|
|
|
|
Are you feeling the pre-holiday panic?
Health & recipe tips to keep calm and plan ahead
|
|
The pre-holiday season rush can leave us feeling depleted. With a bit of planning ahead, resolution to reduce the celebratory fuss and adding in some natural calming remedies we can all enjoy the season.
Read on for some ways to simplify and relax, along with some healthy holiday recipes for fun. I've also included below the holiday hours for Nutrisearch and Pacific Health for those needing supplements.
May 2017 be your healthiest and most successful year yet. Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.
Be well always and peaceful holidays ahead,
x Dr Kathleen
|
|
Plan a healthy no fuss family barbecue. Resolve to make holiday meals simple and delicious.
One of the great Kiwi traditions on long, summer evenings is a no-fuss barbecue with friends and family. It’s a great time to kick back, tell a few stories and make up for lost time with those you care about. But the easy days of wrapping a saucy in a piece of bread to satisfy hungry appetites are changing. Your guests could be Paleo, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, pescatarian, vegetarian or vegan. They may not have the heart to tell you their food preferences to spare your feelings. You serve up your home-made bread to impress your guests; they either pick at it, pretend to be full or silently suffer the digestive consequences later. But with growing awareness of how certain foods may irritate our guts and send our blood sugars sky-high, along with the growing epidemic of childhood allergies, healthy food options could please even the fussiest guest. While we can’t cater for every dietary preference (this is where you ask your guest to bring a dish) If you offer a selection of tasty gluten-free options, just about everyone can be included in the dinner fun.
Be a relaxed host, prepare ahead. No one appreciates a haggard host who doesn’t have the time to properly chat but rather acts like a moody commanding sergeant ordering others to help. Hungry people don’t appreciate being deserted as the uptight chef disappears into the kitchen for a last-minute cooking frenzy. The guests are on edge, and desperately searching for another glass of vino. Prevent this dinner hosting disaster by preparing cold dishes ahead of time. This may include lettuce or gluten-free pasta salads, herbal iced teas, fruit salad, or appetisers like marinated olives and sun-dried tomatoes or easy rice paper veggie wraps.
Dr Kathleen’s easy gluten-free rice paper veggie wrap recipe
Ingredients
28 grams of firm tofu, drained and dried with paper towel
2 tablespoons coconut oil
226 grams of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
12 (22 cm) round rice paper wrappers (available in supermarket)
12 small baby green lettuce leaves
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 red pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup of bean sprouts, rinsed and dried with paper towel
½ courgette, peeled and cut into thin strips
Gluten free sauce
2 small grated garlic cloves
8 teaspoons Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
First, create the tamari honey sauce. Combine 2 teaspoons Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce with 1 grated clove of garlic, black pepper and 1 tablespoon honey.
Slice the tofu six times and put in a bowel. Marinate tofu with the tamari honey sauce for an hour in the fridge. Drain and throw away any remaining marinade once removed from fridge.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon coconut oil and brown the mushrooms. Remove mushrooms. Put 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in skillet and cook tofu on both sides until browned. Slice tofu in half lengthwise.
Fill a medium sized bowl with hot water (not boiling). Dip one rice paper into water for 3 seconds, until the paper is moveable but not too sticky. Put the wet rice paper on a flat bench or chopping board and fold it in half. Place a lettuce leaf a couple of centimetres in from the side of the rice paper with the lettuce sticking out of the flat side a little. Place two pieces of tofu, a few bean sprouts, two slices of courgette, two slices of red pepper, two carrot strips, and some mushrooms on top of the lettuce per roll. Tuck and roll the rice paper over the ingredients letting some show out the flat top of the roll. Continue same process with the remaining rice papers and ingredients.
In a small mixing bowl, mix well the leftover 6 teaspoons of Tamari, crushed garlic clove and 3 tablespoons. Pour into smaller dipping bowls. Serve sauce on table for dipping with rolls.
Serves 12 people
Ask guests to bring their preferred barbecue option. No one enjoys heating up the oven on summer nights. The easy solution is to fire up the barbecue and ask guests to bring their preferred grilling meat or veggie burger. Be sure to wash off the barbecue between dishes for those with Coeliac’s disease as even fine particles of gluten from pre-marinated bottled sauce could be an issue. Use naturally gluten-free Tamari soy sauce as a marinade. Of if it’s fish or chicken, a bit of crushed garlic, fresh lemon and sea salt may be all you need to bring out the flavour. For those more traditional barbecue lovers, be sure to offer a gluten-free bread option readily available at your nearest supermarket. Provide some herbs and spice options on the centre table for your guests to become their own master chef.
Make a memorable dessert. Many of us leave room for dessert. On a special occasion, it’s fun to serve something special that makes your guests ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’. While it’s nice to offer a mixed fresh fruit salad, you may partner this with a gluten free (even almost Paleo, bar the butter) coconut cream pie. It can be served chilled, so reduce stress by making this a day ahead of time.
Dr Kathleen’s Almost-Paleo Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
¾ cup tapioca starch flour, plus more for rolling
¾ cup almond flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup dried rice or any dried beans (to be used as pie weight)
Coconut Cream Filling
2 cans full fat coconut milk- note prepare this the DAY BEFORE see ‘Filling’ directions
3 large free range egg yolks (full of omega 3s!)
3 large whole free range eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
Meringue
2 tablespoons honey
3 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Directions (You will need a pie pan, heat-proof mixing bowl, cooking pan, rolling pin, fine mesh strainer and baking paper)
Pie Crust
In a large mixing bowl, mix tapioca starch flour, almond flour, and salt until no lumps. Mix in butter and honey. The mixture will be crumbly. Knead the mixture into a ball with your water moistened hands in the bowl. Flatten the dough ball into a round shape and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 15-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease a pie pan with butter.
Place a piece of baking paper on a bench. Put a smattering of tapioca starch flour on paper. Place the dough on top, dust with a sprinkle more starch and cover with another piece of baking paper. Roll the dough into a circle about half cm thick and a bit larger than the pie pan. Peel off the top piece of baking paper, set the pie plate on top of the dough, place hand under the bottom piece of baking paper and flip the whole thing over. Gently press the dough down in the pie pan then peel off the baking paper. Push any cracks together. With fork, pierce the bottom of the crust several times.
Crumple one of the pieces of baking paper up, place it on top of the dough in the pie pan, spread it out evenly and fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and beans or rice and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is set and golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Coconut Cream Filling
24 hours before preparing the filling, place one can of coconut milk in the refrigerator. Leave the other can at room temperature.
Bring a thumb length amount of water to a boil in the bottom of pan that will allow a mixing bowl to be placed on top without the bottom of the mixing bowl touching the water.
In a large heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and salt. Gradually mix in 1 cup coconut sugar. Mix in one can coconut milk (Not the one that has been chilled in the refrigerator).
After the water has come to a boil in the bottom of the skillet, reduce heat so water is barely simmering. Place the bowl with the egg mixture over the barely simmering water being careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Cook the mixture, stirring with a spatula for about every minute for 20 minutes or until thickened. You will need to stir more as the mixture cooks. Remove mixture from heat and mix in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons butter, one tablespoon at a time, making sure each tablespoon of butter is fully mixed in.
Strain the mixture into a clean bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Let the mixture cool then cover with a piece of plastic wrap, placing the plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the coconut mixture. Refrigerate until fully cooled, about 4 hours.
From the can of the refrigerated coconut milk, remove the hardened cream from the top. Set aside the coconut water found beneath the cream in the can. Place the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer with 1 tablespoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons coconut sugar and mix on high speed until the cream is thick and has increased in volume, for 2-3 minutes. If the coconut cream does not seem to be increasing in volume, add some of the reserved coconut water, 1 teaspoon at a time and mix. Save the rest of the coconut water for another use.
Whisk the chilled coconut curd then add the whipped coconut cream and whisk together. Spread filling into the cooled crust.
Meringue
In the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment, combine the cream of tartar, egg whites, and 2 tablespoons honey. Start the mixer on low until the ingredients are combined then on high beat until the egg whites are glossy and form stiff peaks.
Place the meringue onto the top of the pie filling. With spatula, spread the meringue evenly over the filling, spreading to edge of crust.
Place the top rack of the oven in middle and preheat broiler to high. Put the pie under the broiler and cook until browned, only approximately 1 minute. Watch the meringue closely to prevent burning.
Allow to cool. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time.
Servings:
Serves 8 people, double the recipe for leftovers. Allow for approximately 5 hours of prep time on the day (for preparation and chilling) or prepare day prior.
With these gluten-free recipe tips, a bottle or two of resveratrol-rich red wine and some fermented kombucha sparkling tea for alcohol-free guests, you are on your way to super host status. With this ample feed, even gluten-lovers won’t know what they’re missing (it’s entirely up to you to share your hosting secrets).
Keep Calm Naturally with L-Theanine
This beautiful amino acid is found in green tea and it supports calming GABA brain messengers quickly. Open the capsule and put powder on your tongue for even more rapid effect. To discover the calming benefit minus the caffeine, try Douglas Laboratories L-Theanine 100mg (free of fillers and additives)
Available from Nutrisearch: info@nutrisearch.co.nz or call 0800 88 44 33 (as this is a 'practitioner only' supplement please quote Dr Kathleen Wills when ordering)
|
|
Nutrisearch Operating Hours Over Christmas
Christmas is fast approaching and to help us help you to ensure adequate supplies and support over the Christmas period please note the following Christmas closing hours for Nutrisearch:
LAST TRADING DAY: Friday 23rd December
RE-OPENING: Wednesday 4th January
Please ensure your supplements order is received before end of day Friday 16th December in order to have these dispatched before the office closes.
Integrative Pathology Services (Test Kits) Over Christmas
Last day for receiving specimens at Nutrisearch will be Friday 16th December 2016.
First day for sending specimens to Nutrisearch will be Wednesday 4th January 2017.
*PLEASE NOTE NUTRISEARCH WILL BE CLOSED BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Nutrisearch on freephone
0800 88 44 33.
|
|
|
Pacific Health will be closed from
12pm on Friday 23rd of December, reopening at 9am Wednesday the 4th of January
To ensure pre-Christmas delivery, please place your orders by the following times:
Rural delivery: Friday 18 December 12 pm
South Island: Monday 21 December 12 pm
Auckland and rest of North Island: Tuesday 22 December 12 pm
|
|
|
|
|
Last minute gifts? Help someone special regain health and balance in their lives. Purchase Dr Kathleen's book 'Beat Burnout' and receive free shipping until Wednesday, 21 December.
|
|
Thanks for your support throughout 2016. May 2017 be your healthiest year yet.
I will be closed from Monday, 26 December and reopen for consultations Monday, 23rd January. Book early for 2017
Be well,
Dr Kathleen
www.drkathleen.co.nz
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
