Hello, everyone! Only a few days until Christmas! How are you feeling about the holidays? I know they can bring up a mix of different emotions.

I am feeling grateful that this year I get to look forward to having some more downtime in the coming week. I will be taking Friday – New Years’ off of work and am definitely excited to have more time to relax, spend time with friends + family, and enjoy the Christmas season. Some of my plans for the remainder of this week include embarking on some Christmas baking projects (peppermint bark cheesecake and cranberry orange scones will be in the works…) and spending Christmas with my family in Grosse Pointe. Alec and I will also be celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary tomorrow! (See the end of this post for a couple of flashback photos…). Giving The Highlands in Detroit a try which I am pumped for!

I have a fun + different post scheduled for next week, but other than that I will report back in 2023!

On to our last tasty eats recap of 2022!

The other week I made one of my favorite cozy winter dishes, this Moroccan chicken couscous. I love the added flavor pop of the dried cherries, pistachios, and parsley. This recipe makes a good amount, so it’s nice being able to enjoy the leftovers! I don’t cook with cauliflower that often, so I like that this recipe incorporates this veggie more.

In the spirit of more Dutch oven news, I thought I would provide more detail as to how I go about making my usual overnight steel-cut oats that you all see here so regularly. You can use a Dutch oven, or any large pot will do. TO MAKE (IN THE EVENING/BEFORE BED): Add 2 cups of steel-cut oats, 4 cups water, and 4 cups almond milk to the pot. Also add a good sprinkle of cinnamon and a dash of salt. Bring everything to a boil. Let everything boil for a minute or so and then turn off your stove. Let sit overnight. Stir in the morning, and now you have steel-cut oats ready for days! I keep it all in the fridge and then microwave my portion right before each breakfast. See full recipe details here!

I’ve been snacking on these pumpkin pie energy bars the past couple of weeks. I kept things simple by leaving off the white chocolate drizzle and also pressed the mixture into a baking pan, froze for a few hours, and cut into bars instead of rolling into balls. Was in somewhat of a rush and didn’t want to take the time to roll them all out! Simplifying life for the win.

Have you tried my butternut + brussels frittata recipe? Or, better yet, have you tried whipping up your own dreamy frittata combo??? A frittata with roasted potatoes is one of my favorite dinners, which we enjoy on a regular basis!

I made another winter salad this past week featuring mixed greens, chopped apple, sliced white cheddar cheese, pomegranate, toasted pecans, and a maple/dijon vinaigrette. I’ve been loving this! At Costco I like to buy the already prepared pomegranate seeds.

Another new favorite kombucha flavor…

While you all know I am a big fan of chocolate + pumpkin, you may not yet be aware that I am also a huge fan of chocolate + gingerbread! YUM. I made this gingerbread snack cake (really more like denser/gooey bars than a fluffy cake) and added chocolate chips instead of doing the frosting. Tasted best right out of the fridge after it cooled and solidified a bit! Enjoyed several times with a glass of almond milk.

A delightful trail mix combo I have been snacking on… roasted almonds, pistachios, dried cherries, and chocolate chips. I am not that into plain nuts as a snack (#lame) but throw in some chocolate and dried fruit and you have yourself a worthy snack and method of eating nuts in my opinion!

Preparing to enjoy some delicious shakshuka! Always a good idea for dinner. Topped with alll the extra cilantro.

Alongside some fresh sourdough for scooping up all the saucy goodness.

I enjoyed this classic JK Greek salad with tempeh for a later dinner one evening after yoga. Have you tried incorporating tempeh into your diet??

I made some chocolate peppermint blossoms using this recipe as the cookie base (minus the powdered sugar). So tasty! I love chocolate + peppermint, especially this time of year.

Lastly… some gingerbread pancakes and chopped honeycrisp w/ cinnamon for a Saturday morning breakfast. This was probably my favorite thing I had to eat the past few weeks! Normally I like to add almond butter to my pancakes along with the maple syrup but sadly was out. Definitely will be making these throughout the winter!

Everyday Enjoyment:

The anticipation: … of Michigan football! Looking forward to the college football playoffs on New Years Eve when Michigan takes on TCU at 4pm. How great would that be if we make it to the championship?? I like our chances better than last year, but we’ll see what happens!

Cozier evenings inside: I know I’ve mentioned on the blog before that one of the things I like about winter is the cozier, slower evenings inside. Yes, I love the longer days and going on walks and being outside more in the summer, but I also enjoy the change of pace with slowing down in the winter. Lately I have been enjoying our Christmas tree, some relaxing Christmas instrumental music, reading, watching a show with Alec, or listening to Alec play piano. I like the darker, quieter hours, and extended-evening feel to close the day.

Meeting with my clients!: I am grateful for everyone who I’ve gotten to know and work with through my private practice and I look forward to continue growing in these relationships and also meeting with new clients in 2023. It is definitely an “everyday enjoyment” to be able to do work that I love and am passionate about!

I hope you all experience a restful and peaceful Christmas season!

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