10 Reasons Why I Love Paleo Holidays!

Happy Holidays to all readers! The above picture is courtesy of http://blog.wellnessfx.com/, a fellow wordpress paleo blogger; so a big thanks to Wellness FX for the amazingly awesome picture!

10. Holiday Cheer

Who doesn’t love the holiday cheer? It’s almost elemental to our very being. We celebrate. Not only do we celebrate, but the holidays are one of the most open and welcoming times of the year. We are all so overwhelmed with our happiness that we share it openly. I love seeing big lit up Menorahs on front lawns. I love seeing pictures of the tree lighting in central park. I love all the lively and colored lights that everyone has hanging everywhere. And most of all: I love to celebrate!

9. Eating, Fitness, & Health

The feeling of eating Paleo food is amazing. Every Paleo person I have ever met is obsessed with their food: food quality, food taste, texture, the over all experience. Going Paleo is akin to going “Foodie” if there is such a thing, and I love it! And the holidays intensify that focus, and satisfy it!

You can’t really mention “Eating” in today’s world without the Fitness and Health portion of the discussion coming shortly afterward. But that’s one of the primary beauties of Paleo eating! Paleo eaters don’t have to worry about the “Holday 15”; the weight that people gain over the holidays, and obsessively attempt to lose during the month of January at the gym. We eat to our heart’s content, stop eating at that moment, and are satisfied without the concern of gaining unnecessary pounds. It’s the most wonderful expression of freedom: to have a healthy lifestyle, to actually want the food which is part of that lifestyle, and to be satisfied when you’re done!

Now, I will be starting the New Year with my next set of fitness goals, like so many other people I know. And I couldn’t be happier with my starting point! Being Paleo has helped me enjoy my food, without sacrificing my self-image or fitness goals as a result.

8. Visiting with family and friends

How is this not “Holiday Cheer”? Well, I am glad you asked! Holiday cheer, for me, is walking by a home with candles in the windows, a Christmas tree up and visible, and some decorations out front to share their joy in the season with all passers-by. Visiting with family and friends, on the other hand, is something we choose to do in order to intensify our celebrations of the holiday. It’s about the sharing: sharing the good times with the people most important to you. And that is most definitely Paleo!

7. Hors d’oeuvres

If I love eating, then you can bet that I love hors d’oeuvres! And the Paleo hors d’oeuvres that are being shared on the internet are mouthwatering and wonderful! I saw a post recently with a picture of bacon wrapped asparagus – WOW! The amazing things that people can, and will, do to entice finger-food behavior is wonderful, and the results are amazing. And eating with your hands: that’s definitely Paleo!

Image courtesy of ieatmostlymeat.com

6. Holiday Cocktails

I love to drink the Paleo alcohols. I love my rum, tequila, and I really really love my wine. So, when people go to the effort of putting together a Christmas Cocktail, I love to give it a try!

The image to the right is courtesy of Putney Farm, a fellow wordpress blog.

5. Holiday Writing

Ok, call me sentimental. No, really, take a moment and send your teasing thoughts my way. It’s ok; I can take it. But it’s the truth when I say that I really enjoy seeing other people’s holiday thoughts, written down and shared. Other bloggers, facebook posts, you name it and I find it entertaining. I love to see the holiday cheer spread, I think it’s funny when people share their holiday jokes. I even enjoy it when I see holiday humbug. And there’s no question that enjoying things is Paleo! I mean, that’s practically what Paleo is all about!!

Take a quick look at two of the more interesting pieces I’ve read this holiday season:
A fellow WordPress Blogger, Noah Matthews wrote this poem and shared it just before Christmas: The Search.
Already mentioned above, Putney Farm wrote a hilarious Humbug post in their Mixology Monday a week ago.

4. Coconut

Wow, where to start?!? Coconut water, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut butter, coconut oil, shredded coconut, coconut chips, coconut chunks, coconut mana, toasted coconut… The list goes on, and this wonderful fruit comes through for Paleo eaters with the highest marks in all categories!!

Three cheers for Coconut: Coconut! Coconut! Coconut!

3. Bacon

You all already know how I feel about bacon; or how any Paleo feels about bacon… I basically have a mini-shrine set up for Bacon on my blog, as my Bacon Project page. But that doesn’t fully encompass my love of the food. Nor is this the place to sing the praises of bacon fully; but it is most assuredly deserving of a #3 position on my top 10 list!

2. Roasts

The holidays here in the United States start out with Thanksgiving (or perhaps Halloween, but that’s not a foodie holiday). And Thanksgiving is all about roast turkey. So we start our holidays with a roast, and carry that through the remainder of the holidays! Roast turkey, roast ham, beef roast… I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to cook the meat that we Paleo eaters love than roasting. Crock-pot roasts, oven roasted, smoked, stove-top roasts, stewed roasts… When the meat melts in your mouth like a quality chocolate bar, you know you’ve done a great job! And I can’t get enough!

1. Chocolate

I know it may be difficult to believe that meat does not occupy the #1 position, but mmmmmmm…. Chocolate. It’s one of those things that everyone can agree on. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t like chocolate – maybe not the extremely dark chocolate that Paleo people tend to go for; but everyone loves chocolate! My favorites for this holiday season are sea salt chocolate, and raspberry chocolate!

This year’s favorite: The Sea Salt Chocolate bar from Hu Kitchen. If you’re a NYC local, and you haven’t been to Hu Kitchen, you MUST GO!!

Image courtesy of wellandgoodnyc.com

Think there are some things that are worth mentioning? Let’s hear about it in the comments!