Hello! Welcome back to Flawed yet Functional! Holidays can be hard for those on the AIP diet. Most holidays center around food, decadent food. So if you are on the Autoimmune Protocol, can you enjoy Christmas? You most certainly can! Check out these 8 food traditions swaps to make your Christmas food AIP-friendly.
While I am a huge believer that holidays are not just about food, sometimes they are. Food binds people together and cements traditions and memories. So while my suggestions below are not the height of health and good eating, they will allow you to participate and enjoy your current holiday traditions or create new ones! Celebrate Christmas joyfully with these 8 food tradition swaps!
Allergy-Free Christmas Cookie Exchange
Did you know you can make cookies that are nut and grain-free (and egg…dairy…soy…)? Don’t shy away from your next cookie exchange, try out one of these recipes and bring your favorite one to the next gathering.
If you feel more comfortable, test them out on your non-AIP family or friends first. I have found that just about all AIP dishes are delicious to everyone. Find one you love and share it proudly!
- Maple Glazed Snickerdoodles by The Curious Coconut
- Cassava Flour Sugar Cookies by Finished with Salt
- Crispy Cinnamon Thin Cookies by Squirrel in the Kitchen
- AIP Sugar Cookies by Our Grain-Free Life
- Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies with Blueberry Preserves by Grass Fed Salsa
- “Chocolate” Snowflake Cookies by Unbound Wellness
- Gingerbread Cookies by It’s All About AIP
- Cranberry Orange Cookies by Grass Fed Salsa
Dairy & Gluten-free Ice Cream
What good is a piece of pie without whipped cream or ice cream on top? Just because you are on the Autoimmune Protocol, doesn’t mean you can’t top your pie with a delicious frozen topping treat. Coconut milk makes an excellent base for dairy-free ice cream. Check out these recipes to make your Christmas dessert complete!
All of these recipes are dairy-free and AIP compliant, even though labeled “ice cream.”
- AIP Vanilla Ice Cream by Food by Mars
- Salted Caramel Ice Cream by Rally Pure
- AIP Strawberry Ice Cream by Grazed & Enthused
- Mango Turmeric Ice Cream by Unbound Wellness
- Cherry Ice Cream by Gutsy by Nature
- Oranges and Lemon Ice Cream by Autoimmune Wellness
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream by Whole New Mom
Dairy-Free Parfait Bar
Do you have a tradition of serving an ice cream sundae bar at your holiday gathering? Why not suggest a dairy-free parfait bar? Most people love fruit and if you top it with dairy-free whipped cream, it is just as decadent as an ice cream sundae. Check out the parfait recipes below for some delicious flavor combos or simply set out an assortment of fresh fruit, dairy-free whipped cream, and toasted coconut. Delish!
- Banana Cream Pie Parfait by Food by Mars
- Key Lime Pie Parfaits by Rubies and Radishes
- Salted Caramel Apple Parfait by Grass Fed Salsa
- Strawberry Brownie Parfait by A Clean Plate
- Carrot Cake Pudding Parfait by Adventures in Partaking
- Peach Parfait by meatified
AIP-Friendly Pies
Pies! What Christmas gathering is complete without the traditional pies. My extended family likes to have apple, pumpkin, and pecan at our holiday gathering.
Pies are tricky as they rely on a pastry crust, and it is difficult to create a pastry crust without an incredible number of carbohydrates. So while all of these pies are AIP friendly, they are not diabetic friendly. If you are an AIP diabetic, then I recommend finding an alternative dessert until you can reintroduce nuts and create a low(er)-carb version of a pie.
These recipes are proof that you can make pie without grains, gluten, dairy, or eggs. It is still delicious and other people won’t know the difference!
- AIP Pumpkin Pie by The Paleo Mom
- Baked Pumpkin Pie by Livin the Crunchy Life
- Chocolate Raspberry Torte by Let’s Create the Sweet Life
- Blueberry Lemon Pie by Strictly Delicious
- Sweet Potato Pie by AIP Sisterhood
- The Perfect AIP Pie Crust by The Paleo Mom
Sweets for Christmas Breakfast
In recent years, my extended family has opted for a decadent breakfast on Christmas morning instead of a traditional Christmas dinner. So out come all the sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, fruit salad, and egg casseroles. None of those comply with AIP, do they?
Not so fast! There are some crazy hacks on sweet rolls that will blow your mind. Again, these are not diabetic friendly, but are technically AIP-friendly. Enjoy with caution!
- AIP Christmas Crack by Unbound Wellness
- Banana Cinnamon Rolls by Feasting on Fruit
- Triple Berry Trifle by Fed and Fulfilled
- Honey Lime Mint Fruit Salad by Unbound Wellness
- Monkey Bread by Real Everything
Holiday Candy Stocking Stuffers
Perhaps you are on the AIP diet for one of your children. (Yes, AIP works for children! I have been in contact with mothers of diabetics who are seeing amazing success by changing their children’s diet!) Christmas is a time for indulging, right? You can still indulge your children in their stockings, with sweet treats that are AIP approved.
Check out these recipes to make your children some sweet treats and stuff their stockings (or your stocking!) this year!
- Homemade Gummy Candy by Whole New Mom
- Maple Caramel Fudge by Lichen Paleo Loving AIP
- Honey Caramels by Feeding Yourself Well
- Tigernut Butter Balls by Lichen Paleo Loving AIP (via Little Bits of Beauty)
- AIP Chocolate Marshmallows by Bon AIPpetit
- Pumpkin Fudge by Unbound Wellness
- Salted Caramel Fudge by Beyond the Bite
Mashed Vegetables
Russet potatoes are not the only thing that is delicious mashed and drowning in gravy. There are many alternatives to traditional mashed potatoes. Check out the ones below for delicious alternatives. Truly, any root vegetable can be boiled and mashed and be absolutely delicious. Make sure to not miss the gravy!
- Mashed Cauliflower with Roasted Garlic by Flawed yet Functional
- Creamy Parsnip and Cauliflower Mash by meatified
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Sweet Potatoes by A Clean Plate
- Spicy Alu Makha (Mashed Sweet Potatoes) by Adventures in Partaking
- Rustic Root Vegetable Mash by Eat Heal Thrive
- Garlic “Cheddar” Rutabaga Mash by The Unskilled Cavewoman
- Loaded Holiday Parsnip Mash by Unbound Wellness
Eggnog
Was eggnog a part of your food traditions at Christmastime? It sure was for my family! The thick, cloying (how I feel now, as I kid I thought all that sugar was great!) dairy drink from the grocery store was in our fridge the entire month of December.
Early on in our marriage, Dan and I learned how to make eggnog from scratch. Wow, what a difference! Everything is better homemade, and anyone who tells you otherwise doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
The unfortunate part about this drink is that it has both dairy and eggs inside of it (and nutmeg and rum if made traditionally). But, there is hope! Check out these non-dairy, egg-free versions of eggnog to complete your Christmas celebration!
- Egg-less Nog by Autoimmune Wellness
- Collagen-boosted Paleo Coquito by Food By Mars
- Holiday AIP Eggnog by Flash Fiction Kitchen
- Egg-Free Eggnog by Little Bites of Beauty
- Holiday Nog by Eat Heal Thrive
- AIP Toasted Coconut “Egg” Nog by Grazed & Enthused
Christmas is not about food. It is about our Savior entering the world to save us from our sins. I wish that could be the only focus of Christmas, but you know that food plays a big role in every Christmas celebration. You can enjoy the holiday season even when the focus is on food! Use these eight swaps for Christmas food traditions to make your celebration AIP inclusive!
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Great suggestions.