Sweets for the Sweetest (WIAW)

Thanks for all of your super thoughtful (and funny comments) on my Marvelous in My Monday post on practical Christmas presents. If you missed it, check it out here to read some ridiculously offensive gifts!

Now to run in the completely opposite direction, I was nominated for The Super Sweet Blogging Award by Liv Lives Life and Scribbles and Sprinkles. I’m so grateful whenever I’m nominated for an award like this. First of all, it makes me happy to know that people are reading and enjoying my blog. Second, it gives me an excuse to fill out fun surveys!

The rules:

1. Give credit to the person who chose to nominate you.
2. Answer the “Super Sweet” questions.
3. Nominate a “Baker’s Dozen (13) blogs.

Super Sweet Questions:

1. Cookies or Cake? How about both? I would pick cookie dough cake, like this one I found on foodgawker:

2. Chocolate or Vanilla? I’m a vanilla girl through and through.

3. What is your favorite sweet treat? Ice cream. No matter the season.

4. When do you crave sweet things the most? When don’t I crave sweet things? I would say that during the morning and at night though I dream most often of pies and muffins and cookies and ice cream.

5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be? Whatever I say is going to seem cheesy or self-centered, so for your sake and mine I’ll refrain. (If you’d like to make up a nickname for me though, that would totally be acceptable!)

My nominations:

• Alex @ The Run Within
• Jessie @ Jessie Loves to Run
• Di @ Life of Di
• Hollie @ Fueled by LOLZ
• Sarah @ Picky Runner
• Caitlin @ Chasing Chels
• Chelsie @ Cupcake Inclined
• Carla @ Real Into
• Meghan @ Clean Eats Fast Feets
• P @ Will Study for Food
• Sunnie @ Modern Girl Nutrition
• Jess @ Jessie Bear
• Meghan @ After the Ivy League

Now onto the rest of my “sweet” post involving WIAW, which is ironically not very sweet.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m on the GAPS diet or “healing protocol” as I like to call it. I dislike the negative connotations with the word diet. In no way am I restricting my calories with this plan. If anything, I’m eating more than I have been able to in a long time.

I haven’t posted many pictures, because as you could see on New Year’s Eve, all of my meals basically consist of soup. Broth, vegetables, and meat to be specific. Throw in some coconut oil, olive oil, sauerkraut and some supplements, and you have my grocery list.

Because it is What I ATE Wednesday though, I’m not going to post what other people ate like I have been doing lately (even if their food is way more exciting than mine), but I’ll share a few photos of what I’ve actually been eating.

For my main meals I eat soup with a broth base, either chicken or beef as the meat, and some form of squash like zucchini or acorn. Following the GAPS protocol I also add some type of fat like coconut oil or olive oil, sea salt, and a tsp of sauerkraut juice.

Soup #1: Chicken and Zucchini Noodle Soup

Soup #2: Beef and Squash Soup

For my snacks I cook some type of vegetable with broth. I drink the broth separate with some sauerkraut juice. On top of the cooked vegetables I melt some coconut oil and sprinkle sea salt.

Snack #1: Glazed Carrots

Snack #2: Boiled Acorn Squash

To make the acorn squash I have to peel before cooking because it’s not organic:

Acorn squash is SO HARD to peel though. Look at all of those tiny pieces!

Unfortunately I scarfed down the cooked squash before I had the chance to take a picture, but that’s okay because I have another award to share:

I also was nominated by Liv Lives Life for Blog of the Year 2012.

The rules:

1. Select another blog or other blogs who deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award.
2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
3. Include a link back to this page Blog of the Year 2012 Award at the Thought Palette and provide these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!).
4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them.
5. You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience.
6. As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

Nominations:

Same as above!

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Here’s to another great year and many more WIAWs to come!

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Questions for you:

1. Answer one of the sweet blogger survey questions above.
2. Are you a fan of coconut oil yet?
3. Technological question for you all. Whenever I upload and/or try to edit this soup picture, the bottom part gets strangely colored and pixelated. What do you think would cause this?