But, extremist that I am, I couldn't leave it at that. In the past year or so my personal pendulum has swung in the other direction and just kept swinging. Not content to merely jettison the Tofurkey, I've gone wholeheartedly Paleo, sending the grains and potatoes packing as well. So long stuffing, Auf wiederehen white bread, Hasta Luego mashed potato! You might say I'm taking Thanksgiving much closer to the meal that was probably enjoyed by the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims. I doubt they had Stouffer stuffing at their microwavable fingertips, though they did eat corns and grains.
So what exactly am I eating at Thanksgiving this year? Most of the stuff that everyone else is: the turkey, the salad, the green beans (which I like to make with a balsamic/maple/mustard sauce), yams (I add coconut, butter, and pecans), and I'm going to try this sausage stuffing recipe from Rational Jenn's website. One thing I like about this stuffing is I can make it almost 100% locavore since we have sausage in our freezer, fennel, onion, and garlic still from our garden, and local mushrooms coming out our ears at this time of year.
I'm saving all of my non-Paleo goodness for some real pumpkin pie. I'll make it with pumpkins from our garden, eggs from our chickens, and raw goat's milk from a local farm. I cut the sweetening in the old-fashioned Betty Crocker recipe way down, since my taste buds are not used to too much sweetness, but do use some raw sugar. And real whipped cream of course!
So hopefully no one will be offended if I pass many of the dishes right on to the next person and just enjoy the parts of the meal that make my body feel great.
4 comments:
Wish we could grow pumpkins and melons here. Just have to buy them. The varmints (racoons, possums, squirrels) ravage stuff like that. Good to know I that I am not the only one thought a little off dead center during holiday meals. : )
Anything we grow here has to be fenced off from varmints, big and small. Raccoons, squirrels, possums, and deer are the main culprits.
I'm familiar with the paleo diet. I definitely forgo breads, rice, pasta, and have cut out the sugar entirely. (that was painful. I do use stevia.) One question - would you include quinoa in your diet? I guess it's still a grain, but it's so high in protein that most resources consider it a protein source. (and I love it.)Just wondering your thoughts. Why does the paleo diet make you feel better? What changes have you noticed? (I follow your blog religiously!)
I would think that quinoa could be used sparingly as a grain substitute. I typically don't, but I am not really missing grains that much. Quinoa is still pretty high on the glycemic index compared to a strict paleo diet, so that's one thing to take into consideration.
The main changes I've noticed on paleo is that I sleep better, I wake up feeling rested and without any noticable muscle soreness, even after killer workouts. Also, I was beginning to get some arthritis in my hands and that's completely gone.
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