Delia Mota, Registered Holistic Nutritionist

On the 10th day of Christmas...I share with you...10 Old Fashioned Whisky Snowballs! Move over rum balls there's a new recipe in town! I love a good old fashioned cocktail so I thought I would try to re-create the taste of an old fashioned into a chocolate date ball. I used @barchefproject Toasted Old Fashioned cocktail which is whiskey infused with spices and bitters. I also added in some orange zest to give it the complete flavour profile. Ingredients... cup of pecans cup of blanched almond flour 1 cup of soft dates, pitted 1 tbsp of cacao powder 1/3 cup of dairy-free dark chocolate chips 1 tsp of coconut oil 2 -3 tbsp of bourbon or whiskey Zest from 1 orange 2 tbsp of maple syrup 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract Shredded coconut flakes for rolling 1. In a food processor pulse the pecans. Then add in the almond flour, dates, cacao powder. Pulse to combine well. 2. In the microwave add coconut oil and chocolate chips into mug and melt it 30 seconds at a time. Should take about 1 minute. Then add your orange zest, maple syrup, vanilla extract and bourbon and whiskey to the mug and stir well. Pour this mixture into the food processor and pulse until a sticky texture forms. 3. Roll them into bite-sized balls. Place the shredded coconut flakes into a bowl and roll the balls in the flakes. 4. Can store at room temp if you like them soft or in the fridge if you prefer a firmer texture.

On the 9th day of Christmas...I share with you...9 Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms! The perfect appy for the holiday season Here's what you need! 12 full Mushrooms... 4 strips of organic bacon 1 - 2 shallots, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped cup of creamy cashew cheese (I used @zengarry cheese) cup of shredded cheese of choice (reg or vegan) Salt and pepper to taste 1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 2. Clean the mushrooms, remove stems, make sure a decent sized hole is formed. Clean it up using a small spoon. Finely chop the stems and set aside. 3. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet, inside facing up, and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes until the middle fills with liquid. Remove the mushrooms and pour out the liquid. Set aside. 4. While the mushrooms are in the oven, cook your bacon on medium heat until done to your preference and set aside. In the same pan remove the bacon fat but leave a little in the pan, add your shallots and cook on medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Add a bit of olive oil, the garlic and mushroom stems. Season with sea salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until everything is cooked. 5. In a large bowl add the cashew cheese and the shallot mixture. Crumble in the bacon and shredded cheese and stir. Fill your mushrooms with the mixture and bake for another 15 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked and the cheese is melted. Serve warm!

On the 8th day of Christmas...I share with you...8 Paleo Mini Hot Chocolate Cupcakes! These cupcakes are not only healthy but rich, chocolaty and moist while the topping keeps it light and airy using coconut cream and maple syrup. I had some fun and turned them into mini hot chocolates to keep it festive. Ingredients... 3/4 cup of almond flour 1/4 cup of tapioca flour 1 tbsp of coconut flour 1/2 cup of coconut sugar 1/3 cup of cacao powder (sifted) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp of espresso powder 1/8 tsp of fine sea salt 1 egg (room temp) 1/3 cup of full-fat coconut milk 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk 1/8 cup of coconut oil (melted and cooled to room temp) 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar 1 tsp of vanilla extract Topping (optional) or your favourite frosting recipe 1 can of @chasorganics coconut whipping cream 4 tbsp of maple syrup Pretzels to decorate Cinnamon to dust Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray your muffin pan with coconut oil cooking spray. Add the apple cider vinegar to the almond milk and let sit for 10 minutes. Melt your coconut oil and let it cool and take your egg out of the fridge. 2.Combine all the dry ingredients into a bowl. 3. Combine the coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk in egg and almond milk/apple cider mixture. Then add to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. 4. Using a spoon fill your mini muffin tins about 3/4 of the way up. Bake until toothpick runs clean, about 14- 16 minutes. It can have a few crumbs attached because almond flour will firm up once it cools. 5. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Once cool you can transfer to a storage container. 6. To make the whipped topping, whip the coconut cream with an electric beater until fluffy. Add in the maple syrup. Pipe it onto your muffins and dust with cinnamon. Break a piece of pretzel off to make a handle if you want them to look like mini hot chocolates!

On the 6th day of Christmas...I share with you...6 DIY Yarn Trees! These are super easy to make with just a few things. Leave them plain or decorate them with some balls. Here's what you need... Fluffy yarn... Bristol board Glue gun Decorations (optional) 1. Cut your bristol board to make a cone the size you want. Google/Youtube that if you don't know how. 2. Glue the tip of the yarn and just wrap it around the tip. Then wind it down the cone. I glued the yarn at a few points as I worked my way down. 3. Glue some balls or leave plain. That's it! See more

On the 5th day of Christmas...I share with you...5 Golden Rings...gingerbread flavour that is!! These are the Vegan Gingerbread Donuts from @choosingchia. I can't get enough of gingerbread spice, anyone else on team gingerbread?