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Orange Marmalade Muffins

March 18, 2020 by Lilah Wise Leave a Comment


Hello, friends! It’s been a long while since I have posted anything. I’ve been busy writing, parenting, and living.

The Corona virus has changed life pretty rapidly and remarkably in the past few weeks. While my kids are schooling remotely, I am trying to regain my footing in this new reality. Baking always eases anxiety! I craved something moist, barely sweet and rich in flavor. I found a few different recipes for orange muffins but I was appalled by the amount of sugar! So I halved the sugar and used raw honey instead. I took a page out of Ina’s book and added an orange juice glaze at the end for added sweetness. I think they are perfect and they are VERY moist. They taste just like orange marmalade. Perfect with a cup of tea!

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Orange Marmalade Muffins

Prep 36 mins

Cook 15 mins

Total 51 mins

Author Lilah Wise, Naturally Whole

Yield 22 muffins

I baked these to use up some oranges I had in my fruit bowl, sprucing up a basic orange almond cake recipe. I halved the sugar and replaced it with raw honey. Feel free to add 1/4 cup more honey if you prefer this to be a VERY sweet treat. I think it's a perfect, moist and barely sweet orange muffin. Because you use the whole orange, including the rind, it reminds me of orange marmalade. Try these in the morning slathered with salted butter!

Ingredients

  • 6 medium naval oranges (I used Cara Cara)
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups fine ground almond flour
  • generous pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup raw honey
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For Glaze:

  • juice of 3 oranges
  • 2 T honey or sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Wash the oranges and place 3 of them in sturdy saucepan and cover with water. 
  3. Boil the oranges for about 30 minutes.
  4. While the oranges are boiling, line two muffin tins with paper liners, or butter and flour well. If using a cake pan, butter and flour well, and use parchment rounds for the bottom. Butter and flour the parchment as well. 
  5. Remove the oranges from water and let cool. Slice into quarters. Remove peel from 1 orange and set aside*. Add the orange quarters to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend. Keep it chunky. Set aside.
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add vanilla, salt, honey and mix well. Add the almond flour and baking powder and mix until just combined. 
  7. Add the pureed oranges to the bowl and mix well. 
  8. Using an ice-cream scoop, fill each muffin tin. 
  9. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12-17 mins (check often). They are ready when a toothpick comes out clean. If making a cake, use a 9 inch round cake pan and bake for about 40-50 mins.
  10. While muffins bake, juice three oranges and add to a small saucepan with the honey or sugar. Boil the juice for about 12 minutes until it reduces by about half and is syrupy. 
  11. While muffins are cooling, poke each one several times with a toothpick and spoon warm orange juice over each one. 
  12. Enjoy! 

Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

Notes

*If you are getting fancy, thinly slice the orange peel and toss with a few pinches of cinnamon and some sugar for decoration!

Courses Dessert, Snack, Breakfast

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Filed Under: recipe Tagged With: breakfast, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, healthy dessert, muffins, orange, paleo, recipe

Go Ancestral in 2020

January 13, 2020 by Lilah Wise Leave a Comment


As we start out a new decade, I’ve been thinking a lot about where I started in 2010 with my diet and lifestyle choices. Many, many things have changed, and I have changed as a result.

It’s becoming more and more apparent to me that fewer and fewer humans are able to live lives the way we were designed to live. It’s literally making us sick. I live in New York City, the original concrete jungle. My kids’ “recess” is on the city playground, or a black top. Some days they don’t even go outside! And I notice that this happens for me, too. Most of us are chained to desks, cars, and phones or computers for most of our day. Our ancestors knew instinctively what humans need. We still have this wisdom living within us, if we learn to listen.

Here are some easy tips for living a more ancestral life in 2020:

Get outside. You know how you always breathe a sigh of relief being in nature? There’s a reason people show nature scenes when they want to keep people calm. It’s literally working on our bodies on a cellular level. So walk to work, get outside, sit in the grass, climb a tree, hike anywhere (even Central Park has awesome climbing rocks!) and if you can, get some outdoor exercise. Notice the world, and the other people around you. Grass in your toes feels amazing because we are meant to be outside!

Eat animal foods. Animal foods provide the most easily digestible complete proteins, and contain the most bioavailable nutrients. Eggs, salmon, steak, duck, you name it. Eat close to the earth, the highest quality animal foods you can afford and don’t overcomplicate it. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Find a local butcher, or better yet, a farmer and get to know them. If you need coaching, reach out to me.

Ditch processed foods. This is very hard, as we are all so used to processed foods. But what would happen if you– for one month– didn’t eat anything from a package? If you ate meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, and fruits and nothing from a package? What might change? What might you discover?

Sit in the sun. I’ve spent most of my life being afraid of the sun. This past year I wore sunscreen quite sparingly, and even though I am fair, I didn’t burn. (There is a theory that an animal-based diet helps prevent and lessen sunburns. I don’t know if this is true, but I can tell you it was definitely my experience.) I was careful and thoughtful about my sun exposure, but I made sure to incorporate at least ten minutes of direct sun a day. It’s a fantastic source of vitamin D, which most people are deficient in, so I also supplement with a good vitamin D/vitamin k2 supplement.

Wear blue-light blockers. Many of you have probably heard of this, and with all our screen time these days it’s really crucial. You can get glasses that block the blue lights from lightbulbs and and filters for your screens so you can sleep better and rest your brain. Exposure to blue light can mess with your hormones and sleep, which can cascade into a big issue.

Connect with others. Human beings are social creatures. We aren’t meant to be alone, we are meant for connection with others. So start that book club, or knitting circle, or join that ultimate frisbee club. Go to church or volunteer. Make dates and try new things. Continue to evolve in your relationships and work on true connection. Your health will improve.

Slow down. Our world is faced-paced and most of us feel pressure to do it all! Say no to the things you don’t want to do. Slow down. Take time to do nothing. Read that novel sitting on your bedside table for the whole day. See how slowly you can eat a meal or take a walk. It will change you.

Happy 2020!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ancestral health, carnivore, diet, easy health, health, lifestyle, paleo

Skillet Chicken with Lemon, Artichokes, Olives & Bacon

October 18, 2019 by Lilah Wise Leave a Comment

Now that the weather has turned cooler, I find myself wanting richer and more complex meals.

We have been buying six pastured chicken breasts per week, and I have been throwing them in a brine overnight. They are so delicious and tender when brined! You could just oven bake them or throw them in the instant pot.

But here I have a dish that is so delicious I wished I had doubled the recipe. It’s moist, tender chicken, smothered in a rich lemony sauce. The fats from bacon and olives give the dish a heartiness that is perfectly suited to the juicy and tart lemon. The herbs give it an earthiness to keep it all tamed. All in one skillet for easy clean up!

Feel free to play around with the ingredients, or leave any out. Cooking should be playful, fun and NOT STRESSFUL!

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Skillet Chicken with Lemon, Artichokes, Olives, & Bacon

Prep 1 hour, 10 mins

Cook 25 mins

Inactive 10 mins

Total 1 hour, 45 mins

Author Lilah Wise, Naturally Whole

Yield 6 servings

This recipe is FULL of flavor and would make excellent leftovers, so go ahead and cook 'em up! The use of pantry staples (olives, artichokes) makes this dish come together super quickly and in one skillet!

Brining the chicken isn't a deal breaker, but it's HIGHLY recommended. Brining tenderizes the chicken, so you have more leeway for cooking-- no more tough, dry chicken!

Brine: 1/2 cup kosher salt in 6 cups of water. Let salt dissolve, and add chicken breasts. Brine for AT LEAST an hour, or up to 12 hours. 

 

Ingredients

  • 6 boneless SKIN-ON chicken breasts (pastured, organic if possible)
  • 6 slices nitrate-free bacon, rough chopped 
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 small jar pitted green olives
  • 1 can artichoke hearts, drained
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 T dried oregano
  • 1 T Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
  • cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. (I use a convection oven.)
  2. In a large skillet, brown the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside. Leave drippings in pan.
  3. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper (the brine adds salt so you don't need a lot!). Brown chicken skin-side down in the bacon grease until nicely browned, maybe 3 mins. Remove chicken to a platter and set aside. (Chicken will not be cooked at this point.)
  4. In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 8 mins. Add a pinch of salt.  
  5. Add lemon juice, olives and artichokes to the pan and stir. Place chicken breasts on top of the vegetables and bake in the oven about 25 minutes, or until a thermometer registers about 145-150 degrees in the middle of the chicken breasts. 
  6. Remove from oven, and lightly tent with foil. 
  7. When ready to serve, sprinkle with chopped bacon and serve with pan juices. 
  8. Enjoy!

Courses Main Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

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Herb and Mustard Marinated Lamb Chops

August 20, 2019 by Lilah Wise Leave a Comment

This recipe is our favorite summer lamb recipe. It’s expensive, so we only do it a couple of times per year but I make a lot as they are so easy to throw on the grill. They are best eaten with your hands so make sure to have plenty of napkins handy!

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Marinated Lamb Chops

This is our favorite recipe that I've been making for almost 14 years. The tang of the vinegar helps tenderize the lamb and is the perfect counterbalance to the gaminess. The flavors of rosemary, garlic and mustard are rich and delicious. I always buy extra to make sure everyone has enough!

Ingredients

  • 3 racks lamb chops, trimmed and cut into individual chops
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 large), chopped
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • 2 T red wine vinegar
  • 3 T chopped fresh rosemary (or try a combination of rosemary & fresh mint), or any herbs, like tarragon and thyme
  • 2 pinches sea salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine mustard, garlic, vinegar, herbs, olive oil,  jvdn fm pinches sea salt in a bowl and mix well. 
  2. Place chops in a large bowl or ziplock bag and pour marinade over lamb, making sure to coat evenly. 
  3. Marinate for at least 1 hour, longer if possible. Make sure to remove chops from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking.
  4. Salt and grind fresh pepper over lamb chops before cooking. 
  5. Prepare grill or grill pan over medium high heat until hot and smoking.
  6. Grill each chop about 1 minute per side until medium rare (err on the side of less). Let chops sit for 10 minutes before devouring. 
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Filed Under: recipe, Uncategorized Tagged With: carnivore, dairy-free, easy health, gluten-free, healthy recipe, keto, lamb chops, main dishes, meat, paleo, quick, recipes

The Emotional Pull of Veganism

April 19, 2019 by Lilah Wise 1 Comment

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Unless you live under a rock, you are probably aware of the sharp increase in the popularity of plant-based eating in recent years. According to Forbes magazine, there has been a 600% increase in plant-based and vegan eating in the last five years.

Veganism, which is defined as an ethical stance against harming or eating animals, has been around for over fifty years. It isn’t strictly about food; vegans eschew leather, using animals for testing, and using them for clothing.  Often, vegan labels say “cruelty-free”. Strict vegans even avoid honey, the making of which may harm bees. “Plant-based” eating has emerged as a softer version. It’s less off-putting and positivist, I suppose. Many articles and mainstream new sources use “plant-based” and “sustainable food” interchangeably.

When a trusted friend and mentor confided that she was a vegan and it led to easy weight management and better health, it piqued my interest. I dove in, as I tend to do, headfirst. I got on all the vegan and plant-based websites I could. I watched Forks Over Knives, and What The Health.  I followed Nutritionfacts.org, Dr. Ornish, Neal Barnard, Joel Fuhrman, and others. It was obvious that many people had turned their health around using a plant-based approach.

My interest was mainly in the purported health benefits but quickly I saw that I could lose weight effortlessly, reverse chronic diseases (I didn’t have any) and live in a cruelty-free way that was helping address climate change. I was sold. Plus, the food was pretty!

The notion that I was eliminating suffering grew on me. As soon as I gave up animal products, particularly dairy, I felt lighter and cleaner. I was already a fairly healthy eater, mostly organic whole-foods and clean meats.  The fantasy that eating only plants would solve all my body issues was rearing its head. I wanted the Magic Bullet. This was the first sign something was amiss.

Giving up meat was only hard a few times, then it wasn’t. Eating out proved more challenging. I noticed that I had to make a lot more food to feed my family of five and this took extra time and I seemed to waste a lot more food. I bought loads of veggie and beans. My fridge was overloading. My husband, ever the renegade, had recently gone full carnivore in an attempt to heal his badly damaged gut. All the foods I was allowed to eat and relished eating– grains, legumes, greens, tofu– he wasn’t tolerating.  This caused a strange and curious strain between us, a disconnect. I was slowly being convinced that his all-animal diet was going to kill him at any minute and that I had reached nutritional nirvana. He ate around 1 lb of grass-fed ribeyes or burgers twice daily and felt better than he had in years. He looked at my plate and I could feel his eyes rolling. We didn’t address it much, and when our kids would ask why were eating opposite foods, I would just say “This is what I like to eat. Daddy can eat what Daddy wants.” But in my heart, something was off. How could both of us be doing so well? But I knew I was right.

I eagerly snapped pictures of my plant-based colorful creations and posted them. I got accolades and this felt good. Not only were my creations beautiful, but they were #healthy and #plantbased. I felt a sense of virtue, and moral authority when I shared my plates. I began to look at my husband’s plate with disgust. I actually pitied him.

That summer, I felt a oneness with animals and, yes, I’ll say it, the Universe. I spoke with other vegetarian or vegan friends and we laughed about how silly others were that were still participating in cruel animal-hating ways. They just hadn’t seen the Light. My feet were slowly leaving the ground. I started to feel superior to others and to view eating animal products as a moral failure.

What had begun as a way to eat healthier was starting to make me a bit of an asshole.

A friend asked me why I wasn’t eating meat and I told him, “Because I don’t want to participate in suffering.”

Oh, that’s rich. Like as a human being I get a pass on suffering.

The context, of course, was my brother’s recent suicide. Anything involving death and pain I wanted to be annexed from my life. Perhaps this was understandable at the time. But as I grieved my brother’s loss, I was face-to-face with the reality that death is a simple fact of life. None of us escape it, and embracing death is an essential aspect of living fully.

My plant-based lifestyle had begun to go stale. One evening I made a roast chicken for my family, which I wasn’t going to eat. But one smell and a lick of my fingers became me standing in the kitchen, tearing at this chicken like a ravenous street dog.  I binge-ate almost an entire roast chicken. And it was fucking delicious. I missed my animal nature.

I felt my wild woman within, crying out. It is the same feeling I get when I leave the city for the country; the elemental need for nature and trees, grass, dirt, and sun is powerful and gripping. I believe in listening to my body, my intuition and, yes, my animal instincts. Plant-based eating was becoming a struggle; I wasn’t losing weight anymore, I was gaining. I wasn’t feeling great anymore either. I was bloated, gassy and my joints and muscles ached. I began getting migraines again which I hadn’t had in years. I had four (!) cavities. Something was off.

I began to see that life cannot exist without death. We are all on this earth, all of us will suffer and will contribute to some form of suffering, consciously or unconsciously.  This isn’t anything to feel necessarily good or bad about; it just is. I’ve hurt people I loved, and they have hurt me. Pretending we can get by without having an impact is foolish. We can lessen the impact, sure, but we are all accountable for our footprint in life.

The idea that humans can exist outside of the food chain, somehow consuming food or products that have no impact or cruelty involved I now find farcical.  There are mono-crops of corn and soy decimating the topsoil. We can’t take ourselves out of the food supply, at least not without inflicting even more damage to the environment.  But we can change the way food is produced.

When I began noticing my symptoms getting worse, I took a deep dive into the world of autoimmune disease (my son has Celiac). I found a trove of science, as well as a community, showing me how the consumption of high-quality animal foods can profoundly alter poor health. I had been so firmly indoctrinated into the meat-is-bad-for-you camp, I was stunned to find ex-vegans whose health only recovered when they started eating animals.

Another thing began to change. I recognized a strange liberal feminist tribe in the plant-based world.  It matched my own political leaning and it felt right in the beginning. Meat’s association with masculinity is age-old; from the perspective of plant-based eating, meat is dirty and I noticed how much “cleaner” I felt without it. Never mind that my health was getting worse. It was becoming the opposite of wellness. But it’s clear to me that in a diet-mentality world, giving up animal foods can be a potent and socially acceptable way to actually just diet.

Eating animals involves killing living beings and dismembering them. These issues are not to be taken lightly; animals raised for meat should be treated well, and eat the food they need, and we should encourage this practice as much as possible.  We should eat the whole animal nose-to-tail. Well-managed animal agriculture can help restore the topsoil and fight climate change by sequestering carbon. The truth is, we need these animals.

Eating animals should involve knowing where the animal came from. There is a kind of hubris in people eating animals until we realize that we are also animals. I don’t feed my dog vegan fare; I feed him what he was bred to eat: meat.

My experiment with plant-based eating was crumbling, and yet I am thankful for it.

As for my husband, he’s doing better than he has in years. He is still a full carnivore, except for a few bites of something extra, and his health is excellent.  Watching his journey go in the opposite arc to mine has been profound. I have started to question basic assumptions I thought were facts. Not only do the arguments against eating meat seem academic and weak to me at this point, but meat is also one of the most nutrient-dense foods available, especially offal. I have started incorporating more meat, liver, fish, and eggs into my diet and avoiding grains and legumes, nightshades and dairy (an approach known as AIP).  Many of the “healthy” foods like chia and hemp seeds I have stopped eating and I feel much better. My N=1 experiment is telling me to go ahead, eat the juicy chicken and the skin. I try my damnedest to source the highest quality animals products possible (read: I support local farmers!). And yes, I eat plenty of healthy fats.

There are dozens of arguments both for and against eating meat and each person needs to make his or her own choice. There are healthy and unhealthy ways to eat meat, just as there are for vegan diets.  I’m not interested in any one-size-fits-all approach. I tried plant-based eating myself for over a year. In the end, I was heavier, less healthy, moodier and on my moral high-horse. Not a recipe for success for me, or my relationships. Though I have to admit, feeling better than others felt really good.

 

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About Me

Hi! I'm Lilah. I'm an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and a foodie. My passion is helping people get well and healthy using whole foods, self-awareness and some easy tricks and tips.

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