The mere fact that I am updating the December Sanity Challenge on the seventh day of January should really tell you all you need to know about my success on said challenge. ;-)
Overall, I did manage to keep most of my goals while finishing up our homeschooling for the year, preparing for Christmas and keeping the usual errands, cooking and chores going. Blogging was postponed. That was okay. I was staying on track, making homemade gifts for loved ones, wrapping presents and feeling overall serene.
Yet since staying healthy was my main goal I guess I wasn't ultimately successful. I spent the last five days of December in bed with the flu despite daily exercise, adequate sleep and keeping our diet healthy and low in sugar. I'd like to think it could have been worse if I hadn't been healthy to start. Yet the fact it's still holding on to my chest twelve days later is making that hard for me to believe. But it is better now and I'm so thankful for that.
My Bible reading was wonderful, my actual Bible study time wasn't so much a success, though. There's catch up to do there and I've got two new devotionals to fit in as well. I'm looking forward to digging into each of them.
The best part of the December Sanity Challenge was the opportunity to meet some new bloggers and be challenged by their goals and posts. It was nice to sit with a cup of tea and read through the facebook and blog posts as I had time.
For a round up of all the posts, go to Cheryl's site Gluten Free Goodness and check them out. Each and every site is unique and worth looking through. One thing you'll notice if you read through the post is that I was fortunate enough to win a copy of Carrie's Cookbook! How fun is that? I'm excited to read through it and hope to find some yummy slow cooker recipes for busy school days.
There's still a lot to catch up on and a fun lunch at the Irregardless with Laura is next on the blog schedule.
For now, here's a quick non-recipe for a healthy, naturally gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free treat. This is one I've been asked about a lot recently and the first Lara Bar type treat I ever made. It's been several years since I started making these and they're such a great go to treat. Once you have your nut to fruit ratio down you can vary them to your heart's content.
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough BitesMakes 13 cookie dough bites.
1 Cup Peanuts, Roasted and Salted
1/2 Cup Organic Dates, Pitted and packed firmly (I used seven large dates)
1/4 Cup Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips
In a food processor combine peanuts and dates, pulsing until well mixed but not so long the peanuts start to turn to peanut butter.
I like a little texture - you can see what it should look like in the picture at right. Dump the mixture onto a plate and pour chocolate chips on top.
Using clean hands knead the mixture together, squeezing and mixing until you have a soft mass of dough. Using a tablespoon for a mold, pack the mixture into the tablespoon and tap it out onto the plate.
Three ingredients, less than ten minutes. Can't go wrong with a quick and wholesome treat like these.
Enjoy.
