2020 has brought many challenges, one of which being a lack of get-togethers. One of my favorite events is always the Christmas Cookie Exchange. When I thought up this idea, to do it virtually, I didn’t know if it would work or not. So many people enjoyed when I shared my Snowball Cookie recipe, however, that I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I posted in my VIP Group that I wanted to host a Virtual Cookie Exchange, and I got a few submissions back in, so I’m excited to bring you my first Virtual Cookie Exchange Booklet! I hope you find something you love here, and that it blesses your family and anyone with whom you share your cookies!
To print this PDF as a booklet, you’ll need to print full page, horizontal, and (very important) set your printer to print front & back. Printing this way will only take 3 pieces of paper, and you’ll have a nice booklet once you fold the paper in half. Add staples down the left side, and use some cute washi tape to cover the staple points.
Happy November! This month is a great time to gather your friends to take a break from this year’s chaos and look at something beautiful! Literally everyone is already thinking about gifts they’d love to give (and receive) for upcoming holidays, and may also have birthdays and anniversaries to consider.
Add to that that these are products that your friends and family will actually use and love themselves, so what more could you want?!
I am happy to offer two solutions for this season:
1) Lilla Rose Hair Accessories
The perfect size for a stocking, small jewelry box, or bag! That describes most of the items that Lilla Rose has to offer. Gorgeous and unique hair accessories to fit every type of hair, we have 7 sizes of Flexi-Clip, a variety of hair pin types (U-Pin sets, Swerves, acrylics, large pins – beaded or plain), hair sticks, hairbands, leather accessories… something for everyone!
November 2020 Special Offer for clients of Sue Ellen Hale only: When your event reaches $200 in sales by Nov 25, I will match your credit with items from my available inventory! This is a limited time offer, available only through me, and is not endoresed by Lilla Rose, Inc. or any other Stylist that I’m aware of.
Hostess Rewards start at just $100!
Hostess Rewards already start at just $100 with our exclusive Hostess Only Flexi-Clips and Flexi-inspired necklaces! Half priced items and additional free credit increase the more orders you and your guests help bring in!
Now if those on your list usually don’t wear accessories in their hair, as is the case with some, we also have a line of Essential Hair Care products that also are a considerate gift or stocking stuffer. Pamper yourself and the ladies on your Christmas list with these!
2) Mary & Martha
This year I am pleased to have grown my business to include beautiful home decor and service pieces, inspirational sharables & devotional books, and more from Mary & Martha! With the strong faith foundation, this company is right. up. my. alley!
I love sharing these products to strengthen women in their spiritual journey, and to provide tools for encouraging others! One of my favorite things M&M offers is Scripture Sharables & Prayers to Share pads, which are meant to share with others everywhere you go! These are also perfect for adding to stockings this year! Give someone a whole collection they can share with others, or split the cards up among several people. The 100 Empowering Notes for Kids are being added to many shoeboxes this year for Operation Christmas Child, too!
Every month M&M has a Host Bonus to encourage booking – it’s a selection of some of our most popular items, available for just $14 when you book and hold your party! At $32-$65 off, these are a crazy good deal — my GIFT to you when you book and hold your virtual gathering this November! 🙂
Of course, beyond that, Hostesses are eligible for free and half priced items, based on the total sales at your gathering.
I get really excited at the end of a Mary & Martha gathering, when I see how many people are going to be blessed by the items that were purchased during the event!
I am so happy and thankful that I can offer both of these opportunities this fall! If you’d like to schedule your own event, please reach out to me on Facebook, or text me if you have my number, so we can get you scheduled ASAP!
As always, and with all other small businesses – we truly appreciate your business and your support, this year especially. When your orders come in, they fill my heart with thankfulness… and there just might be a little happy dance, too! 💜
So we’re giving this a whirl this year – Gluten Free Thanksgiving! Because so many people are struggling with food sensitivities nowadays, I thought that I’d share our menu and maybe help someone out that’s looking for options at the last minute. I’ve included online links, but you may be able to find many of these alternatives at your local stores. The links are mainly to show the item, because I’m a visual learner.
This is NOT our feast! lol!
Our Menu:
Fried Chicken and Gravy (just me and the kids doing this, so I went with something I knew they’d love!)
Green Beans (see below)
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Mac & Cheese
Mashed Potatoes
Deviled Eggs
Rolls
Chocolate Pie
Pumpkin Pie
How does that strike your fancy? We are super excited!! Now… how to make this gluten free???
Fried Chicken
My Grandmama made the best fried chicken ever. In the history of the world. Seriously. And I watched her do it a few times, but I was little, so I don’t know if this is how she did it, but I’d venture to say it’s pretty close! I’m also attempting her macaroni & cheese recipe for the first time this year. Usually my brother makes it.
I’ll be using chicken tenderloin, since that’s what is easiest to fry and all my kids like them. I set up two bowls. One has about 3 eggs and a splash of milk whisked together. (I have used dairy free, unsweetened, plain almond milk to do this and it works just fine.) The other bowl gets my dry ingredients. I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, salt & pepper to taste, a sprinkle of parsley flakes, and 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Dip in the wet bowl, then into the dry bowl. If you’ve got time to kill and want to make it extra crusty special, repeat the dippings. I fry in refined organic coconut oil until done. Refined is important if you don’t want your chicken to take like coconut! I cook an entire two pound bag of tenderloins and we won’t have any leftovers! If you’re cooking for a smaller family, you’ll use less ingredients.
Green Beans
The green beans are just basic beans from a can. I do prefer DelMonte brand to others. Then I add a couple tablespoons of butter (or Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread, for dairy free), and some spices. I like to use Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Blend and Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, and if I’m feeling extra saucy, just a touch of cayenne pepper! One of my children appreciates the spice, but the rest won’t eat these anyway, so I make them my way!
Mac & Cheese has been a challenge, but our diet has re-introduced dairy now, so I’m more comfortable trying this. Honestly, if we were still dairy free, I’d probably just skip the mac & cheese. My Grandmama made a baked mac & cheese and this is what my son has requested. She cooked the macaroni noodles per the package instructions, then in a 9×9 glass baking dish, sprayed with non-stick spray, she layered slices of cheese (cut from a block, not sliced cheese like for sandwiches) with the noodles. When I was young, it must have been cheddar that she used, but I’m told later in life she used colby jack. The noodles were salted & peppered, a splash of milk added so it doesn’t dry out (almond milk ok), then topped with another layer of cheese. This will be my first attempt at this style of mac & cheese. Fingers crossed… For the noodles, I’m using Skinner Gluten Free Elbows, found at my local HEB grocery store. I haven’t tried these yet, either, but based on the mix used in the ingredients, I think they were a good option.
Mashed Potatoes
This is pretty standard. To make dairy free, use the dairy free butter linked above and almond milk and nobody will know the difference!
Deviled Eggs
We love deviled eggs! I just might have to do a separate post about the eggs sometime! We raise chickens, so fresh eggs are killer to peel. This is the whole reason I got an Instant Pot! And it works! (works great for store bought eggs, too) Put a cup of water in the pot, then the trivet, then layer in the eggs. I’ve loaded my pot with up to two and a half dozen eggs before. It’s a beautiful sight. 6 minutes at high pressure, 6 minutes natural release then open the valve, 6 minutes in an ice bath. Cool completely, then peel.
Slice in half. Any whites that are not pretty go into the mash. There should be at least 3 whole eggs in the mash. Mash the yolks and the whites that didn’t make the cut. Add Kraft Sandwich Spread until moist. Salt & pepper to taste. If you’re not dairy free, drizzle in a little homemade ranch dressing. Skip that if you’re dairy free, no biggie. Spoon the mash into the eggs, then come back and add more. If you have any left over, enjoy your egg salad.
Rolls
Once again, we’re entering new territory. I’m going to be taking my husband’s grandpa’s wife’s roll recipe (haha) and trying it with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. This is a yeast roll recipe, and I’ve had excellent results with this flour so far, so I’m going to give it a whirl. I will do a half recipe, however, since this is a test. If it’s a flying success, I expect to hear lots of complaining from the children that I didn’t make more!
Dessert
Again, I’m just altering standard recipes. And we’re going crustless. That’s a disappointment, I know, but it is what it is. I didn’t have time to perfect a gluten free pie crust this year, nor do I have time to make gluten free graham crackers. If you have a local store with GF graham crackers, you could probably make a graham crust pretty easily.
Using my husband’s uncle’s chocolate pie recipe, will really be more like a thick pudding without the crust. And that’s perfectly ok. It’s chocolate. This recipe is not dairy free. It uses whole milk, sugar, flour, etc. Again, we’re no longer DF, so I’m not altering the dairy in this recipe at this time. If I attempt a DF version in the future, I’ll let you know. For now, I’m switching out the flour and just dealing with the sugar. After all, Thanksgiving is a special occassion, they’re only getting one slice of pie and it’s not going to last long! Possibly whole fat coconut milk would work to make a homemade chocolate pie.
There’s so many recipes for pumpkin desserts on pinterest, and lots of them are gluten and dairy free! Thank you, internet! I’ll be using a Pioneer Woman (can you tell I love her??) recipe that was found on Walmart’s website! Pumpkin Pie by the Pioneer Woman. Alterations I’ll be making: No crust. That’s it! You could use sweetened condensed coconut milk, if you’re dairy free, but keep in mind that these cans are not exactly the same size as a standard can of Eagle Brand! Just be prepared.
Fruit can also be transformed into a delicious gf/df dessert! This fun turkey would be great for the kids!
As I’ve mentioned before, this is not a recipe blog, and I’ll have to go back at a later date and add pictures. Because I’ve never thought to photograph each item of food. Hopefully this may help someone that’s trying to figure out how to enjoy the holidays with dietary restrictions. This was my son’s biggest concern. The most important thing to remember is to relax and enjoy the holiday with your family. Let the kids help in the kitchen, even though it’s messy. Let them help with the meal planning. Nobody ever said it had to be turkey.
Have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!
……………………………………………………
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and this post contains affiliate links. You won’t pay any more when you use these links, but I will earn a small commission on any purchases you make after clicking. Thanks for helping support our little blog!!!
We’ve completed 4 months at the Brain Balance Center and I’ve learned how to follow the Balance360 plan pretty well – gluten free, dairy free, and minimal added sugar. While this is not a blog that’s focused on recipes, it is focused on how our family and life are growing. These last few months have definitely been a time of growth! I’m going to be sharing a few of our most loved recipes, to help and encourage other families on their special diet journey.
My family loves pancakes, so I had to convert our beloved recipe. Also, I’d like to note that I’m a little lazy in the kitchen and prefer to use as few dishes as possible, so I sometimes mix my ingredients in a different order than traditional. I have included (affiliate links) in this post so that you can see exactly which products are 360 approved. And maybe someday I’ll get better pictures on this post. lol
In a measuring cup, add the lemon juice, then pour in the almond milk up to the 2 cup line. This makes your “buttermilk,” and yes, it will begin to look like it’s going bad.
Crack the eggs into the bowl of your mixer and begin whisking. Continue mixing as you add the remaining wet ingredients, ending with the almond buttermilk you made. Note that the coconut oil may re-harden if your other ingredients are straight from the fridge cold. That’s ok.
While the mixer is still running, add the powder, soda and salt. Finally, mix in the flour.
Heat griddle to 350° and spray with coconut oil spray. Ladle, spoon or pour batter into the desired size and shape. Cook until the top is bubbly and dry. Flip and cook the other side until done.
Top hot pancakes with Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread, fresh fruit or berries, a small amount of real maple syrup or honey, or Polander All Fruit Spread… Or enjoy them straight from the griddle because they’re already lightly sweet from the honey.
Above, this is what a pancake looks like that’s ready to flip!
I hope this recipe is helpful and that your family enjoys it as much as mine does! We eat this at least once a week for breakfast or dinner. Goes well with eggs, sausage or bacon, and fruit.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and this post contains affiliate links. You won’t pay any more when you use these links, but I will earn a small commission on any purchases you make after clicking. Thanks for helping support our little blog!!!
The Growing Hale 