New England Naturopathic Health

NENH Whole 30 blog, Days 15-22

Hey all, hope you are staying warm and keeping the faith out there. The sunshine, melting ice and slight smell of spring in the air lifted my spirits today after an emotionally challenging week with many nights of involuntary waking waaaaaay before dawn as my brain insisted on trying (and failing) to solve ALL of the world's problems. Fortunately the stable brain chemistry that comes along with getting off the dopamine roller coaster is quite conducive to navigating sticky situations with a minimum of overreaction.

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This weeks meals run the gamut of quick and prefabbed on a rushed night (see dressed up Amy's Split Pea soup) to intricately planned birthday feast (see video of brunch table).

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I love to show off the luxuriousness of real, whole food. Stellar seasonal ingredients that speak for themselves and need very little pampering are key. Let's use fruit as an example. Though virtually nothing is in season in Maine, citrus fruits and kiwis from California are in their prime. Blood oranges are always heavily featured in my meals this time of year for their stunning color, sophisticated taste and ability to play well with both sweet and savory taste profiles.

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And don't even get me started on the mangos. They are cheer and fairy dust embodied. I have twice had the privilege of living in Ecuador during the December-January mango season during which it is mandatory to eat at least ten mangos a day and the children's faces are perpetually sticky with nectar...and smiling. Just imagine American children considering fruit a treat. Sigh....a girl can dream.

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Today marks 28 days with no alcohol or sugar and 22 days of Whole 30 (delayed start due to stupid Covid ruining everything as usual). Typically by week 3 I am starting to miss chocolate, cheese and wine. Interestingly, this time around I miss none of these. Why? No clue. I can only hope that this contentedness with the simple things, both in life and food, persists.

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To all of you who are in the active or pre-contemplative stages of improving your self care regimen, remember to keep it simple and joyful. Focus what naturally draws your attention and inspires you so that you may ease into the journey sustainably.

Stay cozy and well nourished, Doc C

NENH Whole 30 blog, days 8-15

In which we get REALLY hungry and taste test some Whole 30 compliant versions of Jeffy's favorite comfort foods to stick to the proverbial ribs.

On this day in which the emotions are running high for all of us, please accept this offering of peace, love and beautiful food. May it provide you with a pleasant distraction at a minimum.

This week was challenging. Lots of late nights and work obligations, a growth-spurt induced sleep regression for my 5-year-old, a rigamarole with my car, frigid weather...all of which reduced time and energy for cooking while simultaneously inducing dangerously low blood sugar levels. There is always a week during the Whole 30 that my husband basically loses the will to live. This was that week. And so, I give you: Whole 30 comfort foods. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

Reviving my recipe writing skills from detox programs past, here is the recipe for the best of the meals shown below:

Apple sausage stuffed spaghetti squash
Prep time: ~20 mins
Cook time: ~75 minutes

Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons ghee
2 tablespoons braggs coconut aminos
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons Bub and Martha’s seasoning
1 large apple, chopped
1 cup celery, minced
1 head garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
½ cup dried fruit of choice
1 cup roasted walnuts, chopped
2 eggs
Balsamic vinegar for drizzling

Directions:
Squash:
Preheat the oven to 400 F (note: I do not have a convection setting on my oven, but if I did I would have used it for this recipe and reduced the cooking time)
Split spaghetti squash lengthwise, place face down in a large casserole dish in ~1 inch of water
Bake at 400 F for 45 minutes or until knife easily cuts into the back skin, remove and drain the water
Melt the ghee and brush it onto the flesh of the squash, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of coconut aminos

Roast garlic:
Cut the bottom off of the garlic head and place face down in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small glass pyrex, roast for 20-25 minutes until is fragrant and the visible portion of the garlic cloves is caramelized
Remove the roasted cloves and chop into desired size chunks (depends on whether you are a garlic person or not)

Stuffing:
While the squash and garlic are baking, heat a heavy cast iron pan (or other heavy-bottom pan) over medium heat
Once is capable of sizzling water, add the sausage and the Bub and Martha’s seasoning
Sear the sausage in its own fat until medium brown
Add the shallots, celery, apples, thyme and continue to saute over medium heat until well combined
Reduce heat to low, add the remaining tablespoon of braggs aminos, cover and keep over low heat an additional 10+ minutes until meat is well browned
Add the dried fruit, nuts and roasted garlic and fold in
Beat the two eggs into a uniform mixture, pour over and incorporate into the stuffing

Add the stuffing to the two squash halves, cover in aluminum foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes at 400 F

Uncover, drizzle both squash halves with thick balsamic vinegar
Move to top rack and broil on high to brown the surfaces of the squash halves, ~ 5 mins

Enjoy with a hot mug of tea for a soul-soothing experience

Keep the faith, y'all.
Much love, Doc C

My lovely assistant Anastasia is helping me make mocktails today for the “Healthy Holiday Habits” class at Apollo today. See you there at 2!!

The bad news is that we lost many trees on our camp road this past year due to wind storms and logging. The good news is that Mother Nature knows how to make the best of a crap situation by giving us hardy medicinal plants like achillea (yarrow), tanacetum (daisy) and this huge colony of verbascum (mullein) that love to grow in land cleared by humans. Giving thanks for the reminder that beauty can grow out of devastation and for the opportunity to educate Ana about power plants while she is still young enough to appreciate this magic.