Fresh Cranberry & Pomegranate Holiday Salad

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am sorry it has been a long while since I posted a blog article. I have been very busy working with patients and also working to complete my Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN) and other certifications in Functional Medicine and Genomics. I plan to write more in the coming year about a lot of the really interesting changes that are occurring in the health field and lots of new and exciting discoveries. Please stay tuned!

I would like to highlight for you the connection our memories have on our food cravings. You might not realize it, but our food choices have a lot to do with our past memories and experiences. For example, I remember last summer, I had a very strong craving for spaghetti with meat sauce. Not just any spaghetti - but my Mom’s! It was a craving that came out of the blue as I rarely ever eat spaghetti. I had been swimming in the pool and it took me back to a time when I was a child and would swim for hours and then eat my Mom's food that she lovingly made for me such as her delicious spaghetti. This is one of the reasons why some people have a very difficult time trying to make dietary changes alone. There can be so many deep emotional connections and ties to food. Do memories influence your food choices? How does this impact your life?

This time of the year makes me want to eat specific foods like asparagus, sweet potatoes, wild rice, squash casserole, baked hens or turkey and fruit salad because these were my family's traditional Thanksgiving foods. We always had a dish of the jellied cranberry sauce on the table as well, though I never liked it.

(Gayle, Al and Hailey Heard)

You can see the bowl of fruit salad and also the jellied cranberry sauce in this photo taken many years ago of my Mom, Dad and Sister on Thanksgiving. Every year when I start shopping to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, fruit salad always pops into my mind! I know I am going to make it. It is probably the only time all year that I make an actual fruit salad. My craving for a fresh fruit salad at Thanksgiving is tied to my memories of my family and the wonderful meals that my mother prepared for us. 

A number of years ago, my Mom and I decided we wanted fresh cranberries instead of that canned jellied cranberry sauce, so I developed a delicious healthy recipe made with all fresh fruit ingredients. I thought I would share it with you today. Please see the recipe below. If you make it, please let me know what you thought about it.

Fresh Cranberry & Pomegranate Holiday Salad

Makes: 8 (1/2 cup) Servings

Ingredients:

8 oz fresh organic whole Cranberries (lightly chopped in food processor)
1 cup Tangerine segments peeled and chopped (2-3 whole tangerines)
1/4 cup Tangerine Juice (juice from 1 fresh tangerine)
1/4 cup Lemon Juice (juice from 1 fresh lemon)
1 cup Raw Walnuts (roughly chopped in food processor)
1 small organic Gala Apple (diced small)
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt
1/3 cup Unsweet Fine Macaroon Coconut
2 Tblsp Maple Syrup (optional if you would like sweet)
2 Tblsp Non-Alcoholic Vanilla Extract
1 cup Pomegranate Seeds from whole peeled pomegranate

Garnish (Optional):

2-3 Tangerines to use for slices
Approximately 2 Tblsp Walnuts chopped
Whole Cranberries (Save 8 from the bag)
Mint Leaves

*Need a food processor to chop the cranberries and the walnuts.

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Place in a container and chill until ready to serve. This recipe can be made in advance of Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

If you would like to partner with a clinical nutritionist to create a more vibrant and healthy life please contact me today! I can help you 866-330-5421. Services are provided nationally via telephone or in office sessions.

Thank you very much for reading my blog and please continue to visit often.

I wish you good health, happiness and love!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Danielle

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