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Blogmas – The Ten Best Holiday Treats to Make This Season

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So, it’s Friday the 13th… in December… and it’s #Blogmas! I don’t think it could get any better than this for a sweet treat post for the holidays. I know alot of you may think Friday the 13th is meant to be bad luck, but I think it’s good luck because it’s in December near Christmas – that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I’ve scoured the internet for the most fun, easy and best Christmas themed treats that you can make for a holiday party or co-workers this year. Anything from mini cakes, to Oreos, to fudge – alot of these in this list I have also tried myself in the past and have great sucess with recipes like these.

Sit down, put your Christmas music on, and take a read through these simple and fun recipes you can try at home this month. 

10. CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS MINI CAKES (VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE, NUT-FREE) For those of you wanting a vegan, gluten free and nut free option that (almost) everyone can eat, this is the recipe for you! These delectible little cakes are adorable and easy to construct with the help of the online instructions. (Photo from linked post with recipe.)

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9. CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIE BITES These delicious cookie bites will look pretty in a bowl at a Christmas Cookie Exchange or on your Holiday dessert table at your family dinner table. These simple and easy to bake sugar cookie bites are an easy way to get into the holiday spirit. (Photo from linked post with recipe.)

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8. CREME DE MENTHE CREAM PUFF TREE What’s better than normal cream puffs on Christmas? How about these tasty Creme de Menthe Cream Puffs that your family will destory in a matter of mere minutes? Now THIS screams holiday party to me! (Photo from linked post with recipe.)

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7. PEPPERMINT SWIRL FUDGE 1 and a half pounds of peppermint fudge? Sign me up! This simple recipe takes roughly 15 minutes to put together and then the hard part of cooling comes into play when it’s all done. But not to worry – you can hold out just a little longer for this delicious treat! (Photo from linked post with recipe.) 

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6. CREME Brûlée SUGAR COOKIES Now for this one, you’re going to need a kitchen torch. If you don’t have one, go out and buy one right now because you’ll be wanting to make dozens of these for every holiday party you’re invited to this season. Carmelized sugar? Creme Brûlée? What could be better? Oh yeah, adding in sugar cookie to the name! (Photo from linked post with recipe.)  

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5. CHRISTMAS POPCORN This Christmas popcorn has M&Ms, bits of candy cane, white chocolate and red and green drizzle all over! It’s a great alternative for Santa for Christmas Eve instead of cookies, or as a neighbor gift during the holiday season. It’s super easy to make and goes a long way. (Photo from linked post with recipe.)   

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4. EASY CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIES With only six ingredients and lots of fun sprinkles, how can you say no to brownies that look like Christmas trees?! This cute fun recipe I found would be great for a holiday center piece of a dessert table, or for a work party (if you can make enough!) (Photo from linked post with recipe.)   

Tree-Brownies

3. STRAWBERRY MOUSSE DESSERT CUPS Another easy dessert for the holiday party at work you can make to please almost everyone! This recipe only calls for 7 ingredients and takes only 25 minutes to prep. Isn’t that magical? If you decide to make these this season, please let me know how they turn out! (Photo from linked post with recipe.)   

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2. REINDEER TREATS You’ve probably seen these all over the place around Christmas if you have children or if you have friends that have kids. This super simple yet adorable recipe can be completed by a 5 year old and they will be damn proud of themselves! If you need a break from baking, have them help make these with you to enjoy! (Photo from linked post with recipe.)   

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AND FINALLY

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE & NUMBER ONE TREAT…

1. OREO TRUFFLES I picked this specific recipe because this is almost identical to what I make roughly 6 times a year for friends and family. They absolutely LOVE them and always ask for more, especially my mom! These are the best damn things to grace this earth (oreos, duh) and whoever came up with this recipe deserves a prize! (Photo from linked post with recipe.)   

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Me First – Elaine Gallagher

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We are so accustomed to doing things for others without a second thought, but when it comes to ourselves we just keep putting it off.  That was me my whole life until I started to feel walls closing in and realizing I needed to make some positive changes.  I had gained weight, stopped exercising and had gotten into some unhealthy habits.

So I decided to change.  First of all, I started a new healthy eating regimen, after my doctor told me I needed to even though I was on cholesterol meds, because of my family history of heart problems, I decided to listen to his advice.  This coupled with the fact that my daughter was getting married and I wanted to look and feel beautiful that day.  So my new journey began….

First, I started cleaning my eating completely.  No more junk or processed foods.  It meant more planning of meals.  This was also going to benefit my husband, who has some health issues, to eat healthier.  Food shopping took longer but included lists of recipes and foods to include.  I looked for high-protein, low carb foods to infuse my diet with color and taste.  I scanned Pinterest daily for new recipes to cook fish, some new vegetables I discovered (butternut squash, escarole) and varieties of chicken recipes to get rid of the “Oh not chicken again” reaction to dinner.

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Next, along with a good friend, I checked out some exercise studios near me.  I started by going to use machines but felt as if I was bored and needed something more to keep me interested. We tried a few local places that offer a free class and finally found a place we now go to about four times a week.  I started enjoying yoga, piloxing, Zumba and triple fit programs.  And before you know it, the pounds came off and my confidence grew.  I am proud to say that I lost over 20 pounds and tightened up to looking spectacular at my daughter’s wedding if I can brag just a little bit.

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It would be the first and only brag of my life.  So now every day I push myself to remember how I felt that day and try to stick to my new plan.  Some days I do slip up (especially on vacation) but the trick is to not beat yourself up, but rather to remind yourself of your humanness and the need to work on ourselves every day.  It is a day to day journey.  Keep putting yourself first in your own life… you only get one to live so give it your all and reach for the stars.

Elaine Gallagher is an elementary educator and publishes a blog entitled HealthELiving.  Through this she has shared her journey to a healthier lifestyle. I just wanted to thank Elaine for contributing to my guest blogger showcase through February 2019. I keep getting more and more submissions in from amazing bloggers all over the world and I feel honored to share their stories. You can see the blog post I shared on Elaine’s blog here – my Classic Rock Sunday Morning Playlist.