Happy Wednesday! We have FINALLY gotten a *rather small but appreciated* amount of sun here in Michigan the past day or two. I actually saw the sunset out our front window yesterday evening for the first time in weeks! I like the “natural bookends” to the day that the sunrises/sunsets give, rather than the usual grey and cloudy skies all day long.

We enjoyed the weekend celebrating my dad’s birthday, (me) spending time with my best friend from college, and our usual church activities on Sunday… also sadly witnessing the Lions fail to make the playoffs and continuing to block out Michigan’s horrifying football loss from memory!! (Will not even go there. Lol).

I made this cake for my dad’s bday and it was rather tasty if you are ever in need of a good chocolate cake recipe! (And who isn’t??). Much more moist than other recipes I have tried in the past as far as chocolate cake goes. Topped with a chocolate cream cheese frosting for the win.

Before we get into today’s tasty eats recap, I wanted to briefly mention that I have space for several new clients as we kick off 2023! I know the holidays tend to bring up a lot as far as food + exercise + body image go. January is a great time to reach out if you are looking to work on healing your relationship with food and your overall health this year. If you have been thinking of reaching out, I would love to work with you!

On to some delish eats from the recent weeks!

While it may be cold outside, lately I have been obsessed with a version of my blueberry cacao smoothie. Into the Vitamix is going half an avocado, a good scoop of plain whole milk yogurt, ~ 1 tbsp each of chia seeds and cacao powder, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, 2 dates, 1 cup frozen blueberries, and enough almond milk to blend. AMAZING. I have been enjoying this after working at the cafe on Wednesdays and before heading off to yoga. Topped with some JK chai granola for some crunch because who doesn’t love some extra texture on top of all the creamy goodness?

Some fresh pomegranate and pear enjoyed on an **especially chilly + windy** afternoon over Christmas break. I didn’t leave the house for about two days straight leading up to Christmas!

For Christmas Eve I made this delicious cranberry balsamic chicken with fresh thyme based off of this recipe. This was so tasty and festive!

We enjoyed it alongside some roasted brussels + squash, creamy mashed potatoes made in the slow cooker (w/ more thyme + garlic), and a salad with pomegranate, toasted pecans, and shredded parmesan.

Fresh sourdough I made recently. I have been making my starter consistency a little thicker and it seems this is contributing to better rise!

Eaten alongside one of my favorite winter dishes — Tuscan beef and lentil soup by Minimalist Baker. Such a good source of iron considering the beef, lentils, and dark/leafy greens. I try to regularly incorporate organic ground beef (or any red meat) into my diet for the micronutrient (and taste!) superstar that it is.

For Christmas morning I made these cranberry orange scones — two thumbs up! This was my first time making scones and it was fun / something I want to continue doing! I also have a lot of other flavor combinations in mind I’d like to try. One key to good scones seems to be keeping your dough as cold as possible throughout the process and using frozen/grated butter.

I don’t always enjoy sweeter treats like scones at breakfast, as I personally probably wouldn’t feel the best if I did that every day, but it is always an OPTION and something I like to enjoy from time to time! Dessert or treats can be enjoyed at any time of day without feeling the need to compensate or “limit” yourself later on.

My favorite dessert that I made (probably this whole past year??) was this peppermint bark cheesecake we all enjoyed on Christmas Day. I made an Oreo crust, used a trusted classic cheesecake recipe for the base and added a bit of peppermint extract + peppermint bark, and topped it with a chocolate ganache + crushed candy canes. Will certainly need to make this again in the future! I have been into making cheesecakes lately because I love how endlessly creative you can get with flavor combinations + add-ins using a standard cheesecake base.

I also recently tried our Instant Pot for the first time and am now a HUGE FAN. It felt like one of those things that was more of a mental barrier to something new as far as finally trying it goes. So I used some of the extra time I had over break to give it a go. My first debut recipe was this Cauliflower and Butternut Thai Curry served over quinoa. So good! I love how everything is so easy to throw together and then the kitchen is flooded with the scents of the dish all at once when it is finished. Tonight I have plans to use the Instant Pot again, this time making some salsa verde shredded chicken burrito bowls.

A snack plate on another cold day of sharp cheddar, crackers, baby carrots, and sliced apple + pear. Some of my favorite foods to munch on!

Eating 3 meals and ~3 snacks each day helps me have the energy + focus I need to go about my day, keeps my blood sugar relatively stable, and prevents the extreme hunger that tends to lead to hurried/urgent/chaotic eating.

More of my fave gingerbread pancakes with almond butter + maple enjoyed on Christmas Eve morning. I am so into gingerbread this time of year! I have been eyeing a sourdough gingerbread cake recipe I’d like to try soon.

Usual steel-cut oatmeal topped with peanut butter, honey, sesame seeds, and fresh raspberries + blueberries. Such a treat to enjoy fresh berries this time of year! I usually stick to buying frozen over the winter (or other fruits that are more in-season/less expensive). Frozen is generally just as (if not more) nutrient-dense as fresh, as the berries are typically frozen at peak ripeness.

I had gotten the raspberries to make these chocolate raspberry protein bars, which I love. We have been snacking on them pretty much every day the past couple of weeks. They come together so easily and then all you need to do is freeze in a pan to solidify more and then cut later on! I’ve really liked having a homemade bar or bite prepped for the week for easy + satisfying + nourishing snacking during the afternoon. Also can prep x2 and keep in the freezer.

Lastly… a couple of delish salads! This has been a SUPER FABULOUS part to my lunches the past week. A bed of arugula topped with some veggies I roasted up (brussels, butternut, tri-color baby carrots, white onion + cauliflower w/ plenty of dried rosemary + thyme), toasted/crushed pecans, dried cherries, and a nice dollop of tahini maple dressing. Turned out even better than I could have expected…

Post-yoga late evening salad of mixed greens, roasted butternut + brussels, hazelnuts, fresh pomegranate, grilled chicken, and more tahini dressing (this time from JK). I hardly ever eat hazelnuts but will have to start incorporating them more for some fun and tasty crunch!

Everyday Enjoyment:

Less weekend plans heading into 2023: As I have been reflecting on the past year, I have been realizing more and more how not good it felt to have SO many weekend plans, especially in the second half of 2022. Pretty much every weekend from July – December we had something “big” scheduled on the weekend, whether that was a weekend trip, wedding, going to a football game, celebration of some sort, etc. As we head into a new year, one of my intentions is to have less plans on the weekends and more time for rest, downtime, and spontaneity. I also want to get back to not setting a morning alarm once a week (hopefully most Saturdays) which is something I haven’t done regularly in a LONG time but I think will be very good for me!! (Physically + mentally)

Recipe binder: I recently bought a recipe binder from this beautiful Etsy shop. I already have a customized recipe box that I put recipe cards in for a lot of our favorite recipes that I know I’ll want to save/repeat for longer-term use. I don’t like just using/relying on Pinterest for that (I see my Pinterest boards as more of a conglomeration of any and all recipes I might ever try, not necessarily a curated collection of my tried and true favorites). HOWEVER, I was finding that sometimes the recipe cards haven’t felt like a good solution for recipes that are more detailed/require more instruction or photos. So I decided to also get a customized recipe binder that I am going to use to keep laminated/printed recipes directly from each recipe’s website (for the more “detailed” recipes). I’m loving both my binder and this hybrid solution!

Getting back to more time outside: I was looking forward to some more time to be outside (walks, hikes, etc.) over the Christmas break, and I ended up spending even more time inside than usual! Sad. First the extreme cold and wind, and then it kept raining and raining. More time to read and rest which was fine. But I am thankful that lately the rain and extreme cold have been less frequent and I have been back to getting outside in the morning more consistently. I love when I can start my day off this way! Especially the RARE day when the sun is actually out! Ahh Januarys here in Michigan…

Did you enjoy any tasty treats or foods over the holidays?
(For Michigan or other colder climate readers…) how do you feel about winter?? What do you like / not like? 

Enjoy the rest of your week!