Festive Foods
Kirstie Lamb – Researcher and Trainer in Public Health/19 December 2017
We all know that Christmas can be a difficult time for sticking to a healthy dietary approach. Tasty temptations everywhere we look! This can be especially hard if you are still getting used to a new dietary approach. So, to make things a little bit easier, this year I have scoured the internet to bring you a range of Festive Foods and Christmas recipes to suit a low carb or Mediterranean dietary approach. Tasty food that you can enjoy without feeling that you are missing out!
From everyone here at X-PERT Health we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year!
Mediterranean menu
Breakfast:
Mediterranean scrambled eggs (tomato, spinach and feta)
Full fat Greek plain yoghurt, berries and mixed nuts
Lunch/Dinner/Sides:
Mediterranean chicken and cheese stuffed aubergine
Mozzarella and fig salad
Pancetta wrapped fish and lemon potatoes
Herb-roasted olives, tomatoes and garlic
Dessert:
Honey yoghurt cheesecake
Pistachio ice cream; to make this low-carb, swap the sugar for a sweetener e.g. xylitol (you may need to reduce the quantity of sweetener, depending on the type used, to prevent the ice cream being too sweet and/or grainy)
Spiced red wine poached pears
Savoury snacks:
Red pepper and feta dip; serve with a variety of vegetable crudités
Olives, cured meats (e.g. prochiutto, chorizo) and mozzarella chunks
Carrot and parsley breadsticks
Christmas treats
Sweet Pinto Bean Bread- Recipe: Soak 80g pinto beans overnight, drain then boil for 1 ½ hours until tender. Drain. Sift 200g self-raising flour, ½ tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp mixed spice into a bowl. Heat 56g butter, 56g dark brown sugar and 84g clear honey in a pan. Add dry ingredients and mix along with 1 egg, beans and 60g nuts. Spoon into a tin, sprinkle with nuts and bake at 180ᵒC
Low carb menu
Breakfast:
Bacon, eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms (1g carbs per serving)
Christmas spiced granola- this recipe comes from Helen, our Operation Manager here at X-PERT HQ! Recipe: mix together mixed nuts (2-3 cups), flaked almonds (1 cup), 2-3tsp cinnamon (or other Christmas spices), 1tsp vanilla essence, 2tbsp sweetener and 3-4tbsp melted butter. Spread out on a baking tray and sprinkle with approx. ½ cup of desiccated coconut. Cook in an oven for 10-15 mins at 160ᵒC, checking the granola every 5 mins. (Optional: add 1 cup of flaxseed and/or chia seeds before baking!). Serve with full fat Greek plain yoghurt (approx. 5g per ¼ cup serving).
Smoked salmon scrambled egg (5g carbs per serving)
Lunch/Dinner/Sides:
Oven baked brie and walnuts (1g carbs per serving)
Green bean, walnut and goats cheese salad (11g carbs per serving)
Brussel sprouts with bacon (4g carbs per serving)
Traditional roast turkey dinner, minus the potatoes! (approx. 10g carb per serving, depending on the vegetables used)
Roast lamb, red cabbage and garlic bean mash (36g per serving); to further reduce carbs, switch the butter bean mash for swede or celeriac mash and halve the amount of apple used.
Dessert:
Cheese board – choose a selection of cheeses; hard cheeses such as cheddar are virtually carb free, but avoid the biscuits and grapes if you want to keep it low carb! Celery makes a great low-carb accompaniment to cheese
Flourless almond and orange cake (7.9g carbs per serving)
Christmas pudding – serve with double cream! (12.5g carbs per serving)
Savoury snacks:
Orange and brandy chicken liver paté (3g carbs per serving)
Garlic chicken paté (0.3g carbs per serving)
Salmon and cream cheese bites (0.4g carbs per serving)
Christmas treats:
Gingerbread (1g carbs per serving)
Mince pies (9.4g carbs per serving)
Cinnamon coffee (1g carbs per serving)
Spiced almonds (4.6g per serving)
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