This will most likely be my last post of the year. I've never really been a "New Years" person, so I don't have exciting plans to share with you. That's ok. I'm hoping to be asleep by 10:30 and not reminisce about this past year because... woof.

There's been a lot of good and bad. And the bad isn't BAD BAD. Just annoying stuff. To start, let's focus on the good. I CREATED MY BLOG! Yeah! We also finished a lot of house projects! I shouldn't say a lot, but we did finish our master bath (kinda - still need a mirror and pendant light lol), and we were able to park A car in the garage (P.S. I'm having a garage sale thing spring). We also painted the original pine ceiling in the family room white. THANK GOODNESS. We added a pergola to our front porch, and I love that little space. We all stayed healthy, and made new lifelong friendships, and for that, I'm thankful. I also learned to wake board. Learning new hobbies is fun. I also watched more sunsets from the boat than I can count. I'm currently missing those times...

​BUT, with the good came a lot more bad. Literally everything we own that has a motor broke. The boat we bought broke, the lawn mower broke, the black Jeep broke, our BRAND NEW white Jeep broke (which was thankfully fixed because of warranty, but still sucked because it left Matt stranded on the side of the road hours away and he missed a continuing ed class), the garage door broke, (which was fixed by our awesome neighbor), our brand new stove is acting weird, and our drain field is failing. Our furnace was acting up the other day. I figured it'd be the icing on the cake for 2017, but it somehow pulled through. Fingers crossed. Again, woof.

I'm not one who deals well with stress, and all these broken things and unfinished house projects create a lot of stress in my life. I know it's all in my head, and I'm purposely creating the stress, but, that's just me. The fact that the boat, black Jeep, stove, and drain field are just broken in front of my very eyes is like staring into a spinning black tunnel with no end in sight.

I'm hoping we're somehow able to fix these things in 2018. It's hard when time and money aren't on our side. But, are they ever? I count my blessings - my husband, my children, my health, and my family and friends. It will be ok. Maybe. Lol. I'm thankful I browsed through old photos because it brought me back to reality to realize just how lucky I am. 

At the start of every year, I like to stay strict for the entire month of January. I am excited to take you along the journey and share my meals and recipes with you. Every day on my Facebook page and Instagram stories, I will share what I eat for each meal. I hope this gives you some motivation to start the new year off right. 

I also want to say thank you to my readers and followers. I've received some amazing messages from you - thanking me for doing what I do and helping them cook meals that your families can eat. I know I'm just a little blogger who writes in my spare time, but thank you for keeping me motivated. You mean more to me than you know.

I hope you all have a safe and healthy rest of 2017 and I'll chat with you next year! :)

This really isn't Christmas Eve paleo lasagna, but I'm calling it that because it's what's for dinner Christmas Eve!

I like to do a lot of prep work before the holiday. Who wants to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day cooking? Not me. I want to be comfy with a drink in my hand! Today I made my "noodles" for the lasagna (recipe below). These guys can stay in the fridge for up to a week. Can I be frank about traditional noodles? Do they really taste like anything? In my opinion they're tasteless. They're just something that holds the good stuff. I make these like wraps, and cut them to fit my pan, or I layer two large wraps in my pan.

I am in charge of meat and dessert Christmas day, so I have that to prep. I'm also going to prep some paleo biscuits for biscuits and gravy (!!!) and cinnamon roll/sticky bun goodness for Christmas morning! (!!!)

What are your Christmas Eve/Christmas Day traditions?

PALEO LASAGNA NOODLES (aka wraps)
dairy free, grain free, gluten free, and soy free

INGREDIENTS

• 5 eggs, whisked
• 1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 6 tablespoons coconut flour
• 2-3 tablespoons melted butter or other fat
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD

• It's really simple. Whisk together all ingredients. Preheat a pan on medium low and let the pan get nice and hot. Let the the batter sit for a good five minutes so the coconut flour can absorb the liquid. Pour a good teaspoon of oil into the hot pan. Add about 1/8 cup-ish of batter to the pan and swirl around to make a nice circle. Cook for about 2-ish minutes on each side! Done!

PALEO LASAGNA FILLING

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound of grass fed beef or Italian sausage or both
• Tomato sauce of preference, preferably paleo (Make sure to check labels. A lot of sauces contain extra sugar and/or soybean oil!)
• Fresh, organic spinach
• Organic cheese, optional
• Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

• I like to take a pound of grass fed ground beef OR italian sausage, or a little of both and brown it in a pan. I then like to add a paleo friendly tomato sauce and let cook until the mixture cooks down. 
• In between noodle layers, I like to add fresh spinach. If you're feeling festive, you can also add any organic cheese you prefer. 
• Keep making your layers and bake for a good 45 minutes at 350 until nice and bubbly.

THERE IS SNOW IN MICHIGAN TODAY! FINALLY! I really love where I live. I love the four seasons. And when we have snow during the holidays, it's just plain magical. I can't imagine being anywhere else but here. I LOVE MICHIGAN!

I also love these PALEO Christmas cookies! Now, I can't take full responsibility for this recipe. Matt's grandma has a great Christmas cookie recipe. They're spiced and have citrus zest. It's everything dreamy in a cookie. BUT, you all know that eating "regular" Christmas cookies doesn't fly in this house. So, Matt and I worked with some ingredients and added his grandma's touches to the dough. They turned out lovely and even have great texture. 

The frosting is kinda paleo. I say kinda because there's no way to replace powdered sugar. There are paleo frostings out there, but I promise they are gross and meh and not worth the effort. Instead of buying the usual Domino powdered sugar, I buy organic powdered sugar that's made with tapioca starch instead of corn starch. I also use organic palm shortening instead of Crisco. Did you know Crisco is soybean oil?! I also use natural food dyes and sprinkles. You wouldn't think something so small like a sprinkle could be so toxic. I found some awesome naturally died organic sprinkles that are made with tapioca instead of corn. I can't find them online, but they are available at Whole Foods for $2. I also picked up the natural food coloring at Whole Foods for $2.50/color. You can find the palm shortening at your local Kroger for $6. 

Happy baking and I hope these become a new holiday favorite in your home!

PALEO CHRISTMAS COOKIES W/ FROSTING
Makes 20 cookies
dairy free, gluten free, grain free, and soy free

INGREDIENTS
Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups BLANCHED almond flour (I like Bob's Red Mill)
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon organic lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon organic orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons palm shortening
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Frosting (this is a lot of frosting, this would be enough for two batches of cookies)

• 4 cups organic powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup organic palm shortening
• 1/3 cup almond milk or coconut milk (I'd start with a third cup, and add more if you'd like the frosting to be thinner)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

METHOD

• Combine cookie ingredients in a mixer and mix until a dough ball forms. Chill dough in the refrigerator for atleast 30-60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Grab two pieces of parchment paper and roll out the dough between the parchment paper. I'd suggest rolling the dough out to a 1/4 inch thick.
• Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are golden on top.
• Let cool and make the frosting!
• Mix all frosting ingredients well. Chill frosting in fridge.
• ENJOY! MERRY CHRISTMAS :)

Last Sunday I cooked a pasture raised, nitrate free smoked Christmas ham from Greener Grass Farms! I did a simple pineapple ginger glaze with a pinch of chili flakes and it was the best. ham. ever. It was tender, juicy, and crispy. It was all the things that a ham should be. We had leftovers for days. I topped a pizza with the leftover ham and even threw some ham into my fave broccoli kale soup.

If you'd like to reserve your Christmas ham, call Dan or Deb! I know I've talked about this before, but please know where your meat comes from! Know that your animals are taken care of and respected. Know what they ate. Support a local farmer. Your body will thank you. I promise.

PALEO PINEAPPLE GINGER GLAZED SMOKED HAM

INGREDIENTS

• One 5-7 pound Greener Grass Farms nitrate free smoked ham (pllleeeease know where your meat comes from, what it eats, and support a local farmer!)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 3/4 cup real maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• pinch of chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder (for the gravy)

METHOD

• Remove ham from fridge about 1 hour prior to cooking.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grab a sharp knife and start making about 1/4 inch deep cuts on top of the ham. This will allow for the glaze to really get in there. You'll want to do a diamond pattern. Simply go on an angle, about an inch apart. Then cross, and go back the other way. 
• Place ham in a roasting pan. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes at 325.
• Start simmering pineapple, ginger, and sugars. Cook on medium and reduce for a good 10-15 minutes. Blend mixture with immersion blender or blender. Set glaze aside.
• After the 1 hour 45 minutes, remove ham from oven and pour half of the glaze on the ham. Brush evenly over the ham. Put the ham back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
• After that 15 minutes, remove ham from the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Brush the rest of the glaze over the ham. Put the ham back into the oven while the oven preheats. Once the oven reaches 450 degrees, cook for atleast another 15 minutes, or until the outside is nice and crispy and the inside of the ham reaches 150 degrees.
• Let rest for 20 minutes, carve, and serve. 
• While ham rests, make the gravy. Simply pour all the drippings into a sauce pan. Simmer on medium heat. Make a slurry with 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder and 2 teaspoons COLD water. Mix well and continuously stir into the simmering drippings. 

I LOVE BANANA BREAD! And I love paleo banana bread even more. I had five super ripe organic bananas that needed used, so this banana bread was just the ticket. I like to eat my banana bread with grass fed butter!

STEPH'S PALEO SPICED BANANA BREAD W/ WALNUTS
dairy free, grain free, gluten free, and soy free

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup blanched almond flour - make sure it's blanched!
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, grass fed butter, or palm shortening, softened
• 4 large eggs, room temp
• 3 tablespoons honey OR maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 cup almond OR coconut milk
• 3 large, RIPE bananas
• 1/2 cup walnuts

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil and line with parchment paper.
• Mix wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and mix well until combined.
• Bake 50-60 minutes. Baking times may vary - but make sure a pick comes out clean when inserted. Let sit in the pan for 30 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
• Enjoy with grass fed butter!

Happy December! Why not start December off by saving some money? I'm here to help you do just that! I recently stumbled over Thrive Market. I fell in love with it because they carry a lot of items that fit my lifestyle. I can easily find hard to find paleo ingredients that I can't find at my local grocery store. If you live in a small town like me, it can be hard to find certain ingredients and foods.

What I really love about Thrive is that I can easily search for paleo and soy free foods. AND their products are non-gmo and organic! You can filter different options to fit you! Isn't that great? SO. I'm going to attach a link below. Click it and sign up! You get 25% off your purchase PLUS an ADDITIONAL $20 your first three orders. You can't beat it! 

Here you go! http://thrv.me/BXGeYN (COPY & PASTE!)

Now go stock up on all your fave stuff.  Happy shopping :)