One week til Christmas.
For most procrastinators, this is about the time that holiday preparation begins. If you ride in that sleigh (with me!), here are some ideas to make your life easier and your season merry and bright including some truly wonderful Real food Christmas recipes from around the blogosphere that will nourish your body and soul.
Still gotta get gifts?
Here’s my shopping secret: Amazon Mom. Did you know you don’t even have to be a mom to get one month free Amazon Prime status for every $25 you spend on baby related products? I know I sound like a commercial, but I’m a big fan of shopping while sitting on my bed after the kids have gone to sleep – and we have until Wednesday (12/21) to order on Amazon with free two-day shipping! Just sign up for Amazon Mom
Need ideas?
Here are some great lists for Real Foodies:
10 Great Gifts for A Real Food Newbie from yours truly.
10 Ideas for Real Food Holiday Gifts from Cheeseslave
15 wish List Items for the Seasoned Foodie from Our Nourished Roots
Got skills?
These days I don’t have much time for arts and crafts, but for those of you who do there is still some time to whip up some homemade gifts. My favorites:
Mommypotamus has a great guide to homemade gifts for everyone on your list that are easy and frugal. The handmade Incredibly Easy Tutu for girls is so sweet, and homemade playdough with natural coloring is so much better than the store bought kind! Best of all is the Homemade lotion that’s good enough to eat – I am so making this for myself (Merry Christmas to me!) I also LOVE this homemade lip balm from Food Renegade -also good enough to eat and made with only four wholesome ingredients!
Let’s Eat
And for my favorite part of the holidays, THE FOOD!
If you like a traditional Christmas bird, this Slow Roasted Turkey recipe by Nourished Kitchen is the way to go. Pair it with traditional stuffing and mash. Or try it with this scrumptious cauliflower mash from Cheeseslave. You will be surprised by how much better (read: less like glue) they are than mashed potatoes. Top it all with decadent, nutritious, and delicious gravy, like this one from Mommypotamus.
For those of you on the GAPS diet, Mommypotamus (the apparent queen of Christmas blogging!) has complied The Ultimate Guide to GAPS holiday recipes. The photos alone are making me drool.
At my house we tend to like an alternative Christmas day meal and in the past have done: seafood paella, whole lobsters, or this indulgent feast from Sunset magazine featuring prime rib roast, root vegetable gratin, and dark chocolate mousse. Mmm. I’m invisioning a bit of surf and turf this year… What are you having?
Don’t forget this holiday classic, made Real food style - Traditional raw eggnog (can’t wait to make this!) or GAPS-friendly, coconut milk egg nog from Cheeseslave.
An Orange Julius may not be a Christmas tradition, but it is a sure favorite of my generation and a great way to start off slow holiday mornings. This is Food Renegade’s real food version. Of course I’ll be making mine with raw milk!
What’s Christmas without some cookies and sweets? Here are some Real food versions of the classics…
I adore these date-sweetened gingerbread men from Nourished Kitchen.
These sprouted flour Christmas cookies from Cheeseslave are a delicious improvement over their white flour cousins.
Scandinavian Snowball truffles from the Leftover Queen – Can you say decadent?
Peppermint patties from Cooking Traditional Foods made from coconut oil and raw honey make this sweet practically a health food.
Snickerdoodles from Well Fed Homestead made with coconut flour. Holiday yum!
Gluten-free molasses cookies from Gluten-Free Girl look like they’ll melt in your mouth.
Pecan Sandies from Mommypotamus – another GAPS friendly option that everyone is sure to enjoy.
And last but not least, my Real food version of my childhood favorite, the traditional chocolate chip cookie.
Merry Christmas! What are you making this year?
Hmmm, I think I have been officially dethroned as the blogging queen of Christmas [hands over tiara] Must comfort myself with snickerdoodles now
I just love making lists and gradually working my way through them. I may or may not be a little bit obsessive like that, lol! I’m happy to be in the company of other list-makers
I’m going to make those grain-free gingerbread cookies from Nourished Kitchen, and then I need to play with sugar cookies made with almond flour…but I also want to try making that Orange Julius, yum!
We just had orange julius three days in a row. So good. I found I liked it best made with coconut cream – gave it a tropical flair. Mmmmmm.