Vermont CremeryThanksgiving is one of those holidays that’s all about carbs and sweets — pretty much the foods which make me feel bleh because of hypothyroidism. That’s why I developed my own way of eating with the Miss Lizzy Diet.

At Thanksgiving everyone is eating what they want, so I wanted to find a way to survive Thanksgiving where I felt great and totally satisfied with foods (as well as not gaining weight!). Here’s what I do:

1. Thanksgiving morning, eat a good breakfast with protein and veggies (this really helps with carb cravings and holds me over until dinnertime)

2. Bring an appetizer that makes me happy and that I can eat — like cheese! — have I mentioned I really love cheese? Cheese really helps with my carb and sugar cravings because its rich and satisfying. Pretty much anything from Vermont Cremery is heaven for me. I skip the crackes and just eat the cheese straight.

3. At mealtime, I fill my plate with any food that don’t have carbs (a little breadcrumbs or flour in the gravy won’t hurt) I am always suprised that there’s a lot of non-carb dishes to choose from — like salads, vegetable side dishes, Turkey, gravy, even some potatoes. I’ll have seconds if I am still hungry, but again avoiding all carbs. Maybe at the end I’ll try a little stuffing, but at this point I am usually full I can have a little carb without overeating.

4. For dessert, bring a super awesome treat specifically for me (I am going to post my special cheesecake recipe shortly!)

So that’s pretty much it. Eating this way on Thanksgiving helps me avoid the brain fog and lethargy of carbs, but still enjoy the day, feel great, and not gain weight (!)

xxoo

Lizzy

Time for something fun and happy. If you’ve read my hypothyroid diet, you might recall I don’t eat grain or sugar. But this makes it pretty darn hard to have baked goods. And I am no martyr, my friends. Through sheer determination to satisfy my sweet tooth, I’ve found some great recipe workarounds.

Like many hypothyroid people, sugar just makes me feel horrible. And If I even so much as look at sugar, I gain weight. My body seems to do okay with protein and fats (better than with sugar and grain). And for some curious reason honey seems to be okay for me (in moderation, of course). So I started experimenting with honey as a replacement for sugar in all my recipes. Granted, honey is more expensive than sugar so I don’t bake that often but when I want to indulge in something treaty and baked, I am happy to know there are options, like this latest recipe experiment:

Super Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake Sweetened with Honey

This recipe makes a thin rich fudge-like cake, for a taller cake double the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 stick of Butter
• 4 oz Baker’s Chocolate
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Honey (or to taste)
• 1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder (to thicken batter)
• 1 TSP Vanilla (optional)
• Whip Cream, Strawberries, Blueberries (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8″ springform pan or 6 muffin tin. Using a double-boiler (or put a glass bowl over a pot of water on a low simmer, just enough to melt ingredients). Add the butter and chocolate to the bowl and stir until melted. Add the honey to taste, blend with a whisk. Remove from heat and add eggs, one at a time. Add some cocoa powder until the batter is a little thicker. Add vanilla if you are using it. Pour batter into pan, bake for about 12-15 minutes (longer if you’ve doubled the recipe). Remove from over while the middle is still a tiny bit soft so the cake doesn’t get too dry. Cool. Decorate with whip cream and berries if you want.

xxoo

Lizzy