30 Plus Some & I’m Feeling Great!

In October, I shared with you my quest to get back on the health wagon with the Whole30. Since then, several of you have asked about my experience, so I thought I’d share a little update.

As I said in my original post, I’ve tried so many diets over the years that I’ve lost count. I seem to be perpetually in search of something that will help me stabilize my weight. And for that last 5-10 years, I’ve been in a pretty consistent cycle – I’d be really good during the week and drop a few pounds, only to gain them back over the weekend. Sound familiar?

What To Do With Holiday Leftovers … Start a New Tradition

Who knows how traditions start. Certainly some cooking traditions develop over generations, or, like in the case of my cornbread & sausage stuffing, they take off quickly. In that case, I found the recipe and started a tradition that spread through my family and friends. 

However they begin, cooking traditions are fun, and I find it heartwarming to look forward to certain dishes each year.

Celebrating Hanukkah: Our Tradition of Family & Friends

As I shared before in my blog about Passover, I have always enjoyed the rituals, camaraderie and sense of belonging to a community that comes with Jewish Holiday celebrations. Early on in our marriage, my husband and I were lucky enough to find a group of couple friends who, like us, had one member who was Jewish; and we started celebrating Passover and Hanukkah with this group. My life-long best friend Carrie is among this group, but others are friends we’ve made along the way.  

As children were born and families grew, so did our annual celebrations. Over the years, even some of our non-Jewish friends have joined in on what has become our most fun and anticipated party of the year. For a while the the parties were HUGE, but as some families moved away, our group shrunk … and now we are typically about 15.

Guilt-free, Cauliflower Pizza

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring … in fact, I love challenging myself to find new and interesting dishes that keep me on track, while also satisfying cravings. I am not a fan of cauliflower, but a couple months ago PLANK editor Mandy shared this great, guilt-free take on pizza that uses cauliflower. I gave it a shot and it was a hit!

Thanksgiving Baking: An Extra Sweet Post

I know, I know … it’s not Thursday yet. And I have a great story to share with you on Thursday, but before then I wanted to share a couple of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes. I thought I’d share them early, just in case you want to add them to your baking list for later this week.

I recently shared in Soap Opera Digest that my favorite is Sweet Potato Casserole, which I’ve shared with you before … and I’m also sharing a newer favorite, Pumpkin Ginger Cake. Delicious!


MY FAVORITE THANKSGIVING RECIPES

Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
Pumpkin Ginger Cake
Pumpkin Ginger Cake

Comfort Food: Healthy Sweet Potato Chili

What a week! Between the this crazy election season coming to a close and my hectic schedule in preparation for Sunday’s benefit performance, things have been a bit chaotic. So this week, I’m sharing a little comfort … in the form of comfort food!

Last month I shared with you my attempt at the Whole30. Well, 30 days have come and gone, but I feel so great I’m sticking with it. In addition to feeling good, the Whole30 has introduced me to so many fabulous recipes. One of my favorites is this Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili. It’s super easy to make and so yummy … oh and it’s pretty healthy too! I use ground turkey, but you can use beef. Give it a shot, and let me know what you think!