Christmas Eats!

My husband and I have been married for just over 14 years. This was our 15th Christmas together! From the very first year, we have made it tradition to be at home on Christmas day, and I make the big dinner for us, even when it was just for two! I always want my kids to have a calm(er) day at home on Christmas, without the hassle of travel on a holiday.

My goal this Christmas was to have healthier options than the traditional sugar- and sodium-packed rich foods I'm used to around the holiday time. I definitely feel that I accomplished this goal with a very simple menu!

We had:
Turkey (first time I have made one!!)
Sweet potato casserole
Green bean bacon bundles
Brussels sprouts
Cranberry sauce
Veggie tray
Plantain-chocolate cake
Dairy-free pumpkin pie

My plate!!

Turkey
I roasted the turkey, approx. 10 lbs, in the oven at 325 for about 4.5 hours. It was perfect! I stuffed a huge bunch of fresh rosemary in the cavity (because nothing says Christmas like your hand up a carcass!) and the flavor came through beautifully. I sprinkled salt and pepper on the outside and added about 6 cups of water so I could make broth later. After pulling all the meat off the bones, I dumped the bones and broth into my crockpot overnight for about 10 hours. I can't wait for some yummy soup with that stock!!

Sweet Potato Casserole
I baked 6 large sweet potatoes and peeled them after they were cooled. I did my prep work the day before, so I put the cooked potato in a container in the fridge. On Christmas, I mashed it with some butter (you could use ghee - butter does not give me any issues dairy-wise) and cinnamon, spread it in a buttered dish and sprinkled raw pecans on top. I baked it at 350 for about 40 minutes. The nuts came out delightfully toasty - I honestly did not miss the sugar in this dish at all!!

Sweet Potato Casserole and Cranberry Sauce

Green Bean Bacon Bundles
I prepped these the day before as well. Grab a handful of washed, snapped green beans and wrap with a piece of bacon. It's that simple! I usually cut the bacon in half, and that is just big enough to wrap around a small bundle. I baked them on a jelly roll pan at 425 for about 40 minutes, until the bacon is done. YUM. Even non-veggie-eaters gobble these up!

Brussels Sprouts
Wash and cut the stem off of Brussels sprouts, and remove the outer or any damaged leaves. I like to toss mine in olive oil or ghee and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt. Place on a jelly roll pan and roast at 425 until most outer leaves are browned. I usually stir a couple of times to get even coverage. I learned to make these when my husband issued me a challenge: he said he liked all veggies but Brussels sprouts. Well, now he loves them!! (He also issued the challenge with beets. That one was an utter failure, as it turns out I don't like beets, either!!) I have done this with frozen Brussels sprouts, and they are still delicious, but the texture is not as perfect as with fresh. But they work in a pinch!

Green Bean Bacon Bundles, Brussels sprouts and Veggie tray

Cranberry Sauce
I washed a bag of fresh cranberries and put in a sauce pan with the juice of two small oranges, 1 tbsp. sugar and a dash of cinnamon. Just simmer and stir until it's the consistency you prefer! I like my cranberry sauce TART. You can also add lemon or orange zest if you like! I would probably do two bags if I made it again, because it cooks down quite a lot!

Veggie Tray
My mom brought the veggies - celery, carrots, radishes and tomatoes. We always have celery and carrots in the fridge ready to eat, and this is a great snack when you're waiting for the meal to be ready. You can add a dip of your choice, but I love them just plain! A wonderful crunchy option on the plate!

Plantain-Chocolate Cake
A Facebook friend posted a link to this recipe (http://preparingitpaleo.com/2012/11/21/chocolate-cake/), and I just had to try it. It was so good!! My dad and daughter both had second helpings. My dad pronounced it "like fudge with frosting!" I used date puree instead of honey - pour about 1/3 c boiling water over 14 pitted dates and toss in the blender. That made enough for the cake and the frosting, which I made with the puree, coconut oil, chocolate chips, cocoa powder and cashew butter. It is definitely rich, but you will not miss the flour at all!!

It's as moist and rich as it looks!

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie
This was my grand experiment. I just did a direct sub for the evaporated milk with unsweetened vanilla almond milk! A can is 12 oz, so that's how much almond milk I used. It DID take about 40 minutes longer to bake than the recipe on the back of the can of pumpkin stated, but the result was delicious and I, a pumpkin pie EXPERT, could not detect a difference in flavor or texture. Win!

I loved how this food tasted, and even better, I loved how great I felt after eating it. No slumpy sugar-rush or carb coma. It was just the food we've learned to love, holiday-style. Don't be afraid to tweak traditional menu items to something that is healthier! You probably won't miss the sugar and salt overload, and you might even learn to like it better this way!

Stay yummy!

Updated take on Whole 30

Wow, it took me a lot longer than I thought it would to get back to the keyboard! We had a couple of weeks of sniffly noses in this house...so glad that is over!

I mentioned on my original Whole 30 post that I would update with a new, improved take on my response. Well...here we go!

During the month of October, I did not notice any skin or digestive changes while eating dairy-, grain-, sugar- and legume-free. I thought that meant that I probably was not sensitive to any of those items. I tried reintroducing items gradually to notice if I saw a change.

First up: grains, specifically gluten. Gluten is of special consideration in this house due to a family history of Celiac Disease in my husband's family. I am happy to report that I still have exhibited no sign of sensitivity to grains, gluten-containing or not. But I DO feel better nourished when I stick to squash and sweet potato as my meal carbs instead of stuffing my face with half a  plate of rice. ;)

Next: dairy. I am a sad panda. Yogurt...is...gross. I worked so hard for many years to get to a point where I could tolerate/want to eat SOMETHING dairy, you  know...for the calcium. I finally started eating yogurt 4 years ago. And I eat a small amount of melted cheese on pizza or tacos. But after my dairy reintro day, I felt so disgusting. My skin and ears got itchy and my tummy was NOT happy. After my reintro days were over, I tried a bit just to see if it was true...and it was. The good news is that I can live quite easily without dairy! Butter does not seem to cause any issues for me, although I still do love to make ghee. But yogurt, ice cream, pudding, cheese, milk chocolate, milk with cookies...all of those are out! Not like some of those are good for me anyway, right? ;) Causing particular sensitivity is sweetened dairy. I've known for quite a while that a bowl of cereal made me feel gross. Even though I stuck to cereal with 10g or fewer of sugar per serving, that combination is no bueno for me. I've tried almond milk over cereal, and it's not bad. But it's just  not a food that I need in my every day life. It's not a "bad" snack...but there are so many better options that are healthier, cheaper and less processed! And cereal is in NO WAY ALLOWED as a "meal" in this house, especially at breakfast. It just doesn't last, folks!

I still exclude soy, and have for years, due to symptoms I notice when I eat soy - or, get this - use body products like shower gel or lotion with soy.

Peanut products don't cause an issue, either, but cashew, almond and hazelnut butter are soooooo much tastier to me now. I still love the changes in my diet that this eating plan caused. I really enjoyed trying new things and I LOVE that my family enjoys the nutritious food I cook for them! By watching carefully, I discovered my kids eat MORE FOOD when I cook Whole 30 style, than if I feed them past favorites like rice, white potato and pasta. It doesn't make sense in my head based on kid eating stereotypes, but I'll take it and run with it! Not a lot is more fun than watching your kids inhale Brussels sprouts and kale.

Well, I need to wrap this up and finish making my shopping list! Christmas is one week away and I need to buy groceries for a Christmas dinner Whole 30-ish! After the rich (read: canned and sugary) Thanksgiving dinner, we felt...kind of icky. Every year, we stay AT HOME on Christmas Day, and I make a big fancy dinner for just us...with china and candles! I've done it every Christmas we've been married - back to 1999! This year, I'm planning delicious dishes with squash, berries, turkey and something involving figs, dates and nuts. I can't wait to share the results soon!

Stay Fluffy!

Real Savings of Cloth Diapering

Everyone knows that one reason people use cloth diapers is the financial aspect - saving money! While it's true that using reusable, washable diapers can save money, especially if used for more than one child, I find that I can boost my savings significantly by making as many things as possible about my diapering system reusable. Enter cloth wipes!

You can find cloth wipes just about anywhere! Many people use baby washcloths, which are available at major retailers like Target and Wal-Mart (and some grocery stores); some cloth diaper companies manufacture cloth wipes; and of course, these items in a variety of fabrics are readily available from WorkAtHomeMommies on Etsy, eBay and many Facebook groups.

Some people use plain water to moisten their wipes if they have convenient access to a sink. Others place them in a wipe container (a warmer or just a plastic box) with solution poured over to mimic traditional disposable wipes. I prefer to have a spray bottle of solution at the change table, and I spray each wipe as I need it. I use Sheepish Grins Washy Wafers - I melt/dissolve two wafers in 2c of boiling water 1-2x a week.

 

Washy Wafers

 

 

 

 

The wipes basket. Must have been laundry day when I snapped this!

 



It's a very gentle formula and since I have started using cloth wipes instead of disposables, we have had ZERO rash issues! We used disposables initially, and even the "Sensitive Skin" ones left some kind of residue that contributed to a rash. Lil Dude's bottom has never looked so healthy and clear as when we use all cloth! I remember always having to slather ointment and cream on Chickadee when she was a baby. Oh how I wish I had started using soft cloth diapers with her!

Let's talk math. I spent about $60 on commercially made, thick wipes (I have some with velour/flannel, and some with a terry texture - about 40 wipes in all). There are cheaper options than that (you could even make your own from leftover receiving blankets or fabric scraps!) and obviously, more expensive options (but some bamboo blends CAN be used as boosters in the diaper in a pinch...versatility is always a win!). I buy the wipe solution tabs for $9.00, and that box lasts me for 6 months. So for the 2 years of cloth diapering we will do (I started when Lil Dude was 10 months...just guessing he'll be potty trained by 3?!), I will spend $36 on wipe solution tabs and the $60 on wipes...under $100!! What about disposable wipes? I usually bought the thickest sensitive ones ($$) and they ran about $0.02-0.03 per wipe. I have changed some "ten wipe wonder" diapers, so sometimes we went through them pretty fast!! (Another benefit of cloth wipes - just one does a great job, and the most I ever use is 3 for a really special diaper! ;) ) So let's figure an average of 20 wipes per day. 20 wipes at $0.025 = $0.50/day. $0.50 a day for two years is...$365. For WIPES THAT YOU THROW AWAY. Even if you only used 10 wipes a day, you'd still spend $182.50. And that is only for that child - if you cloth diaper subsequent children, you can reuse the cloth wipes and only have to purchase wipe solution! Once cloth diapering days are over, you have great household cloths or rags for small cleaning projects.

I use my diaper sprayer to clean off any solids off the wipes, then toss them right in the diaper pail. Which brings me to my next tidbit...cloth diapering pails are infinitely cuter (and more cost efficient) than any disposable diapering pail system. I used to hate the panic I had when I was out of bag inserts for the diaper pail for disposables. Not to mention the horrid "diaper sausages" (ick) that I bundled up more than once a week to stick in the trash. Dear future generations, I'm sorry for the poop I stuck in the landfill. It's so nice to have extra room in the trash can, along with not having big diaper boxes to get rid of!

I had, until just last week, been using hanging wetbags for dirty diaper storage. But AppleCheeks is coming out with their size 2 storage sac (biggest size) in the gorgeous, moody Steel Me. And I have to have it! I also picked up a sac in Coriander (minty green) during a Black Friday sale, so I went trash can shopping! I scored a metallic champagne pop-top can from Wal-Mart for under $10! The storage sacs retail new for about $25, but you can find them in EUC for $15 or less! (Guess what? Whether or not you cloth diaper, these sacs are perfect for travel laundry bags or wet swimwear storage. I'm so happy we've started becoming a household making an investment in reusable items.) Here's the result:

Don't you love the Winging It sticker?

 

 

 

 



 

So easy to use - pop the lid one-handed, toss diaper inside!

 

In my opinion, it's a lovely addition to our bedroom (where our changing area is)

 

 

 

It's easy to see how making the switch to cloth has helped realize significant household savings and the ease of not having to purchase and dispose of as many throw-away items. I take what steps I can along the way and am happy to see the results!

 

 

Stay Fluffy!