Primal Comfort Foods

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Updated on April 1, 2014

Cold weather has a way of encouraging comfort food eating, and partaking in traditional comfort foods typically means derailing your healthy eating plan with carbs, carbs and more carbs. Fortunately, in many cases you don’t have to compromise. If the winter weather has you reaching for easy to prepare and familiar foods that will warm you from within, sidestep the mac and cheese and baked potatoes for these perfectly Primal comfort food alternatives.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Opt for soup in a can and you set yourself up for a bowl of preservatives with limp veggies that’s light on the meat. This recipe, however, relies only on natural flavors and all the other good stuff.

Ingredients:
6 cups of chicken stock
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ teaspoon oregano
2 cups cabbage, shredded
¾ cup celery, chopped
¾ cup mushrooms, chopped
½ cup broccoli, chopped
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup zucchini, chopped
2 ½ lbs chicken breast filets
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. Drop in chicken breasts and cook for five minutes. Remove pot from heat, drain water, cool the chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized chunks. In a large pot, heat the chicken stock, adding all spices until mixture comes to a boil. Add all vegetables except cabbage. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cabbage shreds and chicken. Cover and simmer again for an additional 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve piping hot! Serves 6.

Nutrition:
Our trusty FitDay.com analysis shows that a serving of this soup provides the following:

Calories: 404
Fat: 20.7 grams (46% calories from fat)
Carbs: 7.5 grams (7% calories from carbs)
Protein: 44.6 grams (47% calories from protein)

Mama’s Meatloaf

No food conjures up childhood images – good and bad – quite like meatloaf. Here we offer up a low-carb version that really adds a sweet twist.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried mustard powder
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and use your hands to mix (sure, it’s messy, but its really the most effective!). Press mixture into a pre-greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Short on time? You can make “mini meatloafs” by piling the mixture into muffin pans, where they’ll cook through in about 15 minutes! Serves 6 small loafs

Nutrition:
Calories: 246
Fat: 16 grams (59% calories from fat)
Carbs: 10.6 grams (16% calories from carbs)
Protein: 14.6 grams (25% calories from protein)

Mashed Butternut Squash (with cream and butter)

If you’ve gone Primal, you’ve probably passed on mashed potatoes. Relive the “magic” with this delicious butternut squash recipe.

Ingredients:
4 cups butternut squash
¼ cup cream
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice butternut squash in half and remove seeds. Place the squash in a glass dish filled with a quarter inch of water and cover with foil. Place in the oven and roast the butternut squash for about 40 minutes or until tender. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh and place into a food processor. Add butter and cream and blend on low until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove mixture from processor and place in oven proof dish. Warm at 350 degrees 10 minutes or until heated through. Serves 4

Nutrition Analysis:
Calories: 134
Fat: 7.6 grams (50% calories from fat)
Carbs: 17 grams (46% calories from carbs)
Protein: 1.2 grams (4% calories from protein)

Share your recipes and ideas for delicious Primal comfort foods in the comment boards!