven. They will look a little puffy and under baked. Bang the baking tray on the counter several times to help the cookies flatten.
Let the cookies cool on the baking tray before eating. They will continue to crisp up as they cool!
**As noted above, this is not to be considered high vibration. That being said, when looking to move towards healthy living options, you can make good choices and still enjoy these types of foods.
Overall, be kind to yourself and enjoy your holidays. These two things are possible if you take the time to work through the possibilities. If you are ever looking for great recipes, please check out my Pinterest page for ideas. I recommend looking under "Plant Based Diet" and "Healthy Food, Healthy Lifestyle" for the best ideas.
I wish you all a very magical holiday season. Sending you all Peace, Love and Light.
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