This was the year it unraveled for my older boy.

St Nick left treats in our boots, just like he does every year. Dad got his usual bottle of beer (gluten-free), mom got an avocado, the younger found a grapefruit and the older a bag of chili lime cashews. Yum. St Nick knows us all very well.

Which the boys notice. “Hey, do you think he just takes these things out of our fruit bowl and cabinet and puts them in our boots?” We’ve heard this question before. When you eat differently from most, the special items the fairies and mythical saints drop off on their way around the world look suspiciously familiar.

“Maybe he lives here,” the almost 11 year old says.
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I created this last year for the holidays, and couldn’t stop drinking it. I was so happy to know if was fortifying for my body! Lauric acid in the coconut milk, great essential fatty acids in the pastured eggs – no guilt here. Just deep satisfaction.

I made it last weekend for the Holiday Paleo Potluck, and put in too much stevia. (Ew. Don’t do that.)
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Nutty Pie Crust

Ingredients:

Directions:
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I love this holiday. Such permission to enjoy food thoroughly and make it extra special, and to think about the deeper questions of our lives in a positive light.

I’ve been struck the last few days by the core gratitude I have. Gratitude that actually led me to create The Cook Awakening.

My oldest boy, who will be 11 years old on Christmas day, is in a band called Wallpaper – five 5th graders with tons of talent, sweet crazy kid energy and not enough sense and experience to be at all daunted at the prospect of being on stage. They sound pretty damned good for 10 – 11 year olds. They even sound okay for adults!

Last weekend at a benefit where the band was performing, a memory surfaced. I was five years back in time, sitting in Jesse’s Kindergarten classroom with his teacher.
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A little crunch and a little sweet are often missed when you go low carb. This recipe quite satisfies. For GAPS/SCD, omit the chia and substitute a half cup of honey for the stevia. (Although, I have to say I do not understand that prohibition against stevia in GAPS/SCD. It doesn’t feed bacteria and I don’t believe it irritates the lining of the gut.)
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We were going to have roasted pork tenderloin. Really, we were.

Problem is, it was still partially frozen at 6 pm. You can’t really roast frozen meat – just doesn’t come out right.

So…. I sliced it up and found a few things lying around that sounded good.

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