This post is sponsored by La Crema Winery.

After an incredibly busy past few months, I'm really enjoying a slow holiday season and have been planning a super low-key Christmas at home with my little family. I've always loved the idea of doing something non-traditional for Christmas dinner (my family has been known to do seafood on Christmas Eve), and if you know me at all you know my love for Chinese food knows no bounds.

We could always go super easy and order takeout, but I started thinking it might be fun to make our own as a family, so I put together a simple menu of chicken chow mein, beef and broccoli, and some delicious crispy egg rolls to get the whole thing started. Stop by the La Crema blog today to get the two entree recipes, but keep reading here to learn how to make your own egg rolls! (And don't forget to put a few bottles of La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay in the fridge to top it all off.)

Ingredients: 

• 2 carrots, julienned
• 10 ounces of mushrooms, sliced (I like regular ol' button mushrooms but you could use shiitake)
• About half of a small cabbage, shredded
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1-2 green onions, chopped 
• 1-2 handfuls of fresh bean sprouts (optional)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Spring roll or egg roll wrappers
• Cooking oil (olive or canola), for sautéing veggies and frying the rolls

Instructions: 

1. In a large pan, sauté garlic, ginger, and green onions together in a little oil for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and mushrooms and sauté for another 4-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are browned slightly.
2. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil, stirring well to combine. Add the cabbage and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the cabbage has wilted slightly. Remove the entire mixture from the pan and set aside.
3. To assemble the egg rolls, take a wrapper and lay it down flat. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the veggie mixture onto the wrapper and begin to roll from one side, tucking the edges in as you wrap the roll up. Use a little water on your fingers to seal the whole thing. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
4. Add more oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Fry each egg roll for 1-2 minutes per side, or until the wrappers are golden-brown. Serve immediately with your favorite spicy Asian dipping sauce (there's a spicy peanut one at Trader Joe's that I like) or a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, and hot chili oil. 

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, and delicious holiday this year.

This post is sponsored by La Crema Winery.

For as long as I can remember, my mom has made some of the best holiday cookies--these delicious shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate and dusted with nuts (she always used a half-moon cookie cutter that I absolutely loved as a kid); some walnut balls dusted in powdered sugar; and, last but certainly not least, some simple but oh-so-delicious biscotti.

I'm super excited to be partnering with La Crema Winery again--I shared the recipe for those first two cookies I just mentioned on their blog right here! And you can keep reading for the biscotti:

Mom's Holiday Biscotti

Ingredients:

• Half a stick of butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon anise seeds
• 1 teaspoon anise extract
• 1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together the eggs and sugar. Add melted butter and mix to combine. 
2. Add the sifted flour and baking powder and mix gently to combine--batter will be thick. Add the anise seeds and extract as well as the chopped nuts if you want them. Use your hands to combine batter and pat it into a nice ball of dough.
3. Cover the bowl and transfer to freezer for about half an hour, or until it's less runny and easier to handle.
4. Preheat oven to 350. Roll the dough into two "ropes" the length of the cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, cut diagonally, loosen gently with the spatula, and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with coffee, tea, or a glass of wine--it is the holidays, after all.

Make sure to stop by the La Crema blog today to get the rest of our holiday cookie recipes!

Thank you Dignity Health for sponsoring this post. Enroll in humankindness.

If you've kept up with my blog over the past two years, you know that I have the BRCA2 gene mutation, which means I have an elevated lifetime risk of developing breast, ovarian, and several other cancers. At first, this was a really scary thing to face (especially since my testing came right in the middle of my mom undergoing treatment for her second breast cancer diagnosis), but because of my amazingly supportive family, friends, and healthcare providers; I've been able to monitor the situation with breast exams, blood work, and a yearly MRI--all covered by my health insurance!

It's been a huge blessing and incredibly valuable peace of mind to know that things are fine and that I have a team of doctors keeping an eye on me for as long as I need them to (until I have surgery, which is a choice I made pretty much as soon as I got my test results). You can read more about my BRCA journey so far right here.

Now that we're just a month away from welcoming our daughter into the world and our family, health insurance is on our minds again. Open Enrollment (November 1-December 15) is the time to select the health care benefits you want for the coming year, and this year more than ever we want to make sure we have the benefits we need to stay healthy and happy as new parents with a baby to look after!

Dignity Health asked me to share a few words about Open Enrollment and some of their latest findings--like did you know that 7% of Californians would rather get a root canal than research health insurance plans? 46% said they'd rather do the dishes, 28% would rather deep clean their home, 22% would rather go to the DMV, and 21% would rather have to resolve an issue with customer service. These made me laugh but I totally get it--shopping around for a plan can be really stressful.

On a less silly note, it appears that people prioritize human connection and kindness when they choose their health insurance plans, and I know this is true for me as well--I am always looking for a provider who listens, is engaged, and communicates clearly. I've had great doctors and not-so-great doctors, and I've actually switched from a practice that I was referred to for my genetic mutation surveillance because I didn't feel comfortable there.

On the other hand, I almost switched from a hospital that I really enjoy overall because the OB didn't seem to know who I was or care about any of my pregnancy-related questions--but a little over halfway through my pregnancy I was able to switch to another provider at the same place and I feel 100% better about delivering our daughter there now.  

And finally, another fact for you: More than half of Californians and two-thirds of millennials wish they spent more time on Open Enrollment. 22% of people spend less than an hour making a decision on health insurance, but after Open Enrollment is over, 55% say they definitely or probably wish they had more of an opportunity to make a better-informed decision. So this year, really try to take your time so you can make the best decision for you and/or your family--whatever that may be.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Maternity photos by Virginia Ashley Photography.