Clean Slate – Cold Weather and Clean Comfort Foods

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn trees.” 

                                                                                                                      Emily Bronte  

While it’s always hard to part ways with summer, new seasons bring new beginnings. As you say goodbye to beach days and let go of the smells, tastes, and fun-filled crazy days of summer, it’s now time to embrace the great things about autumn that we wait for all year. Seasonally, autumn is a time of change, growth, emotions, and new beginnings. It is the season of harvest. It is a time to be open and get organized in preparation for winter. Your body is slowly beginning to adapt to cooler weather, creating a sense of space to welcome the winter months. 

According to traditional Chinese medicine, this season is the time to enhance digestion, which is essential for maintaining a healthy micro-biome and proper absorption of nutrients. As the days are getting shorter and the air is much cooler, our bodies naturally crave warmer foods that are comforting and nourishing. The light and easy-to-digest foods of summer are slowly being replaced by heartier, astringent foods that provide warmth to the body. A few practices to put into place to help your body shift gears going into the change of seasons: 

1. Prioritize Sleep   

Our bodies follow a circadian rhythm and this relies on consistency, seeking to adapt its rhythm as sunlight becomes less available. The more erratic sleep patterns are, the higher the risk for developing obesity, hypertension, elevated blood sugar, heart disease and more health problems.  

Evidence based tips to sleep better at night: 

1. Stick to a sleep schedule. 

2. Increase bright light exposure during the day. 

3. Reduce electronics and other sources of blue light two hours before bedtime. 

4. Optimize your bedroom environment. 

2. Eat Seasonally 

As a general rule of thumb, eat seasonally as much as possible and you can’t go wrong. Mother Nature knows what she’s doing. Things are in season at a particular time for a reason. Seasonal foods support our bodies with what they need during each season. With fall comes new seasonal produce at the local farmers market and grocery stores. To find out what seasonal produce is available in your area, check out www.seasonalfoodguide.org Design a meal plan that reflects what’s available now.  

• Incorporate all the root vegetables of the season, like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, parsnips, turnips, carrots, and beets. 
• Seek out cleansing, mineral-rich greens, like collards, arugula, kale, and Brussels sprouts. 
• Enjoy the fruits of the season, such as pomegranates, apples, cranberries, pears, and grapes. 

• Make sure you are getting adequate protein, either from clean animal sources or complete vegan sources. 

3. Boost Your Immune System 

“The bulk of human health issues can be traced to diet and deficiencies in minerals, metals, vitamins, and hormones.” Steve Magee 

Vitamin D, along with vitamin C and zinc, are great weapons against seasonal diseases like cold and flu. If you can’t head out to get some sun, add vitamin D and other immune boosting vitamins to your daily diet. 

Foods High in Vitamin D:  
Salmon, cod, chia seeds, walnuts, dairy products, and flax seeds  

Foods High in Vitamin C:  
Citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, bell peppers, tomatoes, and white potatoes 

Foods High in Zinc: 
Oysters, blackberries, avocados, peaches, beans, nuts, and dairy 

When the season turns, my meal plans change. Nothing makes me happier when the temps get colder and I start to think of the soups and stews that create meals for a couple days for my family. Here are just a few of my family’s favorites. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup  
(Source: Fit and Healthy with Debbie Reichert blog) 
Ingredients: 

• 3 boneless, skinless, organic chicken breasts 
• 1 can organic, reduced sodium black beans (I used two) -OR- 1 can organic, reduced sodium kidney beans 
• 1 can reduced sodium corn (can also use fresh) 
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce 
• 1 green pepper, diced 
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped 
• 2 finely diced tomatoes (15 oz can would work though) 
• 2 Tbsp chili powder 
• 1 tsp paprika 
• 1 tsp oregano 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 
• 1 tsp cumin 
• 1/2 tsp crushed red cayenne pepper 
• 2 tsp minced garlic 
• 32 oz low sodium chicken broth 
• freshly chopped cilantro (to taste) 
• juice of one lime 

DIRECTIONS 

Dump all of the above into a crockpot. Time will vary depending on crockpot, I put mine on low in the morning and it was ready to go by that afternoon. When you are ready to serve, the chicken breasts can be taken out of the crock pot, shredded with two forks and dumped back in. This is hands down my most requested soup and can be made in a variety of proteins and topped with tortilla chips, salsa, avocado, and more. 

Neat Sloppy Joes 
(Source: Allrecipes.com) 
Ingredients: 

• 2 pounds lean ground beef 
• ½ cup chopped onion 
• 1 cup chopped celery 
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup 
• ¼ cup ketchup 
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar 
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar 
• 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder 
• 8 hamburger buns 

Directions 

1. Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. I like to use a potato masher to even out the lumps. Add onion and celery, cover the pan, and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes. Drain off any grease. 

2. Stir the tomato soup (undiluted), ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture. Season with salt and garlic powder. Heat to a simmer over low heat and cook until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom. 

3. Spoon the hot beef mixture onto buns, which may be toasted first, and serve. 

Paleo Lasagna 
Ingredients: 
1 small onion, diced 
4 cloves garlic 
2 Tbsp olive oil 
1 lb each, beef and Italian sausage 
2 Tbsp oregano 
1 tsp basil 
¼-½ tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to heat preference) 
½ tsp sea salt 
½ Tbsp pepper 
1 14 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes 
1 small can of tomato paste 
1 package of frozen zucchini noodles (or 2-3 fresh zucchini, diced or sliced thinly) 
1 small can sliced black olives 

Directions: 

1. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Set aside. 

2. Brown beef and Italian sausage in that same pan. Drain some of the fat, then add dry seasonings. 

3. Add can of tomatoes and the tomato paste. Mix till seasonings are blended well. 

4. Add zucchini and bring to a sizzle, spoon mixture into a baking dish, and top with sliced black olives. 

5. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.   

Paleo Chili 
Ingredients:   

• 5 lbs lean ground beef 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 2 Tbsp oil 
• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 4 large carrots, peeled and diced 
• 2-3 zucchinis, diced 
• 2 Tbsp chili powder 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp oregano 
• 1 tsp salt 
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 
• 15 oz tomato puree 
• 15 oz diced tomatoes (I like a little heat, so I use a can of Rotel) 

Instructions: 

1. Brown beef and garlic over medium heat. Drain fat and set aside. 

2. Add oil, onions, carrots and seasonings.  Cook till the onions are translucent over medium high heat (about 5-7 minutes). Once onions are golden and veggies are midway cooked, add zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, making sure to stir well. 

3. Add cooked beef back into the pot.  Add tomatoes and sauce, stirring well.  Bring everything to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.