Paleo Maple Candied Nuts Recipe (Plus 5 Other Paleo Holiday Recipes!)

Our Christmas decorations are up early this year, and now I want all the sweet Christmas things: the Trader Joe's peppermint Joe Joe's, the peppermint bark, the fudge, the snickerdoodles.

I'm limbic system retraining with all these foods now (THREE CHEERS HURRAY!), and the Great British Bake Off makes me want to eat them with every meal, amen. I'm still trying to care for my body with food, though, which means I limit my refined sugar intake, which means WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY AROUND-THE-CLOCK SWEET TOOTH?

These maple candied nuts are exactly what.

They're 2-ingredient simple, and they're Paleo!


Here's what you need:

• 2 1/2 cups of roasted nuts (I use pecans, and I roast them myself for extra yummy flavor)
• 3/4 cup of pure maple syrup
• Optional: sea salt 

Here's what you do:

1. Pour the maple syrup into a sauce pan or skillet. I use my 10-inch skillet from this set.  Heat it to a boil over medium heat, stirring regularly.

2. When the syrup reaches 235 degrees F (110 degrees C), turn off the heat. Add 2 1/2 cups of nuts and stir until they are coated.

If you don't have a candy thermometer, put a droplet of the mixture in a glass of cold water. If it hardens into a semi-firm ball of candy after a couple of seconds, then it's ready!

3. Spread the nuts across a silicon pad with a spatula or spoon and, if you like salty sweet snacks, sprinkle sea salt over the top.

That's it! Easy as 1-2-3!

The maple syrup crystallizes into maple sugar on these nuts, and they're divine. Your non-Paleo friends and family will love them as much as you do!

But wait! There's more! Here are five more Paleo dessert recipes that'll send your sweet tooth soaring through happy skies this holiday season:

The recipe titles are live links; so if you click 'em they'll take you to the recipe!
 
1. Paleo Fudge

2. Chocolate Mousse Parfait

3. Peppermint Hot Chocolate

4. Banana Chia Seed Pudding 

5. Banana Nut Butter Ice Cream

Bon appetit!

Merry, hopeful holiday season, friends.

Onward and upward,

Sarah


© by scj

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

I posted videos of these hearty breakfast cookies on Instagram this week and got requests for the recipe, so here goes!

These make great lunch and dinner substitutes (or add-ons!), but we look for any excuse to eat dessert for breakfast (plus they're not super sweet), so they're breakfast cookies in the Panther household!

If you eat gluten-free, you can adapt these by replacing the wheat flour with your favorite gluten-free flour mixture. I haven't tried substituting coconut oil for the butter, but it might be a tasty option for those who want vegan cookies.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together the wet ingredients:

•    1/2 cup softened butter
•    1 chia seed egg*
•    1/2 cup coconut, date, or maple sugar (I use coconut)
•    1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
•    1 1/2 tablespoons water 

*To make a chia seed egg add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to 3 tablespoons of water and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes until it is gelatinous. You can use a real egg instead, if you prefer.

Add the dry ingredients:

•     1 cup flour
•     2 cups sprouted oats (regular oats work, too)
•     1/2 cup -1 cup chocolate chips or raisins
•     1/2 cup chopped pecans or almonds (I use pecans)

Drop cookie balls on cookie sheet and flatten balls with a fork (the cookies won't spread in the oven). 

Optional: sprinkle sea salt on the cookies. I love that bit of salt but keep forgetting to experiment by putting it in the actual dough. A sprinkling on top seems to be working for us!

Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes.

 

Makes about 18 cookies!

© by scj

Banana Pecan Butter Ice Cream: Vegan and Paleo

For many years now, I have resisted making ice cream out of bananas, because it seemed to me it would take nothing short of MAGIC to make ice cream out of bananas, and I am fresh out of magic.

But then my husband bought me some banana ice cream from a food stand in Laguna Beach, and it was smooth, creamy, and sweet, just like real ice cream, and I was converted right then and there. I decided to make my own banana ice cream, with a twist: I added salty nut butter. And you guys, that salt is the ticket to pleasure town.

This stuff is so easy, and it's the perfect dessert for all you folks adhering to Paleo, vegan, and anti-inflammatory diets.

Here's what you need:

Except, I was spacey when I took this photo, and I included the wrong salt. I used sea salt instead of Morton's iodized salt. I love putting sea salt in dessert!

You'll notice my nut butter (on the far left) is homemade. I made it by first roasting the nuts, and then blending them, with sea salt, in the food processor. Homemade nut butter is a game-changer.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 very ripe bananas (with speckles!)
• 1/4 c. of nut butter, smooth or chunky (I used pecan, but peanut, almond, and cashew butter would be yummy, too!)*
• 1 TB of coconut oil
• A pinch of salt

Optional mix-ins:

• Chopped nuts (I used pecans)
• Nut butter (to create a ripple effect with stripes of nut butter throughout, in addition to the nut butter mixed in)
• Chocolate chips (you can make your own if you follow a Paleo diet!)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice the bananas into 1/4-inch thick rounds, put them in a Ziploc bag in a single layer, and pop them in the freezer. Let them freeze overnight. These slices will make it much easier to blend your frozen bananas and will ensure a nice, consistently creamy texture.

2. Put the frozen banana medallions, nut butter, and coconut oil in your food processor or high-powered blender. Blend. Add the salt, to taste, and blend.

3. If you want to mix in nuts, chocolate chips, or extra nut butter, mix 'em in by hand.

4. I like eating the ice cream at this point, because I think its texture is ideal; but if you want to save it all for later, scoop it into a container and put it in the freezer. 

And there you have it! Easy as 1-2-3! Enjooooy!!!!!

A a very happy Sunday, Home Skillets!

-Sarah

Are we Instagram and Facebook friends yet?! Let's be!



© by scj

13 Things People With Chronic Invisible Illness Want You to Know

Chronic illness is the Great Censor. It is such a demanding, consuming, grueling battle that the chronically ill person rarely has the bandwidth to debunk common, painful misconceptions about her and her illness.

And oh my, there are so many misconceptions about chronic invisible illness. People think chronic invisible illness is fake — a ruse to get attention or spend "quality" time in bed; they think it's mental; they think Health Warriors are lazy; they think they're prone to exaggerating their challenges, and on and on and on.

It's stunning and crazy-making how often Health Warriors have to navigate these hurtful misconceptions. You guys, there were days when I was in such a dark place that the frequent, painful accusations and pervasive lack of understanding made me want to die. And gosh — I'm hesitant to write that because of the times people have chastised me for claiming my illness could actually be serious enough to make me want to give up. These wounds run so deep.

And here is the other thing: because Health Warriors and their illnesses are so misunderstood — and because they do not have widely familiar labels like "cancer" — they are not getting the help and support they need from their churches and other communities.

Now that I am healing — now that illness is not acting as a Great Censor — I am beginning to share, on behalf of all the Health Warriors, what it is like to lose your life to chronic invisible illness, with the hope that increased understanding will mitigate the suffering of Health Warriors just a bit.

In today's video, I share 13 things people with chronic invisible illness want you to know.

If you are a Health Warrior, I hope this video makes you feel less alone and can be a resource for your communities. I know so many of you hesitate to ask your communities to try to understand your battle because you don't want to rock the boat — to cause any interpersonal tensions. Debunking stubborn misconceptions can be a real boat-rocker, I know. I rarely challenged misconceptions about my illness for this very reason.

And yet, I wish I had. I wish I had posted resources on social media, helping people understand. I wish I had emailed resources to my inner circle. I wish I had asserted myself when others imposed their misconceptions on me. I wish had been my own best advocate.

If this video captures a bit of your experience as a Health Warrior, or if you have other resources that do, I encourage you to share them, to be your own best advocate. If we are going to change painful misconceptions, then we have to be intentional about educating our communities.

If you are not sure how to share helpful resources with your community, perhaps you could share from a place of vulnerability (vulnerability can be so disarming), like this (feel free to copy and paste this):

Here is the thing about chronic invisible illness: it can cause so much shame, so much isolation, so much misunderstanding. I have often wanted to share my experience of chronic illness, but my sense of shame and anxiety about what others might think has prevented me from doing so. However, being understood mitigates some of the suffering of chronic invisible illness, so today I am trying to be courageous, and I am sharing this resource that will give you a peek into chronic invisible illness. Thank you for walking this journey with me!

And now, my friends who do not have health challenges (but who are most certainly fighting other battles): would you watch this? And then, would you be advocates for all the Health Warriors you know — and the ones you don't know? Would you share this video, or other similar resources, in your communities? Trying to understand Health Warriors and their illnesses — and helping others understand — is one of the best ways you can love them. It is salve on their many oozing wounds.

And finally, I want to thank so many of you who have been exactly what I needed in my darkest moments. I had an extraordinary number of people interact with me out of their misconceptions, but I had even more people (YOU!) extend grace, understanding, encouragement, and faithfulness in prayer. You buoyed me under the weight of all the hard stuff, and I love you dearly for it.

Here is the video (click HERE to be rerouted to YouTube):

 Fight on, all you Warriors, those fighting health battles, and those fighting other hard battles.

I'm cheering for you, Home Skillets.

-Sarah

Subscribe to The Scoop, a monthly newsletter filled with information and activities to help you care for your body, mind, and heart. I'll share the supplements, tests, recipes, and types of doctors I love best, as well as tips for managing depression, PTSD, and anxiety.

Enter your email address and the first issue of the The Scoop will be in your inbox within a few minutes! (Don't forget to check social, promotions, and spam folders).

Email Address

Are we friends on Instagram and Facebook yet?!




© by scj

Baby Doll

In honor of my darling niece, Aria, I give you a poem, originally written for my littlest brother when I was six years old, and revised for Aria:

Aria my niece is a sweet little girl,

I like to play with her just like a toy [it turns out, this poem's rhyming scheme works better with boy babies, although we wouldn't trade our Aria for a million boys!]

She has brown hair [or, in some cases, blond];

She is so sweet;

And she really, really likes to EAT! 

Have you ever seen anyone sport a wig with so much fabulous charm?!!!

We sure do love our baby-doll girl. 

Happy Thursday, folks.

-Sarah

© by scj

My first cooking video!

Oh my, I've made my first cooking video, and it was so fun! It turned into a bit of a vlog of our life, which made it even funner.

On today's show: how to make Paleo fudge.

You should make this fudge this week if 1) you like chocolate, 2) you like fast, easy treats; 3) you follow a Paleo diet; 4) you don't follow a Paleo diet; 5) you're trying to reduce inflammation but still want to have gastronomic fun; and 6) you will be with family this weekend and you want to make them good eats.

This stuff is LEGIT.

Here's the video (or, click HERE to watch)!

A most joyful Thanksgiving week to you, my friends!

-Sarah





© by scj

Overcoming depression when you have Lyme disease, POTS, CIRS, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Part 1: "First Steps"

My friends,

I've got a new thing in the works! As I heal, I'm able to collect and compile so much of what I've learned on this gnarly, glorious journey. At first, I planned to put everything in a chronic illness survival handbook as a resource for my sick friends. But as I've prayed, I've decided that the best way to put this information into the world is via Youtube.

And so, today I've linked the first of many videos in this series.

Today, I share some of my journey with depression, and I share some practical steps you can take to confront and manage your depression.

Although this series was born out of my desire to help my friends with systemic illness, this video is for anyone who is dealing with depression — for those who have other illnesses and those who don't.

In the latter half of the video, I describe three activities that can help you confront and manage your depression, including writing your own Psalm of Lament to help you process your depression and its accompanying grief with God. I've created a template to guide you through writing your own Psalm of Lament. To get the Psalm of Lament Activity Guide, enter your email below.

Get Psalm of Lament Printable
 

Find the video HERE, or watch below.

I hope this video is helpful, my friends!

I'm cheering for ya, Home Skillets.

-Sarah






© by scj

A Birthday and Best Laid Plans

Jay and I are in the throes of moving into our new place, and we are having so much fun.

Our first day back in Orange County was my birthday, so we postponed all unpacking and devoted the day to celebration.

I've recovered from my flare-up, so Jay brought me my very favorite breakfast — in bed: pastries filled with real whipped cream!

In a victorious attempt to reenact our honeymoon, we ate all seven of these bad boys by ourselves, after which we promptly took a nap. Now that I am the ripe ol' age of 33, my idea of a good party is eating food while horizontal so as to transition to napping with minimal effort. Who knew 33 would be so glorious.



(Pastries are from Cream Pan, a Japanese and French bakery in Tustin).

After our nap Jay took me on a mystery outing. "Get dressed up and make sure you're hungry when we leave!" he said.

Our first stop was my favorite restaurant in Orange County, Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen. We ordered plates piled with homemade tortillas, pork, mole chicken, and fresh salsa; and we spent most of the time discussing the fabulous nuances of the food.

I'm so glad I'm married to someone who likes talking about food. I've missed food confab all these years (it is very hard to get excited about daily servings of squash, my friends) and I'm making up for lost time. Also: it's still hard to believe I can eat real, live dessert on my birthday.

When our bellies were full, Jay took me to the symphony to see Rachmaninoff. It was his first time at the symphony, and he loved it! I did, too. Whenever I go to a concert, I feel like the sound waves rush toward me and wrap around me in a big hug, as if to say: "You're here! We've been waiting for you! We want to invite you into our beauty!" It is one of life's best feelings.

And of course, we closed the night with a trip to Stars Hollow — we watched Gilmore Girls. It was the perfect end to a delightful day.

The next day we began moving stuff into our new place.

I wish I could report that we have been strategic and efficient movers, but we have been the absolute spaciest movers I have ever known. We've tried to be strategic and thorough; but we are worn out from the summer's fast pace, and our attempts at efficiency quickly morphed into a comedy of errors.

First, we headed to the storage unit in one city so we could bring some of its contents to my old place in another city. Then, we realized the keys to the storage unit were at my old place. So we turned around and headed to my old place to move my piano, before realizing the blankets to drape over the piano were in my storage unit. After successfully moving the piano (sans blankets) to a third city, we finally made it up to my storage unit, only to find it had closed. So we headed to a fourth city to pick up a desk, and determined to make it to our storage unit the next morning before heading back to the third city to drop some stuff off, before heading to the second city to drop other stuff off.

We traveled 70 more miles than we intended, but our spirits are still high, baby!

Now our little abode is piled rather high with boxes and is rather void of furniture, so we've been using box furniture:

A box dining room table! It's just the right size for two and doubles as a gift and mail holder between meals.

I love our box table dinners. I think I will miss them when we have a dining room table. This is probably a good thing, because Jay and I are shooting for the stars with our dining room table dreams. (I will tell you about them later!). Our grand plans mean we will have either have a beautiful dining room table soon, or we will not have any dining room table for quite awhile. Our track record this week makes me think I may be getting my box table dinners for awhile longer...

What a beautiful life it is.

Happy Thursday, friends.

-Sarah



© by scj

Horses

The townhouse Jay and I have been staying in the last few weeks backs up against horse pasture. Some evenings, just as we are sitting down for dinner, the horses are released from their stalls to graze. We love watching them search for sweet clover. 

We often wish there was clover against the fence nearest our back patio so the horses would draw near enough for us to pet. Sometimes we try to convince them that the feeding opportunities near our house are tremendous. I may stand on the fence and wave a giant carrot in the air, or I may do my best horse call — which is, incidentally, a Mariachi shout — but despite my best efforts, the horses stay put. Until two mornings ago, when I pulled open the shades and saw one of the horses eating brekkie, right next to the fence nearest us. 

Excited at the prospect of hand feeding the horse (I have named her Stella), I ran outside and over to the fence where I was able to pet her. A few moments into petting Stella, I realized that, in my excitement, I had forgotten to put pants on. This is not the first time I have forgotten to put pants on before leaving the house; and I am beginning to wonder what old age will be like for me — and, more importantly, for the people who have to look at me, if this pant trend continues. (Have mercy!).

So I ran back inside to put pants on and grab some carrots for Stella. She was ready and waiting when I returned, as were a number of hungry horses.

This here horse is Jay's twin, with its tan hide and blond hair:

I have named him Barney. Jay is not sure if he is a Barney. (And neither of is sure if he is a "he.")

Do you see the resemblance?!

Once the horses learned we were the sole neighborhood carrot distributors that morning, they were eager for more.

So we kept more carrots comin'.

It was my favorite breakfast of the trip!

I hope you are all having a lovely Thursday!

-Sarah



© by scj