How many times have you tried to healthify a recipe Reader?

Did it work?

I lost count of recipe edits and brick-like baked goods results over my decade+ years of dieting.

"Why do you want to add protein powder and reduce the sugar of the pumpkin muffins", I asked. What's your motivation or intention?

Jane (not her real name) asked in our session last week how to alter a NY Times recipe for pumpkin muffins to make them healthier.

With the recent uptick in sugary foods with Halloween and the unofficial start of the holiday food season, Jane was anxious about how eating this season would affect her health and weight.

You've heard me say this before. But it's even more true during the holidays.

We make food and our relationship with food WAY too complicated.

These are the most common fears I hear:

"If I let myself have whatever food I want, I'll never stop eating it, keep gaining weight, my clothes won't fit, and I'll get diabetes (or heart disease or cancer)."

After years of following (and unfollowing) food rules, it's hard to break free from thoughts like these.

Take advice from Julia Child, "the only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking (and eating), you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." How?

Watch this 7-ish minute video​
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Resource

Listen to these 2 podcast episodes to help challenge your all-or-nothing thinking with food - especially as you move through the holiday season.

​Savor Food and Body Podcast Episode 100: How to get out of the messy middle of intuitive eating

​Savor Food and Body Podcast Episode with Ami Karnosh MSN: ​How to make holiday baking healthier; know the risks

Recipe

"Try not to lick the f*cking page. It tastes nothing like the recipe." Says the Bad Manners (formerly Thug Kitchen) Cookbook this soul-warming soup comes from. If you don't mind spicy language, this cookbook is a must for satisfying, weeknight meals.

Tortilla Soup, serves 4-6

1 yellow or white onion

1 carrot

1 bell pepper

1-2 jalapenos

4 cloves garlic

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin, dried oregano, and chili powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 can (14.5 oz) low-salt diced tomatoes (fire-roasted if possible!)

1/4 cup tomato paste

5 cups vegetable broth

1 Tablespoon lime juice

6-8 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch squares

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

Toppings: chopped cilantro, minced jalapenos, avocado, shake from the bottom of your tortilla chip bag

Chop up the onion, carrot, and bell pepper into pieces about the size of a chickpea. Mince the garlic and jalapenos.

Grab a large soup pot and saute the onion in the oil until it starts to look a little see-through about 2 minutes.

Add the carrot and bell pepper and cook until everything is golden, another 3 minutes. Add the carrot and bell pepper and cook until everything is golden, another 3 minutes. Add the jalapenos, garlic, spices, and salt, and cook for another 30 seconds.

Make sure to stir enough so the past isn't just sitting in a clump. Add the broth and let that all come to a simmer.

Add the lime juice and tortilla squares. Stir everything up and let that all gently simmer together until the tortillas get nice and soft about 10 minutes.

Now turn off the heat grab your immersion blender and pulverize until it's nice and smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can throw this all in your regular blender in batches too.

NOTE! Remove the center piece of the lid for the blender to allow steam to escape. Put the lid on the blender and cover the hole with a cloth towel. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve this up with chickpeas piled in the center of each bowl, with chunks of avocado, some minced jalapeno, and some cilantro.

NOTE! Add strips of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving to the soup if you're tired of turkey sandwiches

What's your favorite food for Thanksgiving? Hit reply, I'd love to hear from you!

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Have a delicious kick-off to the holiday season savoring food and your body!

Amanda

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PS: Don't make food too complicated, holiday edition. Often it's the thoughts and beliefs about health, weight, and our bodies that make our relationship with food complicated - especially during the holidays. Watch this video to keep food simple by applying the "what-the-hell" mindset from Julia Child.​