Wishing You All A Very Merry Christmas

I can’t quite believe it’s Christmas Eve and I’m here writing my Christmas blog post.
Roaring fires, good food, and the air filled with warmth.
Oh man, I love Christmas.

I love it even if every year at Christmas I'm reminded how bad I am at wrapping gifts.
The presents are usually “wrapped” in some sort of way and then I pile on the tape.
Tape is amazing.
Another option is the Tootsie Roll Twist — doesn’t matter the size or shape of the present.
If all else fails: Gift bag. Gift bags are magic.

Anyways, I’m also busy whipping up a feast for my family.
This year the menu includes a beef roulade stuffed with all sorts of delicious things (I know, awesome), Garlic Thyme Potatoes Anna, Baked Spinach, Maple-Glazed Butternut Squash, Chocolate Avocado Chia Pudding, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
I come from a large family where everyone loves to eat well (and drink good wine).
So yeah, a lot of pressure on Mike...

As I look back at the year gone by, there is one thing that stands out the most: YOU GUYS!
I am so very grateful that you guys read this blog, enjoy it, share it, and engage with me on here, Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, and Pinterest.
I really hope that in some way it enriches your life as much as it enriches mine to write it.
Thank you.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Butternut Squash Fritters (Low Carb & Gluten-Free)

Since we’re all super busy these days, I’m going to keep things simple and give you a quick and easy recipe.
Because if there’s one thing I know is that during holiday season the most valuable thing is our time. And clearing your schedule for an evening (with no work, no cooking, no phone calls) is the best gift you could ever give yourself. Imma right?

3-Ingredient Chocolate Fudge with Sea Salt

Now that we are 6 days away from Christmas, I finally got into the holiday spirit. About time right?
Decorating the apt, shopping for friends and family, and changing the playlist to some Christmas music.
I have to be completely honest here, nothing puts me in the holiday spirit quite like the seasonal sounds of festive holiday music.
So I thought it would be cool to share my top five Christmas songs [drumroll please]:

Chocolate Dipped Almond Shortbread Cookies with Sea Salt

I firmly believe that shortbread is one of the simplest and most satisfying cookies there is.
And yet, there is a notable, sad absence for a shortbread recipe on this site and it’s like totally my fault.
But you see, authentic Scottish shortbread is made of just 3 ingredients: butter, sugar, and flour. And sugar and flour (2 out of 3) are not paleo-friendly.
Which means that shortbread is almost like paleo-poison: all one you need is one bite to be doomed for all eternity Mwahahaha Hahahaaha...

The Best Baked Kale

Let’s face it. Things just aren’t the way they used to be.
Life before Instagram seems like 100 years ago.
More even. Life before smartphones: was there even life before smartphones?
The first iPhone was released in 2007 — a time when dinosaurs still prowled the Earth.
Smartphones have changed the way we live, they have collapsed so many things we use every day into a little block made of plastic, metal, and glass.
They have changed the very notion of what a phone is. It's no longer a device to make phone calls: A smartphone is an all-purpose pocket-size computer we can use to direct (and control) our lives.

Light Italian Minestrone Soup

Let’s be real for a sec: soups are not exactly “dude food”.
Picture this: Guys get together for Football Night, Poker Night, Dude Night, whatever testosterone-filled event; maybe they went hiking/fishing/hunting and are coming back home sweaty, tired, and starving. Maybe they went to the homecoming game and are ravenous.
Whatever it was, imagine one of the dudes saying “All right boys, who wants a bowl of Light Italian Minestrone Soup?”
It doesn't sound right...
By doing so, he would set himself for ridicule, disrespect, and contempt (and I’m being gentle here!)
Dude food is fall-off-the-bones tender pork ribs slathered in a barbecue sauce, meatballs, chili cheese fries, and cans of beer we can readily shotgun, then smash on our foreheads.
Soup? Doesn’t quite fit right?

Spicy Maple-Glazed Butternut Squash

I love fall. I mean, I know how unoriginal that is to say, but I can’t help it.
I just love it: leaves, hot booze, sweaters, and snuggling. Fall is definitely the Goldilocks of seasons.
The only problem is figuring out how to make fall longer than it is.
Meteorologically winter includes the months of December, January, and February so I’m not fooling myself, I’m aware that we are already in winter.
But can we pretend it’s still fall? Just for a sec...please...
And what better way to do it than roasting butternut squash - one of my favorite fall treats.

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies (Paleo and Vegan)

For many in America Christmas season begins as soon as the turkey, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie have digested.
Often, the very moment our self-induced food comas begin to subside, we grab our coats to make our way to a few big box stores or to haul the big boxes of Christmas decorations in from the garage.

Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Casserole

So I’ve been recently asked by a reader the following question “Could you describe how a casserole would taste like to someone who has never lived in America? I would certainly love to know how it actually tastes like.”
According to the Larousse Gastronomique "a casserole is a dish with two or more elements, the basis of which can be rice in combination with meat or fish, plus a sauce or gravy, and often a variety of vegetables. This one-dish-meal can be prepared in advance and cooked in a decorative casserole. (Here comes my favorite part) - Such a dish is very popular in homes where there are no servants to help prepare or serve meals."
Which explains why I make so many casseroles it’s not even funny, I have no servants.
Ha!

Greek-Style Turkey Burgers with Yogurt Sauce

Society these days puts so much emphasis on “doing” that when I’m asked what I do with my free time, I feel pressured to say something socially acceptable like saving mankind, a new job, climb Mt. Everest, charity, school, etc — when I really want to say “Dude, I like to chill and do absolutely nothing!”
But I never do.