When the holidays come around, there seems to be a renewed sense of excitement, hope and cheer❣️
Hopefully, that translates into feelings of kindness during the season of giving, though the feeling it stirs up most often is coziness, which means cookies. Eggnog, cakes, pumpkin-flavored creamers, and icing in red white, and green find themselves taking up quite a bit of space in our homes, however, they’re more than just festive 🎁
Remember that not everything that shines is good for us! Processed foods like those tend to be in sparkly packages, placed at eye level, attractive to adults & kids, colorful, festive, and tempting, but we should keep in mind that they’re also intoxicatingly sweet. Many contain artificial flavoring, dyes, and sugars(that go by many
names on ingredient lists,) and can be incredibly detrimental to health; leading to energy crashes and mood swings, leaving you feeling anything but merry.
Did you know that the average American eats over 77 grams of sugar every day?
WwOaAaH that’s a lot!
Here’s a better idea; Gather family and friends in the kitchen or rock up solo, turn on some music, and try recreating holiday favorites from scratch(Nara Smith voice.) Swapping refined flours and sugars, food coloring, and dyes for natural alternatives like maple syrup, or whole grain flour, can elevate the flavor and nutrition of your treats! Blending in spinach can turn something green, a bit of turmeric makes items golden and a bit of beet juice can make food anything from pink to purple Woohooo!
A Healthier Holiday is just a few tips away. Don’t worry We’re not here to make recommendations
that’ll blow up your budget or cause you stress:
Simple homemade pie crusts for example or holiday stuffing are often cheaper and healthier than their store-bought counterparts. Additionally, you’ll have all of those ingredients to remake the treats a few times, in case something goes awry with a recipe, or an unexpected food fight breaks out, you’ll have more than enough to go around!
This Holiday season, let’s rediscover the magic of homemade holidays 🎁! Cheers to a season full of joy, connection, and better-for-you indulgences!
Recipe of the month!
Sustainability Tip: When bananas go spotty and brown they are at their sweetest, use in baking or remove the peel, freeze, and use in smoothies for a sweet addition that makes your healthy
smoothie taste indulgently sweet! Bonus points for composting the peel! Now let’s BAKE!
Moringa Lemon Holiday Cookies
Ingredients:
3⁄4 cups whole wheat flour + 3⁄4 cup of all-purpose flour
1tbsp moringa powder
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1⁄4 tsp baking soda
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄3 cup coconut oil/or dairy-free butter
1⁄4 cup of applesauce
1 tbsp almond/oat milk
1⁄3 cup coconut sugar
2tbsp Maple syrup (honey or agave)
Zest of 1 large lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1tps vanilla extract
Recipe inspired by Afia, one of our favorite plant-based recipe creators. It has been adapted. thecanadianafrican.com 💙
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a nonstick baking tray.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, moringa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Combine the coconut oil and sugar, maple syrup/honey, applesauce, lemon juice, and zest, and mix until combined.
Add the milk to the wet mixture, then add to the dry and fold the ingredients together to combine. Don’t overmix.
Scoop the dough and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 mins until golden, they will firm up when cool.
Other Reminders
Recuerde registrarse para la entrega del próximo mes.
Tome fotos de sus bolsos y los platos que prepara con ellos y envíenos fotos y etiquétenos en
Instagram @thegatonfoundation
Remember to secure your bag & register for a Give&Go Grocery delivery next month!
Please take photos of your bags, and what you make with your items. Tag us on Instagram, and share photos with us 😊! We’d love to learn from you and your family recipes!
We hope you enjoy this month’s Grocery bag 💚 Send us a message on Instagram and let us know how you liked this month's bag🍅 - TGF
Instagram: @Thegatonfoundation.org
Your most powerful medicine is in your mind, in your heart & on your plate.
Students from our partner schools packed these bags for you 😊💙!
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