Top 10 things I am grateful for right now. Plus, two easy, real food Thanksgiving dinner recipes.

Thankful is defined as “feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.”
We live in a busy and chaotic world where it can be difficult to notice how good we have it. The news is constantly filled with negativity. It is easy to dwell on all the things that are driving us crazy. As I sip on my glass of wine after a busy, chaotic day with my kiddos, I am realizing that I have so much to be thankful for. I am taking a moment right now to write down my top 10 things I am thankful for right now. I challenge you to do the same.

1. I am grateful when my girls argue. Argue with me. Argue with each other. I hope that they continue to know what they want and fight for it.
2. I am grateful for new friendships. Every year I feel like I know myself better and better. I am finding friends who know me for who I am and I just love that.
3. I am grateful for my hubby that works so hard for us. He isn’t home much but when he is, the girls and I love it and we look forward to those times. I am beyond grateful that I get to be home with them, attend the Thanksgiving party at school, be there for preschool pickup and when they wake up for naps.
4. I am grateful that my girls are getting to know their grandparents so well.  I am also grateful that our parents are so willing to watch our kids from time to time and even give us weekends away! Oh yes.
5. I am grateful for the seasons. Anticipation for spring is fun. I love looking forward to change.
6. I am grateful for the people in my life that challenge me. Mentally, physically and spiritually. My kiddos included.
7. I am grateful for the people in my life that believe in me. The people that support BMoore Healthy and believe in what I am doing.
8. I am grateful for our messed up food system and that I have to think about what foods are best for me to eat. I like a good challenge and this sure is one.
9. I am grateful for the holiday season – craziness and all. Deep down I love it and can’t wait to see my girls faces on Christmas morning.
10. I am grateful for finally reaching a point in this motherhood journey where I am LOVING it. My girls are sleeping through the night, I am not nursing anymore (I liked it but let’s be honest, I like having my body back), the postpartum depression has been lifted for awhile, and I am getting my body back. Time for #3? Oh my, I don’t know. In the meantime, I gotta get ready for Thanksgiving dinner and make these two dishes.
Sweet Potato Casserole
This is what I am bringing to Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. I experimented with this recipe last week so my family got an early treat. It was so good so I am sharing with you. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
sweet potato layer
2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (4-5 medium sweet potatoes)
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1/3 cup canned coconut milk
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons pastured butter, melted
crumble
1/2 cup unsalted pecans, chopped (optional) – I can’t include this year with Juliana’s allergies
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut
1 tablespoon gluten free flour (I used teff flour)
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup mini marshmallows (I found marshmallows with real vanilla!)
Directions:
Add sweet potatoes to a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain. While potatoes are cooking, melt butter. Preheat oven to 375F. In a bowl, mix the sweet potatoes, sugar, syrup, spices, salt, vanilla, coconut milk and melted butter. Mix with a hand mixer or about a minute or so. Spread mixture in a baking dish.
Combine oats, flour, pecans, coconut, spices and salt in a bowl and mix to thoroughly combine. Add in softened butter, and use your hands to completely moisten the mixture and clump it together. Sprinkle the crumble around the outside of the dish, leaving room in the center for marshmallows. Add marshmallows to the middle. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crumble is golden and marshmallows are gooey.

Real Food Pumpkin Pie
Yeah, I did. I put quinoa in my pie crust. Did you expect anything else? This pie is really yummy. This recipe has a pretty thick crust so if you would like a thinner crust, you could totally half the crust recipe. I had extra pumpkin filling so I just baked it by itself and it made a yummy pumpkin custard. Yum! If you don’t want to make a crust from scratch, buy a gluten-free prepared crust! Easy and better for you than store bought pumpkin pie. 
Ingredients:
crust
1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or peanuts (I might try someday soon using sunflower seeds)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp real maple syrup
filling
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup real maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place quinoa in a dry blender and grind until it becomes a fine flour. Place in a mixing bowl. Coarsly grind nuts or seeds. Add to the quinoa flour. Add oil, milk and syrup. Mix thoroughly. Press into a 9″ pie plate. Pre-bake for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust and bake until the center is set, 60 to 70 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.