What do Christmas pictures of our home have to do with Health & Nutrition? What does any of it have to do with size 7x underwear?
I’m all about getting into the Christmas season however I can with my blog, and when I came across this blog and her neat idea, I decided to join in, even though part of it is about Christmas decorations, and not food. But everyone who joins in is also adding a recipe…and besides, I know you all want to nose around looking at other’s homes and decorations as much as I do!
START TWEAKING!
So here’s how I thought we could make it more applicable to the Kitchen Kop blog: while you’re checking out the blogs, if you notice other recipes that could be tweaked a bit to make them at least a little healthier or more Weston A. Price friendly, comment below about it! Or add your own that you’ve already tweaked!
MY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
Part of the rules to join this carnival is that you have to post pictures of your own Christmas decorations, so following are some of mine. A little disclaimer, though: these are from last year when we had our bible study friends over. This year we’re not doing any special entertaining, so the decorations aren’t as picture-worthy. (Also, here’s a newer post with pictures from our bible study Christmas potluck at Mike & Lyn’s.)
Here’s our fireplace, bet ya didn’t guess that one…
My sister has a gift for decorating, so I asked her to help me before the dinner. She helped me put together these neat centerpieces. You can’t really tell how neat they looked from this picture. It was a silver round plate, with a white square plate on top. The silver candle has greens and gold beads and berries around it.
OK, this one takes a little explaining. Kent ordered some size 7x whitey tighty underwear for a white elephant gift for a neighborhood party we go to every year. (You don’t want to know what he did to that pair of underwear.) Since they came in a package of two, his twisted brain came up with the idea to hang up the other pair to use as a bathroom hand towel for our dinner party. We couldn’t wait for the first person to go to the bathroom! Keep in mind they’re folded in half in this picture! (I think if you click on the picture, you can see it bigger, but geesh, do you think I forgot to clean my mirror or what?!)
NOW FOR MY CHRISTMAS RECIPES
OK, so I don’t really have any “Christmas” recipes. Instead, browse through these dessert recipes and also some appetizer recipes, we all need more new ideas for Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties. Each one explains how I tweaked the recipe to make it a little bit healthier.
NOW, BE SURE TO JOIN THE CHAT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
1. You could tell us what you thought of the Christmas home tour,
2. As you were looking around at all the homes, you could let us know if you found a recipe that you’d like to “tweak” by making it a bit healthier or more Weston Price-friendly,
3. Or, you could share a favorite Christmas recipe that you have already tweaked to make it a bit healthier!
- Need some Real Food Christmas Gift Ideas?
- MORE Real Food Christmas Gift Ideas!
- Christmas & the Kindness of Strangers
- Best deals on virgin coconut oil, and how to get more in your diet, because it is SO good for you!
- My favorite Kitchen Gadgets
- Our amazing anniversary dinner
- Index of ALL Kitchen Kop recipes posted so far
- Kitchen Kop Guest Interviews
- It’s been almost one year since I began this blog! Read my first post.
- Many more topics along the right in the sidebar
Welcome Boo Mama (that’s the link to see more Christmas home tours), Hooked on Houses & Kimba’s open house readers!
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{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
Julia @ Hooked on Houses 12.14.08 at 7:10 pm
Oh, my gosh, I’m laughing so hard at the whitey tighty underwear hanging in the bathroom. Hilarious!
I’m afraid the cupcake recipe I posted on my blog is not in any way healthy, and I’m not sure how it could be tweaked to make it less, um, unhealthy. I’d love to hear any suggestions y’all have, though!
Thanks for joining my blog party! -Julia
Kelly the Kitchen Kop 12.14.08 at 7:20 pm
Hi Julia,
Thanks for popping over! I'm glad I found your home tour post when reading the comments at Boo Mama.
OK, for your cupcakes, I have a few suggestions for making it a *smidge* less sinful, but it won't change the taste at all – they'll still be just as dreamy:
*You could use organic (or even better: homemade) cake mix & pudding mix
*Replace the oil with melted butter (MUCH better than vegetable oil)
*Instead of cool whip, it's super easy to whip your own cream – and the cream is full of nutrients!
They are so cute and look yummy-licious!
Thanks for hosting the carnival!
Kelly
Domestic Goddess..Diva sometimes 12.14.08 at 8:52 pm
LOL How I would love to do that for my dinner party! lol Hubby will never let me do it! Thanks for the tour!
Jamie Lea 12.14.08 at 10:08 pm
This is too much fun, thanks for having us in your home
I love the mantel and the color in your living room. 
Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas.
Tammy 12.14.08 at 10:17 pm
I’m gonna have to go with EEEEWWWW, over the tighty-whitey hand towel.
However, I like the stockings hung by the chimney with care.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop 12.14.08 at 10:22 pm
Don’t worry, nobody wore them yet! If we had tried, all 6 of us could have fit, though, with room to spare.
Dianne 12.14.08 at 10:30 pm
Your fireplace looks pretty! I think you came up with a new Christmas towel for sure!
Have a Merry one!
Mary Ellen (megardengal) 12.14.08 at 10:33 pm
The 7X shorts and so funny! so glad I came across your blog- I am always looking for Healthy blogs and will be back to really dive in! When I saw the link about Coconut oil that was the clincher- I love the stuff and use it for my face moisterizer even!
blessings
mary
Kelly the Kitchen Kop 12.14.08 at 10:38 pm
How fun having all these new readers stop in! I hope you’ll all subscribe or come back often!
January 7th I’m doing a healthy low-carb carnival (along with “Cheeseslave”) – I need new ideas and thought that would be a good way to get new recipes!
Kelly
Cyndi 12.14.08 at 10:54 pm
Beautiful photos, even if they’re old.
kari and kijsa 12.14.08 at 11:02 pm
This is too funny!! Love the undies shot! Merry Christmas!
kari & kijsa
Dena @ Green Acres 12.15.08 at 3:13 am
Beautiful home and centerpieces! I had to laugh at the underwear, beause we have the same thing only in red lacey womens panties. They are hung on our camper awning each year when we go camping one weekend with several friends. LOL
KarenW 12.15.08 at 5:06 am
I love your white wreath on the blue wall. Beautiful!
Jerri - Simply Sweet Home 12.15.08 at 5:26 am
I like the wreath above your mantle.
Anne 12.15.08 at 6:23 am
The centerpiece was so beautiful! Great job!
Erika 12.15.08 at 6:55 am
When I was a kid, my mom and grandmother used to swap this one gag gift back and forth every year. Growing up I thought they were calling it “The Holy Underwear!” Then when I got older I realized it was actually “The Holey Underwear!” Thanks for bringing back those fun memories!!!
Kim 12.15.08 at 8:16 am
What a fun blog! I’ll be back to read more. Having just moved overseas I’m learning about what’s available and what’s not and am adjusting to a different kind of diet.
And if you think you have a minimalist Christmas look this year, you should see my place
Frugal Finds 12.15.08 at 8:55 am
Very funny about the undies!!!
Susan 12.15.08 at 9:23 am
You know, I think I’ve just about given up on making Christmas treats “healthy”. Last year for instance, I tried subbing lower fat marg. for butter in cookies, and they just weren’t good
This year, I just used the real thing and will (try) to eat less.
Thanks for having me over! Merry Christmas!
Laura B. 12.15.08 at 10:45 am
Hilarious!!
Kelly the Kitchen Kop 12.15.08 at 11:19 am
This is a blast having so many new visitors in one day! I appreciate all the sweet comments.
Susan, leave the butter in the recipes! It's MUCH more nutritious and not the evil food it has been made out to be, check out my posts on fats & oils to learn more.
Thanks for stopping by, everyone!
Kelly
Carrie 12.15.08 at 12:15 pm
awesomeness!!!
Booch 12.15.08 at 1:09 pm
From someone who used the so called “hand towell” I just want to go on record saying it wasn’t really all that funny…okay maybe it was! Merry Christmas everyone — and Kel, you might want to keep on guard at this year’s party.
Carey 12.15.08 at 2:26 pm
I love your mantle and the wreath above it. The underwear is too funny.
Thanks for sharing…
Happy holidays!
Lisa 12.15.08 at 2:33 pm
Hi Kelly,
First let me say I just finished Nina Planck’s book Real Food and LOVED IT! I blogged about it (and you) today. Amazing ladies you both are.
The other thing is actually a question for you. I’m 40 years old and STILL breaking out in acne, BAD! I’ve done everything you can think of and last year was on a 2x daily antibiotic but decided I didn’t want to do that to my body anymore, even if it did help (and it did!).
Any ideas of foods or food combinations that might help? I have a juicer and juice veggies of all kinds except potatoes.(not fruit though) I can’t see that it has done anything except make me feel better.
Any ideas you might have would be greatly appreciated!
Lisa
Keetha 12.15.08 at 3:55 pm
I have TWO walls in my family room that are that EXACT shade of blue, but they never LOOK that shade in pictures. How did you capture it so well???
Oh- – - and I’ve got your 7X undie size beat.
It’s OK – - – I’m OLD as a grandma, might as well DRESS like one.
jill 12.15.08 at 6:53 pm
Thanks for sharing your holiday decorating ideas – even the tidey whiteys! I’ve got some recipes on my blog – definitely the last couple could would benefit some waistlines if they were to be tweaked! *Ü* Merry Christmas!
Jen r. 12.15.08 at 9:13 pm
That cracks me up!
Chris 12.16.08 at 2:28 am
What a sense of humor your husband has, so funny. Loved you decorations.
Hugs,
Chris
Laura Ingalls Gunn 12.16.08 at 4:58 am
I love all of your decorations~they are absolutely adorable.
Make sure you come by and enter my Friday giveaway.
Trisha 12.16.08 at 8:19 am
I love it! You two sound like you have some good fun!! True story; I once saw a person driving with some huge tighty whitey undies hanging from their rear view mirror!! Maybe it was your husband? By the way I love the color of your walls in the first picture!
Kate 12.16.08 at 8:32 am
gorgeous decorations and I love the color of your living room walls.
Merry Christmas!!
Kelly the Kitchen Kop 12.16.08 at 9:50 am
Hey Trisha, ya know, I haven’t seen that other pair for a while…maybe I’ll look in Kent’s truck…? LOL
Either that or he’s got something planned for THIS year’s white elephant party. I don’t want to know!
Kelly
Melissa Wertz 12.16.08 at 10:10 am
Now that is funny! People get mad at me for the size 22 pink drawers I want to bring for my dirty santa gift. Our Church’s Rec center included the fitness instructors/personal trainers with the staff party last year. (We usually get a separate luncheon.) I was told not to bring those pink drawers as a gift, but to make sure it was something nice I would want to take home with me. BUT NO SIZE 22 PINK DRAWERS! Well, there was a couple there … she could have worn them and so could he. The powers that be just did not want me to hurt their feelings. I would not have wanted to either.
That is funny!!!
Kelly the Kitchen Kop 12.16.08 at 11:46 am
Melissa, they have no sense of humor!
Lisa, about your acne – I haven’t researched it a lot, but a couple things come to mind. Try eliminating all carbs for a week and see what happens. (Won’t be easy.) Also, a daily probiotic might help – check my labels along the right and you’ll see a category labeled probiotics. There’s a good one there. Please comment again and let us know if you’ve found what works!
Kelly
Kelly the Kitchen Kop 12.16.08 at 12:27 pm
Lisa,
One more thing came to mind regarding your acne, but since it doesn’t really go with this topic, pop over to my coconut oil post and I’ll add another comment there…
http://www.kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/02/organic-coconut-health-benefits-dieting.html
Thanks, Kelly
honeysuckle 12.16.08 at 10:12 pm
Thanks for sharing your home, even the powder room!
green mom for Jesus 12.17.08 at 10:41 am
I just wanted to say thanks for all your researching, sharing and hardwork on your blog! Even though I rarely leave a comment, I find myself going to different subjects to get info, etc…
How about a virtual cookie swap with healthier cookie recipes for the holidays?
DeeDee 12.17.08 at 6:21 pm
Sorry I do not have any healthy recipes for Christmas! LOL
I would have loved to have seen the face of the first person to go into the bathroom and see the “hand-towel” – Priceless I am sure…
Sweet Blessings,
Merry Christmas!
DeeDee
Kelly the Kitchen Kop 12.17.08 at 6:29 pm
Hi Green Mom/Amy,
Thanks for your sweet comment!
I know I’ve seen a virtual cookie exchange very recently, so I googled, “Mr. Linky blog cookie exchange”, and bingo! If you google that you’ll have more cookie recipes than you know what to do with!
To make them healthier, just use butter instead of any vegetable oils in the recipes, substitute some of the flour for whole grain flour, cut back part of the sugar, use organic ingredients if possible…that’s all I can think of now!
DeeDee, yes, it WAS priceless, she got giggling and couldn’t stop.
Merry Christmas to you, too!
Kelly
Phillips Phamily Mama 12.18.08 at 1:28 pm
Kelly-
Thanks for joining in on the tour. I loved reading all of your holiday suggestions. I’ve been blogging about what I eat for 51 days now, and that’s seemed to do the trick for me. Of course, I’ve got an accountability partner who’s doing a food blog, too. Have a very Merry Christmas!
Susan 12.18.08 at 9:19 pm
My husband loved the undies on the towel rack. I just hope he didn’t get any bright ideas!
totallyscrappy 12.28.08 at 9:30 pm
Thanks for the fun tour! I think I have to wash (and dry) my hands before indulging in some snacks…
KitchenKop 12.07.09 at 3:13 pm
Guess what guys? Kent got these out to take to a neighborhood party on Saturday (we’re getting a lot of mileage out of those skivvies, eh?) and I found out they’re actually size 8x with a 76″ waist – youza.