Pear Pomegranate Salad with Fruity Balsamic Vinaigrette

I’m sure your holiday meals are similar to ours; full of delicious, fattening, rich, buttery, heavy foods. I like making something light and refreshing so we don’t get completely off track this time of year. Plus when there are tons of pies, cakes, rolls, candies, etc most people don’t quickly grab veggies to put on their plate! Fill your plate half full of this salad and not only will you be less likely to overeat but you won’t have to feel as guilty about that pie you eat later! This is one of my go-to dishes to bring to any meal as it is so quick and easy and so healthy.

4 cups of fresh kale

4 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups of spinach
1 cup of raw brussell sprouts, chopped
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1 pear, thinly sliced
1 cup pomegranate arils
½ cup toasted/candied pecans
Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette
½ pear, peeled and sliced
½ cup pomegranate arils
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp thyme

• In large serving bowls, combine salad ingredients and mix well.
• In a blender, combine vinaigrette ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Refrigerate at least an hour or until ready to serve.
• Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and serve.

Taggie Blankets for Baby

I mean it when I say that I am not the best at sewing. Short story – I took Home Ec when I was in high school (1 semester) and we had to make pajama pants. I sewed by pant legs together and they were several inches too short. My mother can sew. I think in her heart she was deeply saddened by the fact that I was terrible at sewing. I don’t like the quit though. I keep at it and she gives me tips here and there. I had someone make my kids burp clothes when they were babies. They were really cute. My kids also have strange obsession for tags on toys. I really think that whoever designs stuffed toys should rethink the location of where the tags are usually placed. Go ahead – go look at a stuffed animal. Chances are the tag is located at the back end of the toy (depending on what it is of course). Both of my kids have stuffed bears that are their favorites. My son was a terrible thumb sucker. He HAD to have the tag in the same hand of the thumb he was sucking. His favorite “baby bear’s” tag was located on the bears butt. Picture this – your kid sucking his thumb with a bear’s bottom on his nose. I hated it. My daughter also likes tags but doesn’t suck her thumb so it isn’t as much of a problem. Regardless, I decided to give them a blankie they could have WITH tags to keep them happy also. Trust me when I say that these are EASY to make. They also make perfect gifts with that special homemade touch.

• 2 fabric squares, any size (I usually find two patterns that match of the 18” squares – just make sure your squares are the same size
• 2-3 colors of 1” ribbon (I’ve used different textures with great results)
• Thread color of choice                                                          
• Sewing Machine – or needle if you have a lot of time on your hands!

Cut your ribbon into 4 inch long strips. You should have 12 strips total (I typically use 3 different colors and have 4 strips of each color). Place your fabric squares so that the front sides are together. The back sides should be what you look at if you flip the fabric over. You are going to turn the fabric right-side out when you are done so don’t worry! Fold each ribbon “tag” in half and place inside the fabric square bundle. Make sure the loop is on the inside – remember we are turning them out. Secure your ribbons and squares together with a pin. Carefully sew along every side of the square. On the last side, leave about 4 inches open. Using the open gap, turn the fabric square inside out. Carefully sew the remaining 4” of gap. Iron to remove any wrinkles.

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Who doesn’t love a throw together casserole recipe that can be made ahead?? I know I love them! This would make a wonderful Christmas morning breakfast or brunch recipe! I love baked egg dishes; frittatas, quiches, etc. However, they are time consuming in the mornings and I don’t like to wait on them so I don’t make them often. After Thanksgiving, I had some white GF bread that was just okay. No one really ate it but I hated to throw it away so I decided to make this casserole dish. I wasn’t exactly sure how it would turn out but it is great! It is very similar to a bread pudding type recipe. The nutrients come from all the veggies this dish is loaded with. If you prefer, you could use more egg whites than whole eggs.  You could also throw in some sausage or other meat for additional flavor. This serves about 6.

6 slices of GF bread, cubed

6 eggs (or an egg/egg white mixture to equal about 1 cup)
¼ cup milk
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp sage
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp sea salt
2 cups raw spinach
½ cup chopped mushrooms
¼ cup diced onions
½ cup cooked spaghetti squash or shredded potatoes
¼ cup diced carrots
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup shredded cheese (I used dairy free Daiya cheddar style)

• In a greased 9x9 baking dish, place bread cubes.
• In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms, onions, carrots and spinach for about 10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk and seasonings together.
• Add mushroom mixture to eggs.
• Place the spaghetti squash over the bread cubes. Sprinkle shredded cheese over bread and squash. Pour egg mixture over dish.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning, bake at 375°F for about 35-40 minutes or until eggs are set in the center.

Cranberry Sweet Rolls - Gluten Free

I used to be a sucker for Hostess or Little Debbie snack cakes. It’s not something I’m real proud of now but I LOVED them. My favorites had to be the Oatmeal Cream Pies and those Cherry Sweet Rolls. Oh my gosh – so good! I don’t need to tell you about their nutritional values I’m sure. These Cranberry Rolls are my Christmas version of my old favorite breakfast treat! Plus a lot healthier… These can easily be made ahead and baked Christmas morning. This makes about 12 rolls. 

1 cup white rice flour

½ cup white sorghum flour
¾ cup tapioca starch
½ cup arrowroot starch
¼ cup stevia or sugar
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 pkt active dry yeast
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup applesauce
½ cup water, warm
½ cup milk, warm
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Filling
1 Tbsp coconut oil
½ cup cranberry sauce (Here’s my homemade recipe)
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
3 tsp almond milk

• In a small bowl, combine yeast, milk and water and set aside for about 5 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining dry dough ingredients. Add in egg, applesauce, oil, vanilla and yeast mixture.
• Blend over medium speed for about 2 minutes.
• Place dough onto a clean, floured surface and roll out into a ¼” thick rectangle.
• Spread coconut oil over dough and top with sugar, cinnamon and cranberry sauce. Roll up dough lengthwise and cut into about 1” thick slices.
• Place rolls cut side down  in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Let rise for about 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
• While rolls are baking, mix together icing ingredients. Let rolls cool about 10 minutes  and drizzle icing over tops and serve.

Cinnamon Orange Pecans

When you make these your house will smell awesome. I wish I could bottle that scent and sell it – I’d make millions! The aroma of the freshly roasted pecans with cinnamon spice and orange zest is just amazing! They taste pretty great too! These make perfect holiday gifts as they are easy to make but still taste wonderful! This makes about 1 lb of candied pecans.

• 2 oranges, zested and cut into slices
• 1 Tbsp almond milk
• 1 cup coconut sugar, or regular sugar, honey, other sweetener
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp all spice
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 lb pecan halves

In a large pot, combine coconut oil, milk, oranges, cinnamon, all spice and sugar. Bring to a boil and add in pecans. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until sugar mixture has coated the pecans and is almost absorbed. Spread pecan mixture on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and let cool and harden for about an hour or two. Break pecans apart and store in a sealed container. 

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

I love the holidays and I love creating gifts to give others. Of course, we buy gifts but I really like to make as many gifts as possible. It’s usually not to save money because a lot of times I end up spending more on materials than I probably would just buying a gift. Either way I enjoy it. It helps me take my mind off of feeling bad so I try to keep busy (lately it hasn’t been hard to do!). Anyway – I used to love giving those little jarred hot cocoa mixes. I wanted to do this again, just create it a little healthier and add my own little twists. This recipe is enough to make 1 serving of cocoa so just add to it for however many you are wanting to make. I made a lot so we’d have some extra on hand. Store extras in a sealed container.

1 ½ Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp stevia extract for sweetness (or use sugar)
1 Tbsp coconut sugar (or other sweetener)
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ground ginger

• Mix ingredients together in a mug. Add in 6-8 oz of milk (we used almond milk). Add in ¼ tsp of vanilla if desired for extra sweetness and flavor. Microwave or cook on stove for about 2-5 minutes or until desired warmth. Of course, you can top with whipped cream or marshmallows!

12 Days of Giving plus 12 Days of Books

As I am preparing for Christmas this year, I can’t help but reflect on the drastic changes that have come our way this past year. Obviously, my health kind of took a quick, downward spiral and our eating habits are somewhat crazy. I mean really, I never thought I’d be eating quinoa, coconut oil or bean sprouts and last year I didn’t even know what gluten really was. I also never thought I’d be writing a blog post, but life happens! I know I’ve said it before, but all of this has truly opened my eyes about life and what it should be like. I will admit, I’m the crazy mom at Christmas. We start jamming to Christmas tunes about mid-November. We put the tree up before Thanksgiving (oh my gosh, that’s like a smack in the face to Thanksgiving, I know). I search for every possible gift I can give for anyone until I’m literally out of money. I just love everything about it. I love the happy faces, the gracious “thank yous”, the cookies (and other food), the warmth, that fuzzy feeling… I love it all. However, it makes me crazy. I focus too much on making sure everything is perfect, no one is left out and we all are so stuffed we can’t move. I simply don’t have the energy for that right not, but it makes me think about what is important. Making sure every person we know has a gift isn’t important. It’s making every person we can feel like they are loved. Hence, our new project – 12 days of giving. I’m sure I’m not the first person to think of it, but I’m the first person in my family to so I’m taking credit for our household anyway! I want to teach my children the importance of this holiday season – something I’ve failed at in previous years. I want them to know that gifts are nice but it’s the acts of kindness that mean the most. To do this, I must practice what I preach and show them these efforts and make us work together as a family. I’m very much looking forward to it! So here are the rules: have fun, be happy and enjoy yourself! That’s it! Can your act of giving be a material item? Sure! But it doesn’t have to be. Do you have to only help strangers?? Of course not, help whoever needs it! What if you forget a day? No worries! Catch it up the next day, just don’t stress about it! Do you have to do 12 days of giving?? No way – do 14, do 25, do 1, do whatever you can or want. In addition to our giving, we will also be celebrating our acts with each other. Each night after we are finished giving, we will come home and open a gift (all of which are books! Hence the 12 books of Christmas!). My kids love to read books and I think it is a great bonding time for everyone.

Here’s what we are doing: starting on Dec. 14^th we will pick one act of giving to do that day. We don’t have the activities set in stone because you never know what the weather might do or if someone is sick. After we complete the act, we all come home, sit by the tree with a cup of cocoa and open a wrapped book. We then read the book as a family before we head to bed. We repeat the process for 12 days, ending on Christmas. At the end of the 12 days, not only will the kids have 12 new books to look at and read each day, but I hope that we have made a difference for 12 different people/thing in some way. I also hope that we can continue our acts of giving throughout the year, not just during Christmas! If you are participating, share your ideas so we can all learn and get tips from each other! Plus, we may need new ideas for next year! Here’s a list of our activities we’ve thought of so far:

• Preparing goody bags for the homeless – complete with toothbrush, toothpaste, water bottle, gum, granola bar, bar of soap, notepad, pen, maybe $5 or a gift card to a restaurant (don’t pass judgment, you don’t know their story or their need).
• Donating to the local food pantries

• Donating toys to a local charity – toy drives, Salvation Army, etc.
• Volunteering as a bell ringer – I did this in college and loved it, plus they always need volunteers!
• Raking leaves at our priest’s home or at an elderly couple
• Baking Christmas treats to take to our neighbors
• Donate dog/cat treats to the local vet’s offices or pound
• Mailing Christmas cards to the nursing home residents
• Helping an elderly person load their groceries
• Adopting an “Angel” from a local Angel tree
• Donating books to the library
• Donating toys to the daycare
• Baking cookies for the police department, fire department or sheriff’s office
• Writing letters to family members telling them why you love them
• Send some Christmas goodies overseas to troops
• Send some Christmas goodies to 3^rd world countries (check out Samaritans Purse)
• Participate in Santas for Seniors – it involves donating items to the elderly for Christmas, like an Angel tree
• Participate in a coat drive – my kid’s coats are like new but too small!

Here's our 12 wrapped books, just waiting to be opened!