The holidays are definitely my favorite time of the year. In particular, it is a traditional time to reflect about all the wonderful things in our lives that we are grateful for. Gratitude is a big part of my life. I believe that we need to be grateful each day for something beautiful in our lives, and I try to carry the feeling of gratitude with me throughout the day (although some days it’s not so easy :)). When I feel gratitude, love, joy and other positive emotions, my body feels nourished and I have more energy all day long. Scientific studies are beginning to corroborate something I’ve believed for a long time – that there is a link between our health and our emotions. Here’s an interesting article on this topic that I saw today in my newsfeed.

So today, I want to take a brief minute to express my gratitude for the wonderful people in my life. Of course I have to start with our clients. I am so honored to be able to help our clients heal and help them navigate often difficult waters in living with a therapeutic diet. Our clients become our friends and part of the Secret Ingredient community. We form wonderful relationships based on trust, respect and caring. It is an honor to have you all in my life, and to be able to serve you.

I am so grateful each day for our chefs and meal planners. Their dedication and caring for each and every client is amazing. Most of the therapeutic diets and restrictions that we work with are incredibly complicated. Our meal planners have to be very meticulous to create dishes for each client’s needs. And our chefs have the ability to work with some very unusual ingredients and techniques that differ each day. It’s not easy to make delicious food with gelatin if that’s your only available egg substitute, and that’s just the tip of our iceberg.

I’m also very grateful for all the doctors, nutritionists and clients who give us referrals. Most of our referrals are through word of mouth or healthcare providers, although we are getting a steady stream of clients through Yelp as well. Thank you to everyone who recommends us to friends, family or takes time to talk about us to a patient. We are honored that you put your trust in us.

And finally, I am so grateful to my family, friends and kitty who support and care about me each day and keep my life so interesting :). It’s never a dull day around here.

So in gratitude for all of you, I would like to share a wonderful paleo based brownie recipe that is a big hit everywhere I take it. These brownies are just sweet enough to balance the rich taste of chocolate. They are packed with protein, freeze very well and make a great breakfast, snack or dessert. The main ingredient is sweet potatoes, which adds natural sweetness and ensures that the brownies will be moist. This recipe makes a full 9×13 tray, so you should have plenty to freeze or save for later.

Sweet potato brownies
Makes 9×13 tray

3 large sweet potatoes (the largest you can find)
5 eggs (if you want to avoid eggs, use 5 tablespoons of ground chia seed mixed with 1 1/4 cups hot water and mix well)
½ cup melted coconut oil
2/3 cup maple syrup, honey or agave
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coconut flour
10 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup walnuts or pecans (if you want to avoid nuts, use cocoa nibs for crunch)
parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake or boil sweet potatoes. Remove and discard peel and place the potatoes in a large bowl. Add eggs, melted coconut oil, sweeteners and vanilla. Mix well. Add coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well and add sweetener or more cocoa powder to taste. Stir in chopped nuts.

Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Pour the brownie batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the top cracks and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing. Sprinkle with cocoa powder for decoration if desired.

Enjoy!