Eating Clean 12 Days of Christmas -- Fudge

My hubby loves fudge, so I always include it in my Christmas cookie baking especially since I've found this amazingly simple and easy recipe. Remember, I'm a lazy baker? :) I love this recipe because you can add just about anything you want...marshmallows, extra chocolate chips, nuts, fruit, etc.

Easy Fudge
From Busy Cooks

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cream
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, if desired

Place chips and milk in microwave safe bowl. (You can use just the one package of semisweet chocolate chips, or add the milk chocolate chips for a fudge that is slightly sweeter and creamier.)

Microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Microwave, stirring at 1 minutes intervals, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth and thick. Stir in butter and cream until combined.

Pour into greased 8" square pan and cool. You can also melt the chips and milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat.

You can add just about anything to this easy recipe. Stir in a cup of chopped nuts, add a cup of marshmallows after the cooking time is done, stir in chopped dried fruit or some white chocolate chips. Have fun with the recipe!

Eating Clean 12 Days of Christmas -- Christmas Sangria

Side note…I’m working on moving my blog over to WordPress and getting my own domain name (woohoo!!). I’ll continue to publish here for awhile, but please change your bookmarks to http://www.eatingcleanandsavinggreen.com

 


It wouldn't be Christmas without a good cocktail right? :) This one is really easy and really good. Plus, you can make it ahead of time and let the flavors meld together even more. 

Christmas Sangria
2 bottles of dry white wine
half 2 liter of Sprite (use Zevia to keep it totally clean)
half bottle of cranberry juice

Mix well and add in whole cranberries or cherries for garnish.

Eating Clean 12 Days of Christmas -- Reese's Cup Cookies

For as much as I love sweets and sugar, you would think I would love all kinds of Christmas cookies. Oddly, though I don't like many of the traditional ones (cutout cookies, thumbprints, Russian tea cakes, etc.). So, when it comes time to bake for Christmas, I opt for the less traditional cookies that I'll actually eat. 

I'm also not much of a baker (I hate following recipes!) so usually I take as many shortcuts as possible (buying store bought cookie dough, using premade ingredients). This year, however, with my clean eating, I decided to make everything as clean as possible, even it meant taking a few extra steps. With my two helpers, it ended up being a great time and we had lots of fun! (Even though one of my helpers...ahem, G....ate half the Reese's Cups :P)

The first cookies we made are my all-time favorites...Reese's Cup Cookies. In the past, I would just buy store-bought peanut butter cookie dough and then add the Reese's Cups, but this year I made the peanut butter dough from scratch so it's all clean. Unfortunately, Reese's Cups aren't totally clean, but I'm invoking the 80/20 rule here because they're my favorite :)

These are so easy....make the peanut butter cookie dough. Roll into balls and put into well-greased mini muffin tins. Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes. As soon as you get the cookies out, press a Reese's Cup into each one and put the whole tin into the fridge, otherwise the Reese's will melt all over from the hot cookie and make a mess. Once they've hardened in the fridge, take out of the tins. Here's the recipe for the peanut butter cookies I used:

Peanut Butter Cookies 
From Creations by Kara

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars till creamy. Beat in eggs. Stir in dry ingredients.

Top Ten Eating Clean and Saving Green Gifts for Christmas

With Christmas only weeks away, (mostly) everyone is getting into the gift-giving spirit. Personally, I love giving gifts. It's the love language I use when showing someone they mean a lot to me and I enjoy the whole process of coming up with an idea, searching far and wide for that gift and seeing the recipient's face when they open it up.

Whether you've been done Christmas shopping since August or have yet to start, I'm here to help! I've come up with the Top Ten Eating Clean and Saving Green gifts for your holiday season. These gifts help you eat clean, save you some green and some even do both!

1. Spa Day -- For that special lady (or even guy!) in your life, consider giving them a day of pampering to a spa or salon that specializes in all-natural and organic products.

2. Subway Art -- Easy and inexpensive, a piece of unique subway art fits all sizes and is a great personalized gift for that special someone. Choose the recipient's favorite song lyrics, poem, Bible verse or quote.

3. Recipe Book -- Compile a list of your favorite Eating Clean recipes to give away to family and friends. You could create a book yourself, or use a helpful site, like Shutterfly or Bookemon, which does all the work for you!

4. Old Window Photo -- Another great personalized gift, especially for a newly married couple, family with kids or parents and grandparents. Again, the possibilities are endless for personalization. 

5. Kitchen Tools -- Every cook needs the proper tools, so consider giving several smaller, handy kitchen items or purchasing a bigger piece of kitchen equipment. Some of my favorites and must-haves...cheese grater, mandolin, spice rack, crock pot, bread machine

6. Stock the Pantry Gift Basket -- I've made all kinds of pantry staples in the last year. Put together a gift basket to stock the pantry of a friend or neighbor. Some to include...brownie mix, cooking spray, chicken stock, pasta sauce, soup or sauce mix,  seasoning salt.

7. Magazine Subscription -- I especially love giving magazine subscriptions because it's a gift that lasts all year! Some of my favorites for clean eating and saving green...All You, Eating Clean

8. Homemade Crayons -- For the kid, or the kid-at-heart. :) Also make a great stocking stuffer.

9. Ice Cream Ball -- Another great gift for kids or families. Fun for all and who doesn't love ice cream?

10. Gift Cards -- Consider giving gift cards to clean and all-natural stores and restaurants like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Seasons 52, Aveda, etc.