Hi friends!
I hope you're also making some of the wonderful recipes in Celebrations in anticipation of the holiday weekend! This digest shares some inspiration from what we will be having, the latest Wake Up With The Walkers, a reflection on the 5 year anniversary of my favorite (!!) book, and a brand new recipe!
Wake up with the Walkers – Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
These chocolate chip cookies were one of the very first paleo recipes I ever posted on my blog, back in 2008! They became so popular with all of you and were dubbed the Real Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies. The name stuck, and they were published in my first cookbook from 2013 – Against All Grain.
They've actually garnered their own hashtag on Instagram, and it's been so fun seeing your families enjoy them in your own homes over the years. We were due for a new batch in the freezer, so I showed you my tips and tricks to make them perfectly!
This guy finished his final day of 4th grade last week and I have such mixed emotions about it all.
I’m so incredibly proud of him.
From the day we pulled him out of school, a couple of days before the official announcement that school was closing because I’m immune-compromised, he became a self-starter and got his work done on his own. Without us ever once having to nag him to do it. He hasn’t complained about school a single second since mid-March (his extra time with his siblings and the extra chores are a little different story! 😂). He did everything with a cheerful attitude, and finished early nearly every day, without letting his grades slip. But there was something still slightly off while he was processing the new routine. After the first couple of weeks of being pretty independent, his class started doing zoom calls altogether, and I saw a light ignite in him again. While he was thriving academically, it was apparent that he was deeply missing his buddies and having interactions with his teachers.
All of our kids are proving to be so much more resilient than I ever expected them to be. But my heart hurts that they finished the year without their friends, the excitement of the upcoming summer, yearbook signings, class parties, the feeling of accomplishment, and the camaraderie that comes with finishing a school year together.
I can only pray they look back on this time and remember the ways they grew. And that next year will be back to “normal.” Whatever the new normal is.
If your lifestyle includes alcohol and you have yet to enjoy a paleo margarita, then Memorial Day is the time to do it! Margaritas usually have sugary mixes or simple syrup in them, so the 3-ingredient @WorthyBar Margaritas on my blog or in Celebrations are the ones to make. Check out my IGTV video of us making these live a couple of weeks ago!
Since you’ll have tequila on hand, then I highly suggest my Tequila-Lime Shrimp as a dinner pairing. Another easy outdoor recipe are these Shrimp Skewers with Prosciutto and Nectarines. Skewers of any type are so easy to grill and the kids always find them fun to eat. I hope you’re able to celebrate this Memorial Day with your loved ones, whether virtual or in-person with those in your household.
Click here for the instructions to the margaritas!
These brothers are exactly 5 years apart and I was always so sad about the gap that losing Aila created, wondering if they would ever play together or be buddies. Easton will be 5 in August, and over the last couple of months of being together non-stop, they’re finally starting to play more and get along. They’ve found a few things that they both love, and I’m loving seeing their bond grow.
It’s hard to believe that Memorial Day is this weekend! While it feels like we’ve been at home for an eternity, the days have simultaneously passed really quickly. Asher finished school for the summer on the 15th and we’re figuring out what the new normal will look like.
Memorial Day is an important day filled with mixed emotions, especially in the midst of the coronavirus. While our annual family BBQ and birthday celebration for my Grandpa, who served and thankfully is still alive and well, won’t be happening this year, we plan to still hold remembrance and celebration together.
We usually fill our table with some of our favorite recipes to kick off the summer: gluten-free Barbecue Ribs, loads of watermelon, and paleo Peach Cobbler. I hope that some of my family’s very favorite recipes can also be spread across your table this year. My cookbook, Celebrations, has dozens of fantastic barbecue recipes or sweet treats. I will be making this buttery yet dairy-free peach cobbler.
Get the recipe for Peach Cobbler here or grab a copy of Celebrations cookbook for more favorites!
My phone reminded me that around this time, 5 years ago, we started shooting the photos for my Celebrations Cookbook! I was 6 months pregnant with Easton, & we kicked it off with a few days at a beautiful home in Sonoma. That book was actually shot in 3 different locations, with over 15 days on set!
There’s 120 recipes, & it was a doozy to shoot because we had to get photos of every single item on the menu for each occasion, all laid out together on a table, PLUS individual shots of the dishes so each recipe could have a photo. It’s very hard to keep food looking fresh & lovely after that much time, but the team that worked on that book did an exquisite job & brought my vision of beautiful & delicious foods for special occasions, gatherings, & holidays to life.
When we laid the book out by chapter, I remember it being very poignant to me that there is one holiday, gathering or special occasion each month of the year. And that those are the times that people who have special diets feel the most isolated. When you are forced to alter your diet drastically for the sake of your health, many people, including myself, understandably fear that your fond memories & traditions will be lost along with the newly eliminated food groups. Those fears were once very real to me & left me feeling hopeless. But I have since made it my mission, with my blog & with my books, to break the misconception that you have to live a life of deprivation & alienation when you adopt a new dietary lifestyle.
As I raise my own family, it is important to me that I share with them the same traditions & food that I enjoyed growing up—but with our modified diet still in place. And I hoped that for you too!
Seeing the recipes from Celebrations bring back the joy of gathering & connecting around your tables, plus restore nostalgia to your family celebrations has been the greatest gift since the book released.
What’s your favorite part of Disneyland?? 🎡
I know – it seems wrong to even ask a question like that given the current times, but the only way we’ll all get through this is to look forward to the happy things of the future. Like the Happiest Place on Earth!
As a kid, of course, I loved all of the rides and enthusiastic characters. I also really loved the drinks and treats available on every street corner! 🍦Ice cream, pineapple whip, and chocolate-dipped bananas with bright sprinkles were a few of my favorites.
While I’ve yet to create a rendition of that pineapple whip, I have mastered a paleo Chocolate-Dipped Banana that my kids just love. 🍫🍌 It’s brand NEW on the blog, and just in time for a fun summer activity. They call for basic ingredients and they are refined sugar-free. The toppings are completely up to you and your little ones. I knew we needed homemade sprinkles because that was my pick as a kid, but let your kids take the lead on these! Mini chips, coconut flakes, crushed graham crackers, or toasted almonds are all fantastic choices!
♥️Siblings♥️
Cute as ever, but how is she so tall and grown-up??? ♥️