Food tips for the holiday season

How did you go with christmas?  Did you eat all the food!  What did you eat?

We pretty much stuck to our LCHF lifestyle and shared it with my parents who came for the day.

It is the second christmas we have done this way and it is much easier than people think.

I have found over the past two years that the best thing when it comes to food is to keep it simple.  A hard less to learn as I waste heaps of money on recipe books I flip though, ooh and aah then never use.  If I were one for new year resolutions I think I would have to make one pledging never to buy another recipe book LOL

The holiday season is renown for entertaining and it doesn't have to be difficult or high carb.

I have shared some of my tips for the season below and hope you find them helpful

1. The thing with most foods is that they are unnecessarily sweetened.  Seriously, you can go without many sweeteners in things.

Make a custard from scratch and use high fat ingredients it really doesn't need sugar,  I use Quirky Jo's custard recipe and never put in the sugar and it is awesome!  As with most grain free cake recipes too.  This is my current fave from Traditional Cooking School but OMG!  3/4 of honey!  They've gotta be kidding right!  What I do is instead of using the honey I use stevia sweetened (avalanche) hot choc mix as the cocoa portion of the recipe and stevia sweetened choc chips.  This keeps the cake sweet enough without being totally over the top.

2. Go for savoury over sweet.  This is especially good if you are entertaining people who aren't into eating how you do.  Assuming they aren't vegan then go to town with the cheese platter.   Make some dips (don't buy expensive full of crappy seed oil dips), mash a couple of avocados with some chilli, garlic, lemon juice and seasoning, or whisk some herbs into cream cheese.  Seed crackers are awesome or make some seed bread for cheese and dips. Both tasty and LCHF/paleo.  Remember filling up on high fat will leave you satisfied for a lot longer than filling up on carbs.

3. Planning ahead is the third tip.  If you are caught short you will be able to stick to what you believe in and stay healthy.  I find if I am short of time then I am more likely to bad poorer choices food wise so I like to know that I have stuff I want to eat available. I have a well stocked pantry with nuts, seeds etc, I stock my freezer with good quality meats. And look for mark downs at the supermarket, cheese lasts quite a while, cream and butter can both be frozen too.  If you are in Launceston I recommend Casalinga or Conmurra Meats.  The latter deliver weekly to your door, grow and butcher their own grassfed meat and is really well priced.  At Davies Grand Central you can find a great range of LCHF products too.  Last year I wrote the Launceston Shopping Guide for LCHF 

4. Go seasonal.  Berries. Need I say more really LOL  Tis the season and all that.  I love summer berries.  We don't do much in the way of fruit (read:don't eat it really) for 10 months of the year but come summer we love berries.  The kids will occasionally have mango, watermelon and cherries too but I tend to stick to berries and occasional cherries.  We are blessed with some great local PYO (pick your own) farms or you can pop down to Laun Harvest Market and grab some.  We were very lucky to win a berry box from Paleo Providore that was delivered two days before christmas so we chowed on berries for christmas.  I also freeze berries for smoothies, cool treats and cakes.

At the end of the day it is about enough the company of others. 

 It doesn't have to be a banquet, a few good foods that are filling is the way to go rather than masses of rubbish.  And, don't beat yourself up if you have something not on a list.  

This is a way of life, it isn't a competition or a test so you can't fail or cheat.

Tasmanian guide to buying LCHF friendly produce

One of the hardest things I have found with changing our lifestyle has been finding user friendly cafes and shops.  

There is a lot of footwork and internet stalking initially, to find what you want.  

The latter made even more difficult because, lets face it Tasmanian businesses just don't seem to get the internet thing.  They either don't have a website or the website they sent up in 2006 hasn't been touched since then.

So, to help other folk out I have come up with a document.  And, well, being a virgo this is what I do LOL

Because this WOE (way of eating) is relatively new to us Tasmanians the demand on businesses hasn't be high for the products we want.

However, I am not one to shy away from asking.  I figure the worst they can do is say no, and really that doesn't do them any favours does it!

I have been pleasantly surprised with most responses and am pleased to say that most places that I ask for a specific request either agree straight up or at the very least agree to consider my request. 

Only this week I put the challenge out to Conmurra Farm where I buy my meat to see if they would do some paleo sausages.  I asked that they be just meat, fat and seasoning with no filler at all.  They gladly took this on board and sent me a kilo of pork and a kilo of beef with my order to try out!  

And a great price of under $10 per kilo!

You can't get better service than that!

Also, if you are a first time buyer thru the link above you get a discount!

Obviously I can't buy all my food through Conmurra.  

Below is a run down of where I get most of my bits and bobs for the week:

Wholesome House - Mowbray

David and Lee are awesome!  They stock most of what I need and if they don't then they will do their utmost to source it and get it in for you.   

They stock all Ashgrove products, organic seasonal fruit/veg, MCT oil, coconut oil, ACV in bulk, bulk nuts/nutmeal/nut butter, herbs/spices loose, ghee, eggs, sauerkraut plus much more!  

They also have a great range of water filters, which is really important to keeping healthy.  I have a reverse osmosis filter that I bought from them and truly it is the best thing I have spent money on and has paid for itself in no time! 

If you don't filter your water I highly recommend researching the benefits and consider doing it. 

I also try and do my veg shopping at Harvest Market most Saturdays. There are two great stalls there that sell chemical free veg.  They are really reasonably priced and you are supporting local independent businesses at the same time.

I also buy my coffee at Harvest from Ritual Coffee.  Another local small business.  His coffee is great tasting and good quality so well worth the $$$

Steve & Grace's greengrocer out at Youngtown have avocados super cheap most of the time. I got some for 65c each this week!  And, the greengrocer in Mowbray often has cauliflower cheap too.

But to do the leg work for you

I have created a guide to buying LCHF/paleo.  

This is downloadable and printable for you to use.

Obviously it doesn't list every business in Tasmania.  It has many Launceston businesses who were contacted and a few in other areas around the state.

It also doesn't list every item.  I think most people know where to buy eggs or almond meal from.  The products included are the ones I see most people asking about on websites, forums and FB groups.  

If you have a product you find tricky to buy or you know of a business that stocks loads of good stuff then please leave a comment and I can add it to the list.  

I would love to be able to include more businesses out side of Launceston.

Launceston LCHF Buyers Guide

LCHF almond crumbed chicken with blue cheese dressing

My big two kidlets are away with their dad at the moment so I am cooking just for me.  

(if you don't count the bazillion bottles I seem to make)

This is a wondrous thing for a few reasons.

I get to eat what I want!

I can eat when I want.

I never hear negative feedback prior/during or after the meal

Very little washing up.

More for me :)

Don't get me wrong, I do miss them but this is a treat!

This meal was worthy of it's own post it was so amazing

I have been wanting to have a go at crumbing chicken but wasn't sure how it would go without the regular flour/breadcrumb combo. 

I was kinda making it up as I went and hit the jackpot..

If you make it let me know what you think.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

Chicken

6 chicken drumsticks (or any pieces you like really)

1/4c buckwheat flour

1 egg whisked with 2 tbs milk

3/4c of almond meal.  (I ground my own almonds but not too fine as I like texture)

Blue Cheese Sauce

1/4c blue cheese

3tbs sour cream

1tbs mayonaisse

1tbs lemon juice

pinch of salt

Coat chicken in flour then the egg mix.  Roll in almond meal and refrigerate for at least 30 min.  

I find this firms it all up and stops the crumb falling off when cooking. 

I oven baked mine but you could fry in coconut oil just as easily.

Pop on lined oven dish and bake at 200c for around 30min or until completely cooked through.

These released just enough juices/fat to help the almonds roast up and become crispy golden and totally delicious.

You could serve with anything you like.  I chose a salad with freshly pod peas, avocado, olives, fetta and greens.

Topped with the blue cheese sauce.

For the sauce pop all ingredients into a blender and blitz until combined, it is that easy.  

Trust me this sauce is amazeballs!

I also had enough for steak the following night.

Please let me know what you think :)

What did Christmas look like at your house??

Everyone talks about how hard it is at christmas time to stay on track with food.  Not to over indulge, eat crap, drink too much etc

I must admit I was in a bit of a quandary of what to do as I was host and knew that not everyone was on board with my food choices.  

I got the children to write a list of what they wanted.  I was surprised as their choices were pretty good:

potato bake (with white potatoes please mum!)

bean and avocado salad

mushrooms

chicken

ham

and cheese in our stockings!

So, I went to work.  The meat and salad side of things were the same as every year pretty much and simple.  All made with good fresh produce (other than tinned 4 bean mix), olive oil and fresh herbs.

I did a cheese plate with cheeses from Ashgrove (and yes the kids did get cheese in their stockings!) along with some naturally leavened sourdough from Apiece Bakery for the bread eaters.

I also got some smoked salmon and whipped up these beauties from Ditch the Carbs!

Salmon and cream cheese egg bites.  They are divine, although next time I will put more salmon in them.

I usually make up small platters for friends and family at christmas time but this year with a newborn in the house I was a little challenged for time and spare hands. 

I did manage to make this pale green christmas that was delicious 

                                                    along with some strawberry truffles.

My boy wanted real trifle (meaning processed cake, sugary jelly and packet custard).   

Um, no.

LOL

He wasn't actually home when I made this and on boxing day I asked him what he thought.  He told me it was amazing and he was so glad I made a 'real' one.  

Imagine his surprise when I told him how I made it!

This 'real trifle' was broken up paleo ginger cake, jelly made with juice, agar agar and passionfruit pulp, fresh berries, fresh mango, quirky's coconut caramel custard and ashgrove cream.

 No added sugars or grains and tasted divine!

Lastly was the request for a raw cheesecake, fast becoming a fave in this household but a treat due to the expense of nuts!

I use the I Quit Sugar recipe for this.  

The texture was quite stiff when making this and I was concerned about it but needn't have been. 

 I made it four days in advance and popped it in the freezer.  

Pulled it out christmas eve and left it in the fridge.  

I swear to god this is heaven in a baking dish!

So, christmas was sugar free, grain free (for me) and successfully low carb high fat.  I didn't feel like I missed out on anything or was deprived and I don't think my kids did either. 

What was your christmas like?

Round three - Loading Day 2

Okay, I admit it.

I am STUFFED!!

I started the day with a bullet proof coffee, eggs, bacon and the left over creamy chard.  

A delicious start to the day if I may say so.

Most people who do bullet proof have their own fave formula.   You can buy a ready made MCT oil blend to add to your coffee or you can play around with coconut oil, butter or ghee.

Whilst I have tried the Optimoz blend and quite like it I prefer to stick to my own mix.

I have played around with ingredients and measures and have found that the following is my fave blend:

1 sm plunder of good coffee

1tbs butter

1tbs coconut oil

Put into thermomix, bellini or stick mixer jug and blitz until frothy, creamy and well combined.

Trust me you won't look back, this is seriously good!

My mid morning smoothie today was similar to yesterday's offering but

 I added an avocado to the mix  

A girl can't have too much good fat on loading days right!

I had lunch out and forgot to take photos.  

Rest assured I ate up big. 

I was fortunate enough to attend the AGM for the Migrant Resource Centre and there were three different stalls offering international cuisine.   

I tried some delicious Afghan meatballs in a tomato sauce, Bhutanese momos (dumplings) and an a divine African Cassava Leaf dish with chicken.

I came home so stuffed I couldn't face anything for ages.

I managed to shovel in the last of the Ashgrove camembert (seriously THE BEST camembert I have tasted) and some of their blue with a couple of dates.

Dinner was meant to be a creamy chicken dish with zoodles (zucchini noodles) but I wasn't sure about the chicken so I tossed it.  

I found a beef bolognaise in the freezer and dug that out.  Had buttered zoodles with some meat sauce and parmesan instead.

To be honest, I am not sure I could have faced another cream based dish LOL

I am feeling a tad full, reflux-y and glad this is the end of the loading days!!

However, I do know that I am fully loaded in the best possible way.

I hope to go into this round in the best shape possible. 

I have come out of round two with no major pain or inflammation.  

I lost around 8kg in P4 without trying really and feel happy with the maintenance.

I really struggled, but seeing I had gone to the effort to make a sugar free chocolate icecream, I felt I should do it justice.

For dessert/supper I had some.  

Not much though (think 1/2c) as 

I just couldn't do it justice.

But OMG!  It was good.

Stay tuned and I will post my recipe in the next week.

So, tomorrow begins phase 2 for 43 days.

I won't bore you with daily posts but thought, for those starting out it might be a good idea to see what others do for the phase.

I plan on doing a weekly post on stats and meals with a few recipes thrown in.

I will also link to past recipes from the last couple of rounds.

Hope you enjoy the ride :)

Round 3 loading day 1

Oh gosh, how good is this!!

Day one of loading and I am on a roll. 

Went out to the Harvest Market and had a full fat large coffee with a    Mt Gnomon free range pulled pork taco for breakfast.

All the noms I tell you.

Next up I had this beauty!  After a quick visit to the Organic Grocery Store to grab some raw milk I came home and made a loading smoothie.

Super creamy, tasty and soooooo high in good fats.

I don't normally drink a huge amount of milk but for loading this 

is a 

great source of nutrient dense fat

Ingredients:

1.5c full fat milk (you could use a nut milk if you prefer)

1/4c ashgrove cream (optional, but I had some in fridge)

2tbs raw cacao powder

1tsp probiotic blend

1tsp living green blend

2tbs raw cashew butter

1/2c blueberries
1 banana

Blend all ingredients until well combined.

And that is my morning of loading!  

Next snack on the plate is some Ashgrove camembert and blue cheese served with sliced apple.   I do love cheese and after stopping in at Ashgrove the other day was delighted to see that had some of their soft cheeses in stock.  If you haven't been to their on-site store I highly recommend the visit!  You can also order their products online.

But wait!
There's more!

All the goodness of grassfed, free range lamb loin chops.  OMG!  They were divine and I recommend you take a look at 
Conmurra Farm for their meat if you are in Tassie.  

This meal was baked chops with creamy bacon chard. 
I do the chops in the oven on 200c for about 20minutes.  I like them quite pink in the middle. 
The chard was sauted in ghee with garlic, cracked pepper and bacon.  I put a dash of cream in at the end and let it reduce.

Finally, I am finishing off the evening with a block of my fave raw chocolate.  This is divine and a real treat as it is a bit expensive.
It has a coconut butter base so nice and high in fats and is sweetened with agave.

What are your loading day favourites?