Happy Monday my friends! Like everyone else I know, this time of year has me running around like a maniac trying to fit everything in. Thus far I'm taking it all in stride and just tackling each task as I come to it. Though I will say I'm doing my best to bundle up some of those things to knock out multiple goals in one block of time. Which means I am whipping out one of my mega "let's see how many topics I can cover in one sitting" posts today! Grab a cup of something cozy and settle in for a doozy of a read... ![IMG_20191212_100802553_HDR.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/s4a3aIUr-IMG_20191212_100802553_HDR.jpg) Of course Mondays are always boosted by the fabulous @lenasveganliving's weekly #fruitsandveggiesmonday challenge. My pals at @naturalmedicine also have a few fun contests going on that I really wanted to bring something to share. The first is a [partnership](https://steempeak.com/hive-120078/@naturalmedicine/win) with Build-It.io to build or make something that you have never done before. The second is a fun [holiday](https://steempeak.com/hive-120078/@naturalmedicine/6rgmx5-and) one to share a concoction made with your favorite seasonal plant (12 days of Plants-mas perhaps?) or just some information about one or more. Good thing all three of these fun challenges have some great overlap to be able to work them all together. 😉 ![Dates Collage.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/ImVXdnBr-Dates20Collage.jpg) This shouldn't come as a surprise to those who know me well, but the main feature of this post are one of my favorite fruits--Dates! When I was trying to come up with an idea for the Build It challenge, I decided I would use some of my wonderful haul of delicious gems to try to make date sugar at home. I recently got a new batch of two different varieties. The lighter ones above are Halawy and the ones on the right are Black Abbada. I didn't use those for my experiments, but couldn't help but share my new beauties. I still have Golden Zahidi in the freezer from the big order I placed back in August. Those babies last for quite a while, and they came out of the freezer just as good as when they were freshly delivered! ![IMG_20191208_095015982_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/GwOjtJ8j-IMG_20191208_095015982_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg) Date sugar is a great replacement for typical packaged sweeteners because it is much less processed, and the nutrients aren't stripped from the original fruit. After consulting some posts here on the trusty internet, it looked like all you really have to do is dehydrate some dates fully and then grind them up into your sugar. This time of year is a fun time to make some healthier treats to still indulge your sweet tooth without sacrificing your health, so I thought it would be great to have some on hand to use in seasonal baking. Luckily I still have a friend's dehydrator to use to dry out my dates. ![IMG_20191211_133824080.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/UIweWqv1-IMG_20191211_133824080.jpg) After running the dehydrator for a few days, I thought my dates were finally dry enough to grind up. I had read that it could take a while, but I didn't realize just how hard it is to extract all the moisture from them. Well, spoiler alert--I failed to do that. ![IMG_20191211_135754107.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/4dO8p2md-IMG_20191211_135754107.jpg) Despite feeling dry to me, there was still enough moisture in my dates that when I tried to grind them up all I got was a sticky mass of fruit. Now I know why date sugar is so expensive! It was definitely not as easy as I thought to make, though perhaps it was the type of date that I used. Not one to let failure stop me in my tracks, I decided to put my sticky wad of dates to use in my next attempt to join a @naturalmedicine challenge. *** Hold that thought while I jump in with a brief interlude... ![FB_IMG_1576421726263.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/9uw0gKoU-FB_IMG_1576421726263.jpg) Sunday morning I joined in on my last running race for 2019. My good friend and her boyfriend were also doing the race, so we all bundled up for a chilly 5k first thing in the morning. My last race was wet and temperate, but this one was the perfect seasonal brisk weather. Always a bit chilly at the start, but quite nice once you actually get moving. I had great success at my last race after a tough running year, so I was hoping to capitalize on that momentum and finish out the season on a high note! ![IMG_20191215_082301675.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/LDPFEuiC-IMG_20191215_082301675.jpg) My legs did not feel their absolute best and I struggled a little bit to get my usual easy stride going (the work holiday party at the bowling alley the night before might have contributed), but I ran my little tushy off! I knew from the start there were no other ladies ahead of me, so the entire race I just kept pushing as hard as I could to not lose the lead. As I've said before, I always just want to do my best on a given day, but I can't help but have that competitive side come out on occasion to push me to do just that. 😜 ![IMG_20191215_091839630_HDR.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/JxL6cZdm-IMG_20191215_091839630_HDR.jpg) I almost tossed my cookies at the finish line, but by golly I was the first woman to cross the line! As if that wasn't enough abundance on its own, I earned my first monetary reward from racing. $80 worth of gift cards to a local restaurant for brunch. That's a lot of oatmeal! Plus a cute little trophy that my niece thought was fantastic. Even better, my pal was the second lady to finish, just 15 or so seconds behind me, and her boyfriend made top 3 in his age bracket. A successful morning for us all. Which gets me back to my contribution for the holiday challenge. A nice recovery beverage... *** When my date sugar went sideways, my brain kicked into gear and thought a great way to use up my beloved dates would be in a date shake! Dates on their own are great for recovery from athletic endeavors with their natural carbohydrates and magnesium, but they're made even more of a powerhouse when paired with some other everyday super foods I keep in the pantry. ![IMG_20191212_100145793.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/UchyrJmd-IMG_20191212_100145793.jpg) Into the blender went about half of my sticky date mixture (probably about 6-7 dates whole). Along with 1 cup of filtered water, 2 small bananas, a tablespoon of hemp hearts, a little nub each of fresh turmeric and ginger (about half the size of your pinky finger), a quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a good pinch of black pepper. Since it is cold out, I decided to keep the blender going for a few minutes to warm up my shake. So in essence it was almost like a yummy coffee-free latte! ![IMG_20191212_100114924.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/9jMbOt6x-IMG_20191212_100114924.jpg) Ginger and cinnamon are on the list for the 12 plants for Christmas in the NatMed challenge, but all the items in my shake worked together to provide some great nutrients for recovery and helping my body naturally fight the inflammation related to the hard run. The black pepper and healthy fats from the hemp hearts help with the absorption of the circumin from the turmeric. The ginger is always a good bet not only to help with the inflammation, but it is also reported to help with the soreness associated with activity. It added a nice hit of spicy heat to the beverage, as well! ![IMG_20191212_100808512_HDR.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/wIOR5kFQ-IMG_20191212_100808512_HDR.jpg) The banana helped add the sweetness and a creamy texture along with potassium to further assist my recovery. All together it was a delicious treat! A great way to turn a failure into a big WIN in the kitchen. I'll definitely be making this concoction again soon. As someone who works out regularly, anti-inflammatory foods always feature on my meal plan. Even better when it tastes this good. Phew, I might need one of those to recover from this post for sure! I hope you made it to the end with me without needing a refill of your own beverage. Cheers once again to a healthy holiday season and finishing out 2019 on a high note all around! ![IMG_20191212_100725625_HDR.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/plantstoplanks/6idnznfg-IMG_20191212_100725625_HDR.jpg) https://s25.postimg.cc/dqk9unx5b/plantstoplanks.png https://i.imgur.com/hhfES5e.png https://i.imgur.com/cvhhlE1.png Banners by @woman-onthe-wing, @dksart and @bearone for @steemusa

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