My mother-in-law was visiting earlier this month and she likes to make fruit bowls every morning along with a green smoothie right after her her morning "blissipline" routine. She's almost 70 and is in much better shape than me! Our children love to watch her do the splits and headstands. When Tom was 10 years old she transitioned the family to a vegan diet with the help of their family doctor at the time, Dr. John McDougall. Tom remained a vegan for about 30 years until last year when he began to eat a small amount of wild fish and pastured meats. My mother-in-law is still predominately vegan with a heavy emphasis on raw plant foods. And you can tell by her glowing skin. You can't beat nature's most perfect food.....plants! These fruit bowls are so packed with disease-preventing, life-enhancing phytochemicals.....your body will thank you.

Every morning she had the kids make a list of what they wanted in their fruit bowls. The boys made large spirals because they can't write letters yet. The girls worked on their lists every day to have ready for her. Then she set each bowl out and filled their orders. Pomegranates, apples, pears, oranges, avocados, cashews, brazil nuts, and chopped fresh ginger (for my oldest ginger-loving daughter). Eating a large bowl of fruit and nuts in the morning is actually quite filling and very energizing.
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This is my healthier take on the traditional Thanksgiving yam casserole recipe. It has a delicious grain-free crumble topping made from ground pecans, a little arrowroot, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and real butter. I think the topping would also work on top of an apple or pear crisp/crumble. It could also be the streusel topping to an apple pie. Lots of ways to use it!

Please read my last post on possible gluten cross-contamination in coconut sugar before making this recipe. I like to use coconut sugar because it is a low-glycemic sweetener, meaning it doesn't cause huge fluctuations in blood sugar. Plus, I can't stand how sweet cane sugar is now if I ever try it, yuck! But I also don't crave sugar. Ever. When I was pregnant I craved raw sauerkraut and ate it daily. Large bowlfuls with quinoa, avocados, and toasted sunflower seeds. That was my first trimester staple! However, if you want to use something other than coconut sugar, you could try maple sugar, brown sugar, or Sucanat.
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