December Sanity Challenge -- Finding Perspective When You Don't Meet Your Initial Goals

Image created by the lovely Jennifer Yandle Photography & Design

Just to keep it real... I should have written this post 3 days ago... THREE days ago! But I'm behind. I think my goals for next year will include sticking with my deadlines!

So it's been a month since the challenge began! How fast the month went by. Let's look at my goals:

• I will write down three things I am thankful and grateful for every day. 
• I will enjoy a dessert/sweet treat/baked good only once per day and in a small portion (1 small muffin, 2 small GF cookies, etc...) 
• I will take a short 15 minute walk outside at least 2 times a week, both for letting go of stress and to encourage myself to exercise more. 
• To help with our budget this month, I will not buy anything new (used or thrift store items okay) for myself. See Leo Babauta's challenge this week for my inspiration to do this for the remainder of the year... and I would like to pursue this in 2013 as well. 

I have to admit, I didn't do very well at keeping them. I started off well. The first week went swimmingly, but after that, the goals were kind of left to the wayside. Out of all the goals, the one I probably had the most success with was not buying new things for myself. I did end up buying three things over the course of the month and a few e-books, which I didn't even think about as "things" until after I bought them... but overall I put off a lot of impulse purchases and that was the primary goal of my my personal financial challenge!

However, what did happen over the month was that I re-examined my thoughts on a peaceful holiday. What did it really mean? What were the things that stressed me out? How could I avoid those things?

So the things I did accomplish:

• I let go of perfection -- Usually I wrap all gifts, do all the shopping, and I can stress myself out by trying to make it perfect... this year I asked for help, I asked husband to help, I asked him to wrap and to purchase/decide on quite a few of the gifts. I let go of making sure it was perfect. 
• I made time for the one holiday tradition that I truly enjoy doing, Holiday Cards. -- I love writing them and sending them and I always make sure to write a note inside each of them to make them personal and that was important to me. So I spent a lot of time writing those cards and sending them... in years past I've put it off because I Felt like other things had to be perfect... so I let go of that and did what I enjoyed. 
• I let go of expectations. -- I think most often I am disappointed when I expect something and it doesn't happen. And the holidays can be a major time of disappoint and frustration. So this year, I expected less and simply enjoyed the time. And it was a much more enjoyable holiday! 

I do wish I had spent a little more time working towards my initial goals, but I still feel good about how the holiday went and I feel it was a peaceful and enjoyable time. I appreciate this challenge not because it "requires" you to follow the goals you set, but it puts you in a better frame of mind. It helps you to think of things differently overall and have a most positive experience.

This year's event was also hosted by the following bloggers: 

• Dec 1st -- Valerie of City|Life|Eats 
• Dec 8th -- Kate of Eat, Recycle, Repeat
• Dec 15th -- Cheryl of Gluten-free Goodness
• Dec 22nd -- Iris of Daily Dietribe
• Dec 29th -- ME! Carrie of Ginger Lemon Girl

Cheryl is offering a $50 Nuts.com gift certificate and I am giving away two brand-new signed copies of my "The Everything Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook" after our monthly event is over.

From Cheryl: "Last, but not least, we do have a FB group – if you’d like to join, you’re more than welcome. It’s a space to support and be supported, and it’s the same one we used during our last Self-Care Retreat."

To get a “flavor” of past retreats:
http://www.gfgoodness.com/2012/08/05/a-july-self-retreat-recap/
July Self-Care Retreat and the December Sanity Retreat.

Other posts in this year's Sanity retreat:

• Intro Post for the Dec Sanity Retreat at Gluten Free Goodness
• Ginger Lemon Girl’s A Peaceful Holiday Season
• Sleep, Move, Dance, Stretch at City|Life|Eats
• Join the December Sanity Challenge here at The Daily Dietribe
• Kickoff Post at Gluten Free Goodness
• Kate of Eat, Recycle Repeat Shares her Do's of the Season
• Zen of Candy Cane Marshmallows at Gluten Free Goodness
• Chacha’s gluten-free kitchen Sanity Goals and German Chocolate Bites
• “Being Gentle" at Gluten Free Goodness
• December Merriment at Yoga Twist on Life
• Self-Care at Healthy Happy Vibrant
• Preciousness of Our Moments here at The Daily Dietribe
• Gluten Free Goodness Takes "A Pause”
• Embracing the Here and Now with Love at The Canary Files
• Change your Story by Iris of The Daily Dietribe
• 7 Goals for Staying Sane During December shared on The Daily Dietribe
• Sanity Goals Update from Cheryl of Gluten-Free Goodness
• A Sanity Challenge Update from Carrie of Gingerlemongirl

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Biscuits Recipe

As much as I love to cook & bake, when the holidays finally get here I'm kinda cooked out. I'm sort of glad all of our main holiday meals are at relatives homes... it means the kitchen doesn't have to be spotless and I'm not responsible for feeding tons of people!

Still, I felt like having something a little special for Christmas morning. And because I didn't feel like giving it much effort, I pulled out the emergency box of Gluten-Free Bisquick. It's the one in the cabinet for the last minute dinner guests that never show up... chicken pot pie, hello?!

Unlike the yeasty variety, these cinnamon rolls don't take hours of prep work, no waiting for the dough to rise, and they are still soft & delish. A bit more crumbly than the yeast version, but still pretty darn good for 15 minutes of simply mixing up, rolling out, and popping in the oven.

Gluten-free, dairy-free, and yummy-full!

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Biscuits
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
Created by Carrie Forbes of Gingerlemongirl.com
Printer-Friendly Recipe

Biscuits: 
1 recipe prepared biscuit dough for 8-10 biscuits (I used the recipe for gluten-free biscuits on the Bisquick box. You could also use my homemade gluten-free master mix biscuits.)

Filling: 
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (less, if you're not really into cinnamon)
3-4 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or butter, if you can tolerate butter)

Vanilla Icing: 
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
2-3 tablespoons vanilla almond milk (depending on how thin/thick you want it)

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 8-9" cake pan or square pan with parchment paper and set aside. Place a large sheet of plastic wrap, parchment paper, or wax paper down on a clean, flat surface. Dust the plastic wrap generously with gluten-free flour to help prevent the biscuit dough from sticking. Place biscuit dough on wrap and pat out into a 10x10 square or just into a large rectangle. Brush melted coconut oil or butter over the dough leaving about 1/4" around the edges of the dough un-oiled. Sprinkle sugar & cinnamon evenly over the dough. Using the plastic wrap to help if necessary, gently roll up the square of dough into a large cinnamon roll. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 9-10 rolls. Place the rolls into the lined cake pan. (It's fine if they are squeezed in side-to-side!) Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then serve drizzled with vanilla icing.

To Make Icing: 
In a small bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar & almond milk. You should have a thin glaze. Drizzle evenly over the cinnamon rolls.

Carrie's Notes: 

• If you prefer sweeter cinnamon rolls, add 1/2 cup of sugar to the biscuit dough when preparing. 
• You can use regular milk in place of the almond milk in the icing or in the biscuit dough. 
• To make more decadent, gooey cinnamon rolls, place additional brown sugar & coconut oil & even a few tablespoons of coconut milk or almond milk in the bottom of the baking dish before adding the cinnamon rolls. 
• Feel free to add raisins, chopped nuts, or even chocolate chips into the filling for the rolls. 

Merry, Happy, Lovely Christmas!

When I was growing up my Dad read us stories on Christmas Eve. As we grew older we all took turns reading our favorite holiday stories... but Dad still read one poem in particular. A sweet poem by Eugene Field, who was an early American children's author.

My Dad read this poem, because his own amazing father, who truly loved the holidays, read these fun, heartfelt, and lively words every Christmas Eve to him. This poem is so ingrained into my Christmas memories that even if I don't read it out loud on Christmas Eve, I find myself looking it up in my old poetry book and pondering over the old, familiar words as if they were written 'jest fore me.

Love you Dad!

Jest 'Fore Christmas
by Eugene Field (1850-1895)

Father calls me William, sister calls me Will,
Mother calls me Willie, but the fellers call me Bill!
Mighty glad I ain't a girl---ruther be a boy,
Without them sashes, curls, an' things that 's worn by Fauntleroy!
Love to chawnk green apples an' go swimmin' in the lake---
Hate to take the castor-ile they give for bellyache!
'Most all the time, the whole year round, there ain't no flies on me,
But jest 'fore Christmas I 'm as good as I kin be!

Got a yeller dog named Sport, sick him on the cat;
First thing she knows she does n't know where she is at!
Got a clipper sled, an' when us kids goes out to slide,
'Long comes the grocery cart, an' we all hook a ride!
But sometimes when the grocery man is worrited an' cross,
He reaches at us with his whip, an' larrups up his hoss,
An' then I laff an' holler, "Oh, ye never teched me!"
But jest 'fore Christmas I 'm as good as I kin be!

Gran'ma says she hopes that when I git to be a man,
I 'll be a missionarer like her oldest brother, Dan,
As was et up by the cannibuls that lives in Ceylon's Isle,
Where every prospeck pleases, an' only man is vile!
But gran'ma she has never been to see a Wild West show,
Nor read the Life of Daniel Boone, or else I guess she 'd know
That Buff'lo Bill an' cowboys is good enough for me!
Excep' jest 'fore Christmas, when I 'm good as I kin be!

And then old Sport he hangs around, so solemnlike an' still,
His eyes they seem a-sayin': "What's the matter, little Bill?"
The old cat sneaks down off her perch an' wonders what's become
Of them two enemies of hern that used to make things hum!
But I am so perlite an' tend so earnestly to biz,
That mother says to father: "How improved our Willie is!"
But father, havin' been a boy hisself, suspicions me
When, jest 'fore Christmas, I 'm as good as I kin be!

For Christmas, with its lots an' lots of candies, cakes, an' toys,
Was made, they say, for proper kids an' not for naughty boys;
So wash yer face an' bresh yer hair, an' mind yer p's and q's,
An' don't bust out yer pantaloons, and don't wear out yer shoes;
Say "Yessum" to the ladies, and "Yessur" to the men,
An' when they 's company, don't pass yer plate for pie again;
But, thinkin' of the things yer 'd like to see upon that tree,
Jest 'fore Christmas be as good as yer kin be!

My 10 favorite gluten-free Christmas Cookies

1. The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are my husband's absolute favorite cookies ever. I make them throughout the year, but even at Christmas, these are the cookies he wants. Last weekend we added 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to them and they were delicious! I love the toasty, nutty flavor the walnuts added!

2. Chocolate Pinwheel Refrigerator Cookies
Super easy refrigerator cookies that are really fun to make. They don't have to be perfectly rolled to be pretty and tasty! The kids in my neighborhood love these!

3. Cream Cheese Meltaways or perfect Gluten-Free Roll-Out Cookies
I have no idea how to make them dairy-free... so we haven't eaten these in a while, but one of my best friends and a sweet neighbor makes them every year for her family and she makes them into little decorated boy-scout cookies. She declares them the best sugar cookies ever!

4. Double Fudge Walnut Cookies
A variation of the chocolate chip cookies, these are one of my very favorites. Rich, fudgy, super chocolately... if you have chocoholics in your life this would make a great gift! They also hold up well to being frozen and being shipped!

5. Gingerbread Boys & Girls, or Gingerbread Roll-Out Cookies
Based off of a Paula Deen recipe, I created these several years ago and they are one of my favorite Christmas cookies. Super easy to roll out and really delicious. You can't go wrong with gingerbread cookies!

6. Gluten-Free, Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
You could also make these peanut-free by using almond butter or sunbutter or cashew butter... use whatever nut or seed butter you like. I love this crispy, chewy version of a classic peanut butter cookie.

7. Preacher Cookies or Stove-top Oatmeal Fudge Cookies
A favorite cookie from childhood! I first learned how to make these in 7th grade home economics and I've been making them ever since. Easy, no-bake, super quick to throw together. If you need cookies fast, these little babies will work! They were always a favorite at Sunday night youth group!

8. Snickerdoodles
Another favorite from childhood. These may have been the first cookies I ever learned how to make! The simple vanilla cookies coated in sugar and cinnamon are a toddler favorite and fit easily in little hands.

9. Classic Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies
These cookies are buttery and delicious. Almost like a short-bread and super delicious. They remind me of the butter cookies my parents always had around the holidays in a big round metal tin. We'll be making these again this year and serving as a dessert at our holiday meal! If you don't have the spritz cookie "machine" you can simply roll them in a log or in a square shape, refrigerate the dough for easy slice & bake cookies!

10. Vanilla Sandies
These cookies were an accident... but an absolutely yummy accident! They remind me of gluten-filled pecan sandies which were once a favorite cookie! They are soft and light, yet buttery with a wonderful crumb! You could also easily crumble these cookies for a lovely cookie crust. Would be wonderful for a banana pudding or a chocolate pudding pie!

Ground Beef, Kale, and Caramelized Onions with Victoria Gourmet Seasoning

Several months ago I was complaining on facebook that I can't seem to find a curry seasoning blend that I actually like. And I want to like it! I love vegetarian meals and many cookbooks recommend curries for a vegetarian main course. 

As I was complaining, a young lady named Lisa G. contacted me and said she worked for a company called "Victoria Gourmet" and she'd love to send me some seasoning blends to try to see if I liked them. She really hoped their personal curry blend would knock my socks off. 

A week later a GINORMOUS box arrived on my doorstep and while I was trying to figure out what in the world I purchased that was so huge.. the scent of spices greeted me as I opened the box. Oh my.  The aroma was heavenly and so fresh! Unfortunately we were traveling a lot during that time and I didn't really have much time to play around with cooking and using the spices. 

We kept the spices in their cute tin boxes in the guest room until I could figure out how to store them in my tiny kitchen. (Which is a fun story for another post!)  Once I had them in the kitchen within arms length, I was eager to try them! There are so many!! 

Slowly but surely over the past few weeks we've been using Victoria Gourmet spice blends. And I really am blown away. These herbs and spices are so incredibly fresh (not to mention naturally gluten-free) that the aroma (literally as soon as you open the lid) makes you smile! I've never been a huge fan of using lots of different spices, because honestly, I don't feel like I'm "food-educated" enough to truly understand how each component of different spices works best. Also, considering you generally need to use herbs & spices that complement what food you're specifically cooking (pork vs. chicken vs. beef vs. non-starchy veggies vs. root veggies, etc...)... and I'm not very good at that!

But I'm learning that these mixes from Victoria Gourmet completely take the guess work out of proper seasoning!

The one-pot meal we made a few nights ago was simple enough:

• 1 pound of grass-fed ground beef
• 1 pint of button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup (already cooked) caramelized onions -- which amounts to probably 1 1/2 fresh onions?
• 1 large bunch of kale, stems removed, leaves torn into bite size pieces, and rinsed with cold water

I basically sauteed the above and then added about 1 tbsp. of the cinnamon chile rub seasoning mix to the blend. It mentioned being good with "steak" on the label, so I hoped it would pair well with the beef & kale. It was delicious! The cinnamon chile mix gave the beef & veggies a kind of southwestern flavor. The meal had just a hint of sweetness from the "Sumatran Korintje" cinnamon and subtle heat from the blend of chiles. Considering I'm not one to use many "hot" spices in any meal, I was pleasantly surprised by this dish and how the seasoning blend worked with it. And it made me realize I could take the same basic ingredients and simply add a different spice blend next week for a completely different, but easy meal. 

We served the meal over 1/2 cup of cooked brown basmati rice and topped it with peach salsa. This meal was definitely a win! 

Over the next few weeks I'm going to share several more posts about Victoria's Gourmet seasoning blends and how I've used them. For my final review there will be a Victoria's Gourmet seasoning giveaway to one lucky winner! I'll share those details later, so stay tuned for how you can win a trio of spice/seasoning mixes from VG!

Meanwhile... what would you do with the Cinnamon Chile Rub Seasoning Mix?


GLG Disclosure:  Victoria Gourmet provided me with free samples of all their seasoning blends, in order to do an online review if I chose to do so. This is not a sponsored post and I did not receive compensation. The opinions in this post are completely my own. 

Book Review -- "The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall" by Mary Downing Hahn

If you haven't suspected already, I kinda like to read. And I have a love for children's literature. In another life I'll own a completely self-sustaining children's book store in a small mountain town with two store cats, old comfy couches with big pillows, and a coffee shop. You can crochet in the coffee shop while you watch  "Road to Avonlea" episodes on the ancient tv. You'll love it. Trust me.

My sister is an avid reader too, but she's more of a fan of adult fiction... lately she's been dying to get me to read Ken Follet's "The Pillars of the Earth." And I have tried. I know eventually I'll read it, but it's such a huge book it's intimidating to me right now. I like to read in small bits. Preferably before bedtime for about 15-20 minutes at a time. With my well-loved "old-style" kindle.

Most recently I finished "The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall" by Mary Downing Hahn. It was a kindle daily deal a few weeks ago and I remembered really enjoying some of Ms. Hahn's other books when I was young. Thought I'd give it a try. I'm not normally a big fan of ghost stories (as a matter of fact I generally avoid them)... but if it's meant for children surely it can't be TOO scary.

The book is about a young orphan named Florence, who finds out she has living relatives and she is sent to live with them at their large manor house around the turn of the century. The story was very reminiscent to me of "The Secret Garden." There's a "secret" child in the house, a kind Uncle, a caring nurse-maid for the children, and even a garden (albeit, not secret!) but additionally in this story... a ghost. The ghost of a child who once lived there and who is not happy about her death. There were times I found the story to be a bit scary. The ghost is very active and has a large role in the story. The characters while somewhat flat, do have unique personalities and interesting back stories.

Overall I enjoyed the story and I actually liked the similarities to "The Secret Garden" since I'm a big fan of that book as well. I wasn't thrilled with the ending of the book though. I felt like the reader was left hanging (which may be on purpose?) but I generally prefer a more concrete ending.

Still if you're a fan of children's literature and enjoy period ghost stories, this book might be a good fit for you!

I enjoyed the book enough that I decided to purchase one of Mary Downing Hahn's very first books written in 1986, "Wait Till Helen Comes." I remember reading this when I was young, but I don't remember the details of the book so I look forward to meeting the characters and the story again.

What are you reading?

A Sanity Challenge update...

Here's a recap of my personal goals for this month's December Sanity Challenge, which I shared a few weeks ago:

• I will write down three things I am thankful and grateful for every day. 
• I will enjoy a dessert/sweet treat/baked good only once per day and in a small portion (1 small muffin, 2 small GF cookies, etc...) 
• I will take a short 15 minute walk outside at least 2 times a week, both for letting go of stress and to encourage myself to exercise more. 
• To help with our budget this month, I will not buy anything new (used or thrift store items okay) for myself. See Leo Babauta's challenge this week for my inspiration to do this for the remainder of the year... and I would actually like to pursue this in 2013 as well. 

So how have I done thus far?  I'm sort of embarrassed to admit not very well... The first few days were a piece of cake, easy-breezy, no problem. And then I found myself getting (once again) boggled down by stuff. Holiday stuff. Calendar stuff. Work stuff. Life stuff. Stuff... stuff... stuff. 

I've eaten too many sweets. I've forgotten to be thankful. I dismissed taking a walk on multiple occasions. I bought a Roku without even THINKING about my spending challenge (I mean it literally didn't even cross my mind until I was sharing about the purchase with hubs that evening..) Ooops...  And a fancy-smancy dish-drying mat that's supposed to dry quickly.. even though hubs said that it was proprietary and didn't count. I'm not exactly sure what proprietary means in this case, but we'll go with it... 

But at the same time... it's a good reminder. The "stuff" can so easily get in the way. So, so very easily. The vacuum of Holidays can be so enticing, so enormous, and so easy to get swept into. So easy, that even when you purposely plan NOT too... you STILL find yourself in thick of it without a second glance.

Another goal that I've also found myself working towards is spending less time online. Less social media. Less email. Because time is precious... and the interwebs can be a time-waster and a joy-sucker. 

And I need the time. Time is truly priceless.  

So I'm taking a cue from Cheryl's most recent Sanity Challenge post and be more gentle towards myself. Not with cookies or chocolate, but by simply being more forgiving towards me. This challenge isn't about perfection, it's about worrying less and enjoying more. 

So I'm going to watch quite a few AS MANY cheesy Christmas movies as I can (because no matter how cheesy, they still warm my heart)... listen to as many Christmas songs as I can (because I love them), and let go of the perfection... 

sigh with happiness!

already watched this twice... 

elf, elf, elf, how I love you!

And "x" out of  facebook and email more often, because I really don't need to keep up with everything you've done in the past fifteen minutes. (As much as I love you!)

And really try to sneak in a few more evening walks... because I really do love them when I actually make the time to lace up my worn out sneakers. 

And Elf... I might watch Elf at least 3 more times... because I laugh senselessly for two hours straight. And laughing is awesome. Way, way underrated... that laughing. 

I'm not exactly sure where this photo came from (someone shared on facebook from a picture they saw on pinterest! I swear I'm not trying to steal anybody's photos!)... but it's cracking me up today... 

(Hopefully this is the correct attribution!) 

This Week's Menu - Beginning of December

December 2012 ALREADY.... 21 days until Christmas! How are you handling the stress of the holiday season? Make sure to check out the December Sanity Retreat 2012, begun by Cheryl Harris and hosted by several wonderful gluten-free bloggers. This past week's post was written by Valerie of City Life Eats. Iris of The Daily Dietribe also wrote a fantastic post about the event in which she shares her own personal goals for the month.

Do you make lots of cookies or candy for Christmas? Generally I don't, but I'm working on a new project so I hope to test a bunch of recipes in the next few weeks, and my plan to try out some new gluten-free Christmas cookies! What are your favorite kinds? The theme of the Gluten-Free Menu Swap this week is gluten-free christmas cookies, so share your favorites over at Lisa's blog "Extraordinary Life." She is hosting the menu swap today!

A few cookies I definitely want to make this year:

• Refrigerator Pinwheel Cookies
• Spritz Cookies
• No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

This Week's Menu: 

• Monday -- Big ol' batch of slow-cooker beef stew, this will probably last for 2-3 meals throughout the week. (Will freeze leftovers in portion size containers.) This beef stew was made with about 1 cup of frozen leftover beef stew from another batch  added to: 1 pound browned, grass-fed ground beef + 3 diced carrots, about 1 1/2 cups frozen lima beans, 1 large chopped sweet onion, 2 chopped potatoes (yes, it's a starch heavy stew... lol), and about 3-4 cups of beef broth + salt, pepper, and fresh garlic. All added to the slow cooked and cooked on low for about 9 hours. 

• Tuesday -- A big salad plate with mixed greens & raw veggies, shaved ham, poached eggs, with an oil & vinegar dressing. PS... GF Rice Chex make awesome croutons! 

• Wednesday -- I'm still in Thanksgiving mode, so I am going to slow cook turkey chops (thick slices of turkey breast) and serve with Cheryl's Celery in Chestnut sauce with steamed broccoli and my favorite apple-cranberry sauce on the side. 

• Thursday -- Dinner out since we have errands -- Hibachi stir fry with no sauces -or- leftover slow cooker beef stew!

• Friday -- Homemade GF pizza using this vegan pizza crust, it's a super easy, super crispy crust! I'm thinking of making a BBQ chicken pizza with caramelized onions. 

• Saturday -- Leftover slow cooker beef stew from Monday, as I'm having a gluten-free baking class that day. 

• Sunday-- We've made this crustless kale & bacon quiche from Jenna's Everything Blog at least 3 times and we love it so much we're making it again... really delicious and hearty meal!