A Healthy Memorial Day Feast

It can be easy to use holidays as an excuse to forget about healthy eating and just indulge. Personally, I think it’s important to forget about macronutrient ratios and sugar content occasionally. However, Hillary’s Memorial Day Feast was proof that you can meet your health goals while eating a delicious, anti-inflammatory meal. She was kind enough to share her recipes with me to use in this post. Next time you are having people over to grill, skip the hotdogs and potato salad and try out these creative, healthy dishes. Thanks, Hillary!

“Get one of me eating the food!”

Warm Kelp Noodle Salad

Ingredients

1 packet kelp noodles, rinsed and cut

2-3 large organic carrots, peeled into ribbon noodles (or spiralized!)

1 bag organic arugula (Trader Joe’s)

Half lemon

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or 3 Dorot cubes

Two handfuls fresh basil leaves, finely chopped or 6 Dorot cubes

1/4 cup organic shelled hemp seed (could sub for finely chopped pine nuts)

Smoked paprika, to taste

Method

1. Sauté the coconut oil, garlic, basil, carrots, and kelp noodles together until everything is cooked well.

2. Add in the arugula towards the end since that will cook fast.

3. Add in the hemp and start folding in.

4. Squeeze in half a lemon, sprinkle smoked paprika and season to taste. Stir. Serve. Eat.

Ever wonder what Jordan’s eating out of that black Tupperware? It’s Hillary’s famous chicken, and here is the secret recipe!

Anti-Inflammatory Chicken

Ingredients

1.5 tsp turmeric powder

1.5 tsp garlic powder

1.5 tsp ginger powder

1.5 tsp smoked paprika

2 small/1 large squeezed lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup light canned coconut milk

5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Method

1. Mix all ingredients except chicken in a bowl until well combined.

2. Pour over chicken and mix until coated. A large ziplock bag works well, or use a large bowl and cover. Allow to marinate in the fridge for 2-24 hours.

3. Preheat your grill to a medium-high heat. Grill chicken breasts for about 5 minutes either side, or until fully cooked through. This will depend on the size of your chicken breasts.

4. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then serve.

Hillary uses spices and herbs rather than salt, which many of us rely on, to give her recipes flavor and for their added health benefits. Salt is a common trigger for autoimmune diseases, and learning to cook with spices can be a great way to reduce your salt intake. That said, feel free to season as your tastebuds and dietary requirements demand!

We also ate:

• Skirt steak seasoned with garlic and smoked paprika
• Asparagus cooked in olive oil, garlic and sumac
• Mashed taro root: peeled and boiled taro root, mashed with ginger, garlic, smoked paprika, coconut milk and coconut oil until creamy in consistency.
• For dessert, my raw lemon coconut truffles. Recipe coming next week!