
As the year comes to a close, I'm reminded of how incredibly blessed I have been to have people like you who appreciate my site and my efforts in the kitchen! It's now been almost 14 months since I last had a flare of my ulcerative colitis. A couple of months ago I started to see some symptoms rear their ugly head and I was in a state of panic that I was going to quickly go downhill again. Thanks to fervent prayers from my friends and family and reverting back to a strict Paleo diet and supplement regime from my naturopath, I was able to get things under control within a month's time. Much different than my past flares where I inevitably ended up hospitalized and on 100mg doses of predinisone interveniously.
When I was diagnosed with this disease in 2007, 2 months after getting married, I remember feeling so lost when I started searching for information. Then, in 2008 when I finally got a doctor to agree that a dietary change could potentially alleviate some symptoms, I felt even more lost due to the lack of Specific Carbohydrate Recipes that looked appealing. The only 2 reputable sites back then were Elana's Pantry and Comfy Belly, and I literally bookmarked every recipe I saw. Inspired by these two ladies, I decided to start this blog as I ventured into my new world of cooking, but let it sit stagnant while I was still working full-time and then again with the hectic life that came with having a newborn.
In January 2012, after coming off of a 6 month long severe flare, I started to notice that what I was cooking and learning about my body and disease could potentially help some other people. In an effort to share my story and also document what was working for me, I decided to put more effort into the site, redesigning and moving to my own platform and starting my facebook page. I was looking back through old posts and found one titled “200 followers on Facebook!” from January 13th 2012. Today, a little less than a year later, I have almost 16,000 new friends whom I adore and am beyond grateful for! Thank you so much for you support over the last year and for continuing to share my site with your friends and family. You are just as much a part of making a difference in people's lives as my recipes are. It has been amazing to see such a nasty, negative situation as struggling with an autoimmune disease develop into something so positive and rewarding.
I pray that my story can continue to help change people's lives with the release of my cookbook next year and beyond. I thought it would be fun to take a look back through the year in recipes and give you the top 10 viewed recipes of 2012. I was actually surprised to see some savory recipes on there and not just all desserts!
Top 10 Recipes from 2012
10. Meat Lover's Pizza – often grain-free pizza crusts leave much to be desired, but with this sturdy but fluffy crust you won't be disappointed. The flavor is mild and it's strong enough to pile high with pounds of grassfed meats.

9. Hamburger Buns or Dinner Rolls – As you can tell by some of these recipes, this year was a year of experimenting with cashews for me. After the waffles were such a hit, I knew I was on to something with combining cashews, almond and coconut flours. I've never been fond of any of them on their own, and the trio hit the sweet spot. We use these rolls time and time again, whether it's for hamburgers, eggs benedict or just toasted with butter.

8. Not-A-Grain Bars – there's certain recipes that you just can't wait to share with your readers and this was one of them. I remember posting a photo on facebook from my phone when I first pulled these from the oven and you all went crazy for them. The recipe was up just a couple of days later, record time for me, because your excitement fueled my excitement, prompting me to get typing! You even helped me name them with all of your witty suggestions. Reviews still continue to come in daily about these bars, and people have experimented with all sorts of filling flavors.

7. Fish Tacos with avocado crema – Living on the west-coast, fish tacos were frequently enjoyed when we went out for Mexican food. When he decided to adopt my way of eating, I set out to provide foods for him that wouldn't make him change his mind. This was one of the first dishes I created in that quest, and it passed with flying colors.

6. Fruit Sweetened Breakfast Cookies – Still one of my favorite cookies to date! A cross between and muffin and a cookie, these guys are 100% sweetened with fruit and give you a fantastic burst of energy in the morning without guilt. We keep a batch in our freezer and just pull them out as we need them. Feel free to experiment with different dried fruits to change the flavor.

5. Banana Pancakes – What's a saturday morning without pancakes? After trying tons of grain-free pancakes from other sites and never being happy with the texture and consistency, I labored for weeks to create this recipe. It's perfection in a pancake AND it flips easily!

4. Real-Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies – I had to title them this because when I took them out of the oven for the first time, my husband and his friend told me these tasted like the “real-deal.” Like as in, they taste like Nestle Tollhouse ones that you used to grow up with. Neither of them could believe they were Paleo. These have gotten nothing but rave reviews since being posted just a few months ago. Seriously, not a single negative comment! They're currently still banned from our house because I have absolutely no self control when they're in the fridge and will eat not 1 but sometimes 3 for breakfast. 🙂 If you're nut-free, try their sister recipe HERE.

3. Zucchini Noodles aka Zoodles – Totally not my original idea, but this post went viral this year! You all got just as excited about these spiraled noodles as I did when I first came across them. I have to be honest, I give both the option of a julienne slicer and a the spiral slicer in this post, but after using both off and on now for a year, I think the ‘spiralized' noodles are far superior. The texture is awesome and kids just love being able to suck up a single long noodle strand!

2. Zucchini Bread – Moist, fluffy, and delicious! As zucchini bread should be. This recipe never fails to impress and is a great bread to try when you're first transitioning to the grain-free lifestyle.

and the most viewed recipe of the year, which should come as no surprise, is….
1. Grain-Free Sandwich Bread – probably my best created recipe of all time, this bread fills the void that initially comes when switching to a grain-free diet. Use it in a panini, french toast, bread pudding, croutons, or simply toasted with butter and jam.

So that's a wrap for 2012! 2013 is sure to be a great year for recipes as I am creating my cookbook which will showcase over 100 new recipes and I continue to post new recipes on this blog.
Happy New Year dear friends!
Reba
You have made my life soOo much healthier!!! Thank you ever so much!
Lauren
I can’t wait to try some of these out–I just found you and will be watching closely. I have PCOS and am slowly going grain-free in an effort to alleviate some of its ugly symptoms. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
ariyele ressler
hi heather!
i tried to leave a comment and am not sure it went through so i’m trying again! sorry if this is a duplicate.
i recently discovered your site and am a total convert. i live with a chronic disease (part infectious, part auto-immune) that disabled me in 2008. thanks to some hard-hitting experimental medication this year, i became well enough to launch a cooking show + blog where i hope to do exactly what you’ve done: use the trial of my illness to create something positive in the world, share hope with others who are still struggling, and share the little i know about food as medicine.
this site is so beautiful, professional, and the recipes look seriously amazing. i mean that! i would LOVE to feature one or two on show with your blessing. of course i will give full disclosure. i don’t have nearly as many followers as you, but i just started. since we’re neighbors (i live in oakland, ca)—i’d be happy to meet with you too. maybe you’d like to come on the show and feature the real-deal chocolate chip cookies? i’d love to have guest appearances for season 2.
thank you for doing what you do. sharing your story, your delicious recipes, and your story. i’m so inspired. i had just finished the draft of a blog post for the new year about 5 ways i stay positive in the face of my daily illness when i got your post. thank you again.
many blessings to you for a healthy and happy new year,
ariyele ressler
Levi
Thank you for bringing these recipes back on the front page. Since I am new to the blog, it may have taken me quite a while to find these. My wife will be happy to give these a try and I look forward to eating them when she does!
Carol Ann
Happy New Year and thank you for all your great recipes! Looking forward to your cookbook!
Amy
I discovered your website in August and in September I quit my Asacol mediucation and have been cookiong your recipes. I have never felt so good as I do now compared to the past 11 years since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 21. You have saved my life! I felt like crying when I first read about the SC diet in August because it seemed hopeless to follow. Luckily I found your website and I now eat delicious SCD legal food! You are my hero! I actually feel grateful for ulcerative colitis since it has forced me to eat healthy. I am definitely still learning about controlling my UC with diet, but with your help, I know it is possible. Thank you, thank you!!! I am definitely looking forward to your cookbook! Thanks so much for sharing your talents.
Against All Grain
Thank you Amy! Have a healthy, happy 2013!
Against All Grain
Thank you Amy! Love hearing stories like yous!
Sophia
Thank you for you have done and do…the 10 are tops for me. Happy New Year and I look forward to the cookbook.
Sandra Brougher
I LOVE you site and recommend it to all my clients and friends. You should be very proud of what you have accomplished and I look forward to your new cookbook and what else you have to teach and show us.
Suzanne Perazzini
I love some of these recipes and will definitely try them. I am always looking for recipes which are grain and nut free and that’s a real challenge because the obvious substitute for grain is nuts.
Renee
Congratulations on getting healthy and sharing your journey with all of us! I am looking forward to your cook book and cooking up some more deliciousness. Happy New Year!
HP
I look forward to trying out several of these recipes. This morning I was planning to check out the waffles recipe you mention, but when I went there and clicked the link, the source site it no longer available =(. I read comments to discover others have had this problem as well. Please post as I really want to find a healthier alternative that even my husband will like (now that’s a REAL challenge)!
Thank you!
Jessica Harris
They all look so delicious. I can’t wait to try them!
Alicia @ Humble Foodie
These recipes all look amazing! Your blog is an inspiration. Happy new year!
Carol
I found your blog after reading about it in First Magazine. Wow, I just love your blog. I have found great recipes to try and I am excited for your book to be published.
Sami
Today is day 1 gluten free. I’m not gonna lie….I really want some bread right now!! But…your recipes look delicious and I’m confident I’ll find many things on your blog to eat. Thank you!
melody
The Paleo Bread is my very favorite and only bread recipe i ever use. The only sad thing is that a loaf is gone in 1 1/2 days at my house. Your chocolate chip cookie recipe is also the very best gf, df, recipe i have ever tried.
I can’t wait to try some of these other favorites! The fish tacos with advocado crema look amazing. Thank you for posting the years favorites!!
Kelly
I love Zoodles! Thank you!
Mi-an dela Cruz
Hi Danielle! Came across ur blog when fitnessista blogged about ur paleo bread! I have really bad gi issues, nothing official except for I’m lactose intolerant and I get abdominal cramps almost every day after eating. I eat pretty healthy compared to most people but I’m gonna try this paleo diet (I don’t eat pork or beef tho) I eat a lot of soy and quinoa however so I don’t know how to remove those from my diet. I also just started crossfit and wanna be better at it so I figured to change up my diet. Anyway I’m just happy that I stumbled upon your blog!! And I currently live in ny now but I grew up in the Bay Area! Fremont!! 🙂 ill be trying out a lot of your recipes!! So excited!!
Against All Grain
Best of luck with the changes! You’ll love the way your body feels. 🙂
Antonette Jones
I would love to see these each year! It’s great to know what others loved to much and its a great starting point for someone new to know which recipes are good starting points! I have all 4 books, but always love coming to the blog for something new.