dessert freedom + roasted sweet potato, quinoa & watercress warm winter salad

Joseph makes these amazing enchiladas.

He makes everything from scratch–the sauce, the tortillas, the filling. They’re my favorite. I love smoothering them in fresh tomatoes, shredded cabbage, & lots of Mexican hot sauce.

He made some the other night, but because of a scouting event, he didn’t get around to making my gluten-free ones. He had made some for the kids (with the wheat tortillas) so there were some leftover.

They sat in my fridge yesterday, tempting me. “Just one, won’t hurt–right?”

I went back & forth, knowing full well how I feel after I eat something with gluten in it. But, pregnancy has weakened my logic/reasoning, so try as I might to talk myself out of it, I caved and ate one. It was DELICIOUS. I wanted more, but fortunately for me, there was actually only one left & I had eaten it.

All afternoon I regretted it. I became sluggish, felt irritable, bloated, and for the next 8 hours I felt like a brick was in my stomach. I couldn’t eat dinner & it just wanted the heavy feeling to go away.

Have you ever done that?

Eaten food that you know will make you feel awful but you do it anyway? I used to do that all the time, and though I’m not perfect, I do my best to avoid those “icky” foods now.

We’re entering the indulgent season of the year–lots of pies, candy, cookies, fudge (love that stuff)–all the festive foods that taste soo good, but often leave us feeling less than stellar. So how to get around that while still partaking in festive treats?

Easy: Arm yourself (with healthy versions of your favorite treats).

I say easy, if you have the right recipes. My friend Leanne, of Healthful Pursuit is just the lady to show you how you can do this.  She just launched her ebook, Dessert Freedom: 10 all vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free (& paleo!) desserts that will help you get through this holiday season. So you can enjoy eating your fave holiday treats, without the guilt, without the after-regret.

I share this with you because I can vouch for Leanne–she is an expert at creating these amazingly delicious, healthy treats that don’t *taste* healthy (ie. your picky significant other will eat it & LOVE it!).

Some of the recipes in the book, include:

·       Tiramisu

·       Peppermint Patties

·       Shortbread

·       No bake Pecan Pie Bars

·       Peppermint Bark

·       Rum Balls

·       Gingersnaps

It’s only $10, and you can check it out & buy it here.

So besides vegan, gluten-free healthy treats, other food that makes me feel awesome are dishes that are filling, loaded with greens, and makes me feel happy while I’m eating it & gives me energy for hours after (instead of making me feel drowsy & bloated).

I’ve been on a roasted sweet potato kick. If you’re a subscriber to my email newsletter (you’re not? sign up here, & you’ll get my free ebook to boot!), you know I talked about how to roast sweet potatoes & how I like to throw small, cubed roasted sweet potatoes into soup, salads, burritos, tacos, salsa–really most savory dishes, in the last update.

Here’s a rather simple way to use the roasted sweets (after roasting, they are packed with flavor & really add to whatever dish you’re using it in)–a warm salad, perfect for the chilly nights ahead.

This recipe was submitted to Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend. Check it out for more healthy recipes!

♥

Are you like me & super sensitive to foods like sugar, wheat, other things? What foods do you still eat but know they make you feel less than ideal? What foods make you feel awesome?