It’s almost Christmas! Does your kitchen look festive with all those cookies and candies that are so special this time of year? I know our kitchen does. I am so lucky to have patients that are great bakers. Yes, I indulge a bit in the holidays. My choice is always homemade goodies. I know that real butter and sugar are used in the recipes, not trans-fats or high fructose corn sugar. For our holiday family get together, our contribution to the Christmas dinner is dessert. It is always tempting to buy the pre-made pies because it is easy. Have you ever read the label on a store bought pumpkin or pecan pie? I guarantee you that half of the ingredients sound like a science experiment. These are the ingredients listed for a S*** L** Pumpkin pie:
Pumpkin, whey, high fructose corn syrup, enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, eggs, vegetable oil (palm, soybean and/or cottonseed oils), corn syrup. Contains 2% or less of each of the following: skim milk, modified corn starch, salt, sugar, spices (includes cinnamon), carrageenan, natural flavor, sodium tripolyphosphate, dextrin, dextrose, soy flour.
It’s a little scary when you realize Sodium Tripolyphosphate is a solid inorganic compound mostly used in household cleaning products and industrial cleaning processes! And you are going to serve that to you the family you love?
One Degree of Change #30: Bring Homemade Desserts to Holiday Dinners!
How hard is that! Not really, maybe a little extra time on your part. But the results are so worth it. You can go on the internet to find all types of recipes. We are doing three desserts: pumpkin, apple and cracker pie. All made with real, organic grass-fed butter, real organic heavy cream, real apples, real pumpkin (OK, we are using canned, organic pumpkin in a BPA free can), coconut sugar and cage free locally sourced eggs. Of course you have to top those desserts with something. No Cool Whip either! After you read these ingredients, you will never be able to eat Cool Whip again! Try a little experiment, put some in a dish and let is set for a couple of weeks. It won’t change form, it won’t melt, it won’t change colors!
These are our fresh baked pies!
Apple, pumpkin and cracker pies!
Cool Whip ingredients!
If we are home, we make fresh whip cream with real vanilla and heavy organic whipping cream. Since we will be in my brother’s kitchen, to simplify preparation, we will bring vanilla ice cream made from milk, eggs, sugar and cream. Much more delicious than the chemical concoctions sold as toppings.
We have a week left of the year 2015 that is surrounded by foods and drink we don’t normally consume any other time of the year.
Here are five simple tips to enjoying the holidays in a healthy way:
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Keep moving! 10,000 steps per day (Ask Santa for a fancy pedometer!)
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Practice portion control (Savor each bite, taste the love that was stirred into the recipe!)
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Select homemade goodies, made with real butter and sugar.
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Make and take homemade goodies to spread the love.
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Eat “clean” outside of your holiday meals.