We were coming into our first GAPS holiday season. The season when everyone seems to over-indulge and gain a few pounds. I was determined to do neither, and stay on our very strict diet. So my daughters and I hunkered down for a whole Saturday and baked our own --GAPS LEGAL-- Christmas cookies! After making, baking, and cooling, we divided them into individual containers and stuck them in the freezer, pulling them out for one occasion after another. I brought one to Bible Class when we were having a party. We brought one to a nursing home to share when we went caroling. We brought one to a relative's house when we were traveling. And we had the rest of the containers one each Sunday afternoon (when we typically have a special dessert each week). This really worked out well, as I didn't feel left out from having a treat while others were indulging, but I could stay on plan and not feel sick. Keeping them in the freezer (downstairs!) kept us from grazing on the cookies at home. It also worked well to have a meal before I left home so I was less hungry, and less likely to over-indulge.
Here are the recipes we included in our treat containers:
- Coconut Manna Cookies (with coconut oil, cocoa powder, and honey mixed together instead of chocolate chips!)
- Indigo Bars
- Date Bars
- Fudgy Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Almond Cookies
- Almond Joy Bars (These actually have no almond, but they taste like the candy bar!)
Since we had seven different recipes, we included each treat in each container. There were about 4-8 of each type of cookie.
One last tip: Label your container with a note that reads "GAPS Legal" or "Gluten-Free" so not EVERYBODY takes them and there are some left for you!
