A Trip to Pavas -- and Costa Rican Independence Day

I haven't had time to write for over a week.  Our plan here in Costa Rica is to settle into daily life and make a go of living here permanently, but since last week we have been acting like tourists on a whirlwind trip.

Last Saturday, September 14th, Bryan and I ventured out of our area for the first time by public transport.  We took a bus into the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose, and then changed buses to go to Pavas.  We were invited to a party hosted by someone Bryan had met through a Yahoo group who wanted to get back into turntables and vinyl records.  So, when Tom and Chris invited us to their home in Pavas to meet other expatriates and some locals, we decided we would brave out on our own and go for it.  

We first caught the 11:00am bus from Santiago de Puriscal into San Jose.  The bus was packed, and Bryan and I couldn't sit together.  We got the last two seats near the back of the bus.  A couple of minutes later, the driver let one final passenger on board.   She was an older lady, and there was no seat.  She had to ride standing, and I felt bad that no one offered her their seat.  Then at the first bus stop, a young hero emerged.  A tall, well-dressed young man offered her his seat.  She gladly took it, and he stood for the next few stops.  After a couple of people got off the bus, he came to the back and sat in a seat next to me.  I smiled as he came closer.  He smiled and nodded to me.  I hope that he realized that I was acknowledging his good deed and wasn't thinking that I was another crazy gringa!

After about 1 1/2 hours on the bus, we arrived in San Jose where we walked a block and caught a bus headed to Pavas.  We had directions of where to stop, but there are no street signs, just landmarks.  We were told to get off the bus at the stop with the blue ICE (pronounced ee-say) building on one corner and the orange bombaro (fire station) on the other corner.  After a while, we began to worry (out loud) whether or not we had missed our stop.  The young Costa Rican (Tico) couple in the seat in front of us turned around and asked us if we spoke Spanish.  We replied, "a little," and had a broken conversation where we found out that we had, indeed, missed our stop.  The young couple was getting off the bus and told us to follow that they would get us headed in the right direction.  I will admit, warning signals were flashing, and I was a little nervous of getting off the bus with complete strangers in the middle of nowhere.  I got a little more nervous as they crossed the street towards a lone black SUV that seemed to be waiting............then they turned the other way to a waiting bus.  They told the bus driver what stop we need to get off at, and he nodded that he would help.  After a few "gracias" and "much gustos" we were on our way.  The bus driver made sure that we got off at the right stop.  Once we saw the correct stop, we were like, "duh -- we should have seen that!" 

We walked the few blocks to the designated home and met our hosts.  We then spent a happy few hours at Tom and Chris' home.  We met several other couples and families and had some pleasant conversations about being new to Costa Rica.  We met a young couple with two children who also live in the Puriscal area.  We are hoping to get together again with them sometime soon.  We left the party a little early so that we could catch a bus back to Puriscal before dark.   On the way back to the bus stop, I had to snap a picture of the mountains looming above the street.  I love it here!

When we returned to Santiago de Puriscal, it was just about 5:45pm, and this was the night before Costa Rican Independance Day!  We walked to the area of the square just as a parade was starting.  There was a drum line and many citizens with lanterns all heading to the square.  I snapped a picture or two and caught a bit of it on video for a memory. 

 Then, because there were no buses back to San Juan de Puriscal, we decided to get dinner.  We decided that pizza was in order and ended up at El Tulin.   We hammed it up for the camera a bit and enjoyed our pizza with the garlicky sauce. 

 Then we took a taxi home to San Juan.  It is amazing how well you can get by with knowing only a bit of Spanish.  As long as you can say where you are going and what you need (as well as 'please' and 'thank you'), I have noticed that the Costa Ricans are happy to help and appreciate that you are trying to learn.

This trip helped to prepare us for the mammoth trip that we took last Tuesday through Friday to visit Bryan's cousin, Kerry, at Cabo Blanco National Reserve.  More on that later!

Pura Vida!

Staying Healthy While Packing for Costa Rica.........

I just found this -- forgot to post it a few weeks ago.  I am thankful that the packing part of this is over, and the adventure has begun.

One of our goals in moving to Costa Rica is to eat healthier.  For us, that means eating locally produced meats, eggs, vegetables and fruits.  So far, that has been easy!  The produce here is amazing, abundant, and affordable.  The meat is really lean and usually grass-fed.  The eggs are fresh.

A few weeks ago, this is how I was feeling while in a flurry of packing, selling and packing some more.  I was also trying to keep us eating healthy while doing this and using up items in the pantry.  Bryan liked this recipe, but decided later that he wasn't a huge fan of the goat cheese.  It was too strong for him.  He would have preferred feta.  Oh well, with recipes, you win some, you lose some. 

Enjoy!





A Few Weeks Ago:




Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato, Artichoke, and Goat Cheese Quiche


My house is a disaster!  It is an explosion of packing boxes, dust, clothing, linens, dishes, electronics.....the list goes on....and on......and on.......You get the picture.  Things are a mess!  BUT the mess is getting smaller.  The Really Important things have been either packed or set aside for packing.  The un-important stuff has been sold or set aside for sale or donation.  Full steam ahead for Costa Rica!

I have been trying to keep up with making healthy meals and snacks while we are packing.  We need energy for all this activity.  This morning, I made a tasty quiche from the things in my refrigerator and pantry that needed to be used!

Behold!  Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato, Artichoke, and Goat Cheese Quiche:

Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato, Artichoke, and Goat Cheese Quiche

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 (10 ounce?) jar of marinated artichoke hearts -- drained and rinsed
10-12 ounces of fresh baby spinach
1 ounce of sun-dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
2 strips crumbled crispy bacon
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese  (feta would work, too if goat cheese it too strong for your senses!)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease a 9 inch deep dish glass pie plate
In a food processor add all ingredients except goat cheese and process.  Pour into baking dish.  Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.  Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.   Enjoy hot or cooled.

This "Gringo's" Morning

Officially a week in Costa Rica.....and some of our household items will be here this afternoon!

Bryan left around 7am to go to Cartago to pick up our shipment.  We don't know what is going to arrive.  Only two out of five pallets shipped on this container.  We keep joking that it will only have parts of what we need....half the bed, half the shelving unit...and the rest will be junk like Christmas ornaments!  But we are hoping that some of the important things will arrive.  While Bryan is going to the warehouse, I am cleaning up the cabina.  I have been diligent about keeping the kitchen and rooms tidy, the floors swept, and the laundry done, but today I need to do a good thorough cleaning. 

We woke up a little after 5am with the sun and the birds.  After a little snuggling in to listen to the morning sounds and a little chat together, we got up to get the day started.

 It is a beautiful morning.

But this "gringo's" morning is going to be busy!

Bryan heads for the shower while I strip the bed -- time to wash bedding.  I get the water started in the "Tico" washing machine.  While the tub is filling, I start chopping vegetables for breakfast.  This laundry machine does the job, but it is far from automatic.

Once the tub on the left is filled with your water, detergent, and dirty laundry, you start the "lavado" cycle on the washer.  It is a timer on a dial that makes the machine agitate the laundry.  Once that is done, you open the drain and wait while the water drains from the tub.  Then you transfer the soapy laundry to the right tub to spin the soapy water out of it.  Depending on the size of your load, this may take two or three different spin cycles because the spinner tub is a lot smaller than the washing tub.  After spinning the clothes, you put them back in the washing side and fill it with clean water to rinse.  The process starts again --- agitate, transfer, spin.  Finally, it is done!  

This morning, while the first cycle was going, I finished making breakfast, washed the dishes (by hand in cold water -- that is a story for another time), and kissed Bryan goodbye.

Time to hang the laundry out to dry!

 Now, I know that I should get to cleaning.  I really need to sweep and mop the whole cabina and give it a good scrubbing.

But the horses just outside my door are distracting me.  I need to go give them a treat and a good scratch.

After that small distraction -- it is time to blog a little! 

Hope you enjoyed this gringo's morning tale.....now I need to get off my rear and get this cabina cleaned.  Bryan will be back with 1/3 of our stuff soon!

Pura Vida!

 

The Reality of It..........

.........It really hasn't sunk in completely.  I have been here since Thursday afternoon last week -- seven whole days -- but it still doesn't seem real. 

Costa Rica has charmed me, scared me, and delighted me during the last seven days.

When I first walked into the kitchen of the little 'cabina' by the lake, I burst into tears.  It was just that beautiful.

The view changes constantly.  This is the rainy season.  The mornings have been clear and sunny and bright.  Then, each afternoon like clockwork, the fog rolls in from the ridge across from us, and in a few minutes there is a rainstorm.  Sometimes it lasts only a few minutes.  Sometimes it lasts the rest of the day and evening.  Sometimes just an hour or so.  The rain comes in and cleans up everything and cools down the air.  I love it. 

The farm is wonderful.  Full of life and charm.  The horses roam by several times a day in their search for green grass to nibble.  I think they stop by for a treat and out of curiosity to see who the new residents are. 

There are a few cats that stay at the main house, and there are four dogs that roam the property.  Tarzan is a large dog that appears to be a shepherd mix of some sort.  He stops by most often looking for some attention and a treat.  I often find him on my front porch napping and keeping watch over me.  The other three, Benji, Mama-sita, and Little Sister also stop by a lot, too.

The owners of the farm, Finca Las Alturas, Bob and Patsy, have lived in Costa Rica for 12 years.  They live at the main house which also doubles for a bed and breakfast.  They grow coffee and citrus here.  All of it is delicious!  Bob and Patsy have been so kind.  Patsy took me grocery shopping in Santiago de Puriscal on my first day here and showed me around the town.  They have taken us to several events to get to know people of the small village  -- San Juan de Puriscal -- and other expatriates.  Bryan and I have become the new 'gringos' in the village.  In Costa Rica, that is not a derogatory word, so I am wearing the term gladly. 

We have had a few adventures, and I am trying to settle into a country where everything grows really big.  We went to the local farmer's market on Saturday morning.  Bryan and I roamed through the different vendors before choosing our produce, cheese, and meats for the following few days.  Everyone was so friendly, and I wanted to buy everything -- it looked so good!

Sunday evening, we went out for dinner at a local 'soda' and had a sampling of Costa Rican cuisine.  I had a sampling of chicken, beef, and fish, and Bryan had a chicken 'casada' -- which means marriage.  It was roasted chicken with rice, beans, and vegetables.  All of it was very good!

After dinner, we returned to our cabina pretty late.  It was fully dark and had been raining.  Bryan was carrying a foam mattress pad that Bob and Patsy had given us to help make the bed more comfortable.  I unlocked the door and stepped inside -- and then I saw it!  The BIGGEST spider I have ever seen just a couple feet inside the door.   I jumped away further inside the kitchen saying, "BIG SPIDER!" to Bryan.  I shined the flashlight on it and asked him if he could get it.  Let me just tell you that I love this man.  Even disoriented and carrying a bulky mattress topper, he was able to get the spider and toss it outside.  Needless to say, I was a little freaked out.....okay....a LOT freaked out after that.  I said earlier that I was adjusting to how large things grow here.  Bryan swept the rest of the house, but I had a hard time sleeping that night.

 The next day, Bob and Patsy asked what it looked like, and confirmed that it was probably a tarantula.....and a small one at that!  Oh Boy!  This IS going to take some getting used to, but I am determined to overcome my fears.   Bob brought by some spray for around the house to deter them.  The next night, my heroes, Tarzan and Benji slept right in front of the door -- almost like they were on spider watch for me -- and made me feel much safer.  Needless to say, I have been giving out treats to dogs that keep me feeling safe!

Tuesday was a very busy day.  Bryan and I have adjusted to Costa Rican  time -- You rise with the sun and birds sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 am.  During rainy season, you try to get in all of your chores and business before noon and the rain comes.  I rose a little after 5:00am and made breakfast.  While Bryan cleaned up the dishes, I started laundry.  Laundry isn't simple here, but it is fun.  The washing machine isn't automatic.  It agitates and spins the clothes for you, but you are involved every step of the way....filling it with water, draining it, moving clothes back and forth between agitator and spinner.  Then you hang it out on the line to dry.....and you watch for the rain clouds!! 

Tuesday, I got the laundry on the line and headed of for my first Yoga class at the main house just before 8:30am.  That was wonderful!  I felt very limber afterwards.  Bryan came up to meet me after yoga to go into town.  We had originally planned to walk to the bus stop about 10 minutes away and take a bus into Santiago, but my yoga instructor was heading there and gave us a ride.  This is one thing I have noticed many times since I have been here.  People offer rides to everyone.  If you have room in your car and you see someone walking, you give them a lift!  For Bryan and I, this was our first venture into town alone. 

Once we were dropped off in the middle of Santiago, we had about an hour and forty-five minutes to walk around, complete our errands, and catch the bus back to San Juan before the rains.  We walked around the town.  Bigger cities all have a park, a church, a sports field, and schools.  We took a stroll in the park. 

Santiago de Puriscal's church was damaged by an earthquake in the 1990's.  A new one has been built but the old one is still standing, a crumbling beauty.  On one ride into town, it was surrounded by a mist -- so beautiful! 

We finished our errands -- which included stopping into a grocery store, a meat market, and a fish market.  With our bags, we headed to the bus stop.  For 740 Colones (about $1.45) we rode the bus back to our village of San Juan de Puriscal.  We walked the 10 minutes home and arrived just as the first raindrops of the afternoon storm were starting to fall.  All done before 12:30pm.  But our day wasn't done. 

On Tuesdays, a local produce vendor stops at the Finca and delivers whatever produce you want from his truck.  Around 2:00pm, in the pouring rain, Alonz arrived at our cabin door with a clipboard.  He went through his list of what he had with us.....getting by shakily because he speaks little English, and we speak little Spanish!  We placed our order, he went back to the truck to get it, and within a few minutes we had our fresh produce and eggs -- all for less than $12. 

Let's see -- 21 farm fresh eggs (that don't need refrigeration!), a Papaya, 3 tomatoes, 3 Plantains (platanos), 3 avocados, 3 sweet peppers (chiles), 1 bunch broccoli, 4 chayote squash, 2 beets, 1 cucumber, and 1 carrot.  Time for a rain nap!

I am loving the fact that fresh produce is so affordable and easily available here.  If I go to the farmer's market on Saturday and receive produce from Alonz on Tuesdays, I can always have fresh produce for my meals.  I hadn't had fresh beets since I was a kid, but last night, they were wonderful!

All -in-all, my first week here has been about settling in to a new routine.   Things are less convenient than in the USA, but the beauty of this place, the friendliness of the people, and the life we can have here are making convenience a low priority. 

Pura Vida!

Coconut Flour Dark Chocolate Fudgy Brownies

Bryan and I are in the middle of packing up our house for our Great Adventure!

I haven't mentioned here, yet, that we are moving to Costa Rica.  We are moving to a beautiful place in the mountains of Santiago de Puriscal, Costa Rica.  We are renting a small house on a coffee farm that also has a bed and breakfast.  I can't wait to get started living a more simple life, growing my own vegetables, and making yummy things from my own garden!  Our plane tickets are for September 5th, so we are in a frenzy of packing, selling, and giving away everything we own. 

We may be frantically working, but I am still making time to make healthy meals and a few healthy goodies.  Last night I tried a recipe that was posted by Ditch The Wheat that I found on Pinterest.  The recipe was naturally almost low-carb, so I only had to make a couple of changes.  I switched 3/4 cup honey for just under 1 cup of Swerve and added 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to make up for the liquid.  I topped them with pecans, and they were really yummy!

Mmmmmmmm..........chocolatey goodness to help me get back to work!

Coconut Flour Dark Chocolate Fudgy Brownies  (Thank you -- Ditch the Wheat!)

Made Low-Carb:

Ingredients

-1 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder  (do not use Dutch processed -- it will not bake properly)

-1/2 cup + 2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

-1 cup Swerve 

-1 tbsp heavy cream

-3 eggs

-1/4 cup coconut flour

-1/4 tsp sea salt

-1 tsp vanilla extract

 -handful of pecan pieces (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch by 8 inch glass square baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Using a mixing machine add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth.
3. Spread the batter all over the baking dish. Top with pecan pieces.
4. Bake for 20 minutes and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. You want the middle to be moist and slightly under cooked. (My oven is slow -- I had to bake for 25 minutes)
5. Once cooled cut into 16 squares. 

Low Carb Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Raspberries

Tonight I became a little more ambitious with my baking.  I found a lovely recipe posted on Facebook from Healy Real Food Vegetarian and since I had all of the ingredients on hand, I modified it a little for Low-Carb.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up from Bryan, so I guess this one goes into rotation!

This is how I made it Low-Carb:

Low-Carb/Grain Free Chocolate Cake

1/2 Cup Almond Flour
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour
1/2 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Swerve granulated
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 - (up to1/3) cup heavy cream
3 large eggs -- separated
1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil to grease pan (I used coconut oil)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
2.  In one large bowl, combine all ingredients except the 3 egg whites.  The mixture will be very thick, and you may need to add a little more cream to make it stir-able.  (Or put it in a food processor)
3.  In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
4.  Gently fold in the egg whites to incorporate into the rest of the batter.
5.  Bake 20-25 minutes -- when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, it is done.  Let it cool before frosting.


Cream Cheese Frosting

3 ounces cream cheese  -- softened/room temperature
3 Tablespoons butter -- softened/room temperature
1/3 cup Swerve confectioners
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy.

I garnished my cake with raspberries -- lovely and yummy.

My first attempt at Rhubarb Muffins (with coconut flour) -- Low Carb/Gluten Free

When I was a kid growing up in Michigan, we had a patch of rhubarb that grew behind the shed every year.  Each spring/summer we would have an endless supply of fresh rhubarb.  I love rhubarb.  I remember eating it raw with a sprinkle of sugar.  We made rhubarb sauce -- boiling it down like applesauce with sugar.  We made rhubarb pie.  My favorite was mom's recipe for rhubarb cake.  It had a lot of steps that included sour milk (milk with lemon juice added to it.) and sifting a lot of dry ingredients together, but it was delicious.  Always moist and gooey and tart.  A perfect assault on the taste buds!  Oh how I miss those days!  Rhubarb is expensive in South Florida, but a few days ago, there was a nice package at the local grocery, and I bought some.  Now, what to do with it?

I will admit, I am not much of a baker.  I am a cook.  I like to add a little bit of whatever strikes my fancy to whatever I am stirring up in a pan or pot.  Baking is more scientific.  If you add more liquid or less eggs or baking soda instead of baking powder, you can end up with a horrific mess.  Also, If I want a sweet treat, it still has to be sugar-free and low carb!  No way am I sacrificing my loss of 145 pounds -- even for mom's rhubarb cake!  So, I had to figure out a way to make a yummy rhubarb treat, keep some portion control, and make it low carb.

I decided to use coconut flour.  Since rhubarb releases a lot of liquid, and coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, I thought it might be a good combination. 

The end result?  Rhubarb muffins were yummy fresh out of the oven and slathered in butter.  Bryan went back for seconds immediately (Okay, and I had him get me another one, too!), so I know they were at least okay.  But were they mom's-rhubarb-cake-good?  Definitely not!  I will keep trying though.

My first attempt at Rhubarb Muffins:

Rhubarb Muffins  -- Made with Coconut Flour

Made 13 muffins/mini loaves

Ingredients:

Rhubarb mixture:
2 cups finely diced rhubarb
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tblsp Sweetner  (I use Swerve)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (next time I will use 1 teaspoon for more cinnamon flavor!)

Dry ingredients:
1 Cup Coconut flour
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup powdered sweetner (I use Swerve Confectioners)

Wet ingredients:
9 Eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup half n half
1/3 cup honey substitute ( I use Nature's Hollow Xylitol honey - you can use any sweetner to taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Butter your muffin tins  -- these things stick!  They will stick to muffin papers, too
3. In one bowl, combine rhubarb, lemon juice, 2 tblsp Swerve, ground ginger and cinnamon.
4. Set the rhubarb aside.  I did this when I set out the eggs to get to room temperature.  It allows the rhubarb to soften a bit and soak up the lemon and sweetner.
5.  In another bowl, either sift or wisk together the dry ingredients.
6.  In a third, large bowl, beat the eggs and then mix in the other wet ingredients.
7.  Combine the dry and wet ingredients in the larger bowl.  When almost completely combined, stir in the rhubarb mixture.
8.  Let it sit for a minute to absorb.
9.  Using a 1/3 cup measure (or ice cream scoop!), measure out the batter into the muffin tin.
10.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18-25 minutes.  When a toothpick comes out clean, they are done.

Slather them with butter and serve!


While he was cramming his second muffin slathered in butter in his mouth, Bryan made the comment that this was more like cake with rhubarb pieces than a rhubarb cake.  I think next time I try this, I will puree and cook down the rhubarb (and cool it before adding it) to get it to incorporate better into the batter.  Maybe I can get it to caramelize a little bit....hmmmmmm....



Get Nature's Hollow Sugar-Free Honey here -- Make sure to watch the video on the homepage first to get a promo code discount!

Get Swerve Here!

I lost an entire person, but I am looking for pizza.

I have always been overweight.  Always.  I don't remember a time that I wasn't teased or made to feel horrible about myself and my body because I am fat.  Someday, I might delve into the emotions of this, but for now.....an overview.

When Bryan met me in 1998, I weighed about 320 pounds.  The fact that he loved me and found me beautiful then is enough to secure my love and devotion for always.  Before the wedding, I lost 70 pounds!  That did not last.  We were both fat and happy.  We thought about losing weight.  We might even "be good" and lose 20 or 30 pounds, but eventually we would both be feeling weak at the same time and go have Thai food.  Or some other yummy verboten thing.

By December 2010, I weighed 328 pounds.  I was toying with making another New Year's Resolution to finally lose the weight, but I wasn't sincere.  Then I went to a Christmas party.

And then I saw pictures from the party.

And I was horrified.  That awful picture from the side.  People really saw that when they looked at me?  Mortified doesn't even come close to how I felt.

Something had to be done.

I had to get serious.

That New Year's Resolution?  It was happening.  This time, it was for keeps.  I couldn't live this way any more.  

January 2, 2011

328 pounds

Size 28W (4X)

I would like to say that this has been easy.  I would also like to say that I have stayed strong and had incredible will-power.  I would like to sell you some premium swampland in Florida.......

For the first year, I followed a low-carb plan.  By December 9th, I looked like this:

December 9, 2011

275 pounds
Size 20W (2X/3X)

Then I found Omnitrition Omni Drops.

And I lost an Entire Person.

 March 2013

198 pounds

Size 14 (XL)

I still have a ways to go.  I would like to be at a weight within the "normal" BMI range.  I am looking to lose another 50 pounds.  

So, what do I eat?  Well, when I am not on a round of Omni Drops, I eat low-carb.

Low-Carb is usually very satisfying food.  I have learned to make some yummy, healthy things.

BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST WANT PIZZA!

Which brings me to today's experiment.

Pinterest has sucked me into the vortex.  I am a recipe pinning fool.

One of the best Low-Carb sites I have found is Your Lighter Side.  A few weeks ago, I pinned their Stuffed Crust Pizza recipe.  Today I tried it.

Recipe is here:  http://yourlighterside.com/2012/05/gluten-free-stuffed-pizza/

I followed the directions, and it came out of the oven looking beautiful:

I was really hoping that it would be crispy crusted like the blog promised.  It smells wonderful and looks wonderful.....

 ...........but in the end, it was a bit disappointing.  I baked this longer and at a higher temperature, but it did not become crispy crusted.  It was yummy.  It took care of the craving.  But it was not pizza. 

Oh, well.  I can live with yummy goo.  The search for the perfect low-carb pizza continues.

Let's Get This Started..........

Embarrassing fact number one for this former English teacher:  I have never kept a diary.

There.  I said it. 

The closest thing to keeping up a remembrance of my life has been random Facebook postings and pictures for the last couple of years.  As 40 is fast approaching, I have started thinking that maybe I would like to change that.  But what would I talk about?  I have always considered my life pretty average, normal, unexciting.  Sure, there has been fun, love, laughter, tears, and adventure, but I never considered it worthy of commemoration. 

I still don't.

But there are some things that I would like to remember. 

The visit from friends or relatives.  The weight I have worked so hard to lose.  The fun things my crazy, sweet, wonderful husband does and says.  The yummy low carb food I like to make..........like that awesome batch of no-bake cookies that I made tonight.  Okay -- not quite cookies.  I put them in a pan and cut them up as I want them, but they are still awesome!

Low Carb No-Bake "Cookies"

1 stick butter
1/2 cup Almond Milk (Or Coconut Milk, or Half N Half)
2 Cups Swerve Sweetner
1/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all natural (no sugar added) almond butter
1 12 ounce bag of Bob's Red Mill unsweetened shredded coconut
2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 to 1 cup of blanched almonds -- whole or slivered.

Cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a glass pan

In a medium saucepan over medium to medium high heat, melt butter and add the milk, sweetner, cocoa powder, and salt.  Stir until smooth and continue stirring and scraping down sides until the mixture comes to a full boil.  Boil for exactly 1 minute.  Remove from heat and quickly stir in the almond butter, coconut, vanilla and almonds.  Stir until combined. Work quickly!

Either drop cookies onto parchment paper by the spoonful (They should set up in about 15 minutes) or pour mixture into a pan and spread it evenly.  I use the pan and then pop it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.  Then, I slice wedges for a fudgy brownie experience.

So there.  I started my blog about my life -- my great adventure.  Is this a bad sign that it starts with chocolate cookies?