Stay Holiday-Healthy with LYFE Kitchen - Eat fun, festive, and healthy this month

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Let’s be honest, eating healthy during the holiday season doesn’t sound very fun, and it can be a challenge. You don’t want to miss out on all the fun parties and happy hours and sweet treats, but you also want to stay energized into January. Plus, lots of people are kicking off their New Year’s resolutions a few weeks early. Sounds like we all could use a little help…

Enter the LYFE Kitchen team. They have been creating fun twists on comfort food in Chicago food for years, and they focus on locally sourced, sustainably farmed, and responsibly raised ingredients throughout their dishes. You can grab their meals to go, or get all cozy and dine-in, but no matter how or where you eat with LYFE, you know it will be a clean meal.

With that in mind, we learned some simple tips for healthy eating during the holiday season, straight from the LYFE Kitchen team. With these tricks, you can feel good all season long without skipping all of the good stuff. Image may be NSFW.
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Eat Breakfast

This may sound like old news, but it’s TRUE news.  A nourishing, protein packed breakfast sets you up for a successful day of focused thinking and steady energy.  Whether you’re an avocado toast fan or reach for old school eggs and bacon, feeding your body good food in the morning leads to a good mood and a hanger-free day.  

Opt-Outside

While cold, gray Chicago days can make a cozy couch very appealing, a little fresh air goes a long way. Being outside is proven to prevent depression and is a natural source of vitamin D.

Pro Tip: Take Vitamin D Supplements in the winter for an even bigger boost!

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Pre-game for Parties

With an event on the horizon, it’s tempting to skip typical meals to save room for a few extra party calories.  Fast forward to being two drinks in, starving, and eating holiday cookie dough dip by the handful (whoops). Instead, eat a healthy, filling snack like starchy vegetables or your favorite protein before hitting the buffet table and you’re much more likely to keep those cookie dough servings in check.  

Try a Clean Cocktail

Everyone is celebrating the season for a reason—celebrating is fun!  Rather than abstaining completely, try a clean cocktail made with natural sweeteners, organic juices, and clean alcohol like Chareau Aloe Liqueur.

Embrace Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important elements to a healthy lifestyle. Sleep allows your body to reset, detoxify, and re-energize for a new day. Stress, depression, and weight gain can all result from lack of sleep… they call it beauty sleep for a reason!

Plus, to make eating healthy at home even easier, Chef Marco Bahena is sharing one of his favorite recipes for the season exclusively with our readers. Doesn’t Chicken Mushroom Cashew Penne sound delicious? Check out the recipe below!

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Chicken Mushroom Cashew Penne

Ingredients:

• 1 c cooked, gluten-free penne pasta (or your favorite home pasta)
• 1 grilled chicken breast, sliced
• 1/2 Tbsp Earth Balance butter
• 1/2 c crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 garlic, chopped
• 1/2 c Cream-less Sherry Sauce*
• 1/2 c baby spinach
• 1 Tbsp scallions
• Lemon zest

*Ingredients for Cream-less Sherry Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp blend oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
• 1 c Sherry wine
• 1 c cashews
• 2 c vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 Tbsp salt

Method

1. Heat up a medium-sized pot for the Cream-less Sherry Sauce, then add shallots and garlic and allow to slowly sweat in the pan. After a few minutes, add the Sherry wine and let reduce by half.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth in a high-speed blender. You can add water to the sauce to adjust the consistency. Once ready, set aside.
3. Next, cook your penne pasta and set aside. Grill your your chicken breast, season to taste and set aside.
4. Use a medium-sized sautée pan and coat it with the Earth Balance butter and begin roasting the mushrooms on high heat. Once the mushrooms have nice golden color, add the garlic and let sweat down.  
5. Add the Cream-less Sherry Sauce and toss to combine.
6. Add the baby spinach to the pan while tossing and let slightly wilt.
7. Toss all the vegetables and sauce into the cooked pasta. Check for seasoning, then plate in your favorite bowl.
8. Plate your grilled chicken on top of the pasta along with the sliced scallion and lemon zest.  Enjoy!

By Kaleigh Glaza | Online Editor

The post Stay Holiday-Healthy with LYFE Kitchen appeared first on DiningOut Chicago.