Paleo Cookies make for a "healthy" Christmas

Holiday time means cookie time! 

2017 was a "healthy me" year, so I decided to make "healthy" cookies if there is such a thing. 

The first cookie I made this year was a paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookie. Chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorite, especially right when they come out of the oven and the chocolate is melting everywhere. This cookie had some "healthy" ingredients in it, in substitution of white flour and sugar, but they were still beyond amazing. I highly recommend this recipe. 

Here is the recipe: https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/soft-paleo-chocolate-chunk-cookies-nut-free/

The second was a Coconut Flour Chocolate Crinkle Cookie. They were not very sweet, but they were very chocolatey and still tasted like a dessert. They don't make many so we doubled the recipe right away. 

Here is the recipe: https://blog.paleohacks.com/chocolate-crinkle-cookies/#

For New Year's Day, I wanted an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, so I settled for a grain-free oatmeal-free raisin cookie. Pretty good, even though it's not as good as an oatmeal raisin cookie. It does have a "healthy" taste to it. 

Here is the recipe: https://againstallgrain.com/2013/10/12/grain-free-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/

Happy Holidays!

Solvang - The Sunny Fields

Solvang was such a beautiful town. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful thanksgiving!

We made a lot of paleo, and dairy free meals. 

First, the stuffing. 

 Then we made asparagus wrapped in bacon. 

Here is the final meal: 

Garlic sirloin, green beans with almonds, asparagus wrapped in bacon, and stuffing.

And last but not least, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pies. 

The Duquesne Incline - Pittsburgh

The Duquesne Incline: 

Voted one of the top ten sites in the world for viewing a cityscape by USA Today! 

The view from the ground

The view from the top of the mountain

The view from Vue 412 Restaurant

To read more: http://duquesneincline.org/

Be Lucky to Travel

Be Lucky To Travel 

As I have been travelling, I have realized the absence of travelling in a lot of people's lives. I am talking about travelling as a broad idea, which could include visiting different towns or cities or unique coffee shops in a certain radius.

Traveling has always been simple and easy for me as my family went on vacations and educational trips when I was younger. Spending time in a foreign place wasn't scary or unpleasant. It was a time to be in a different setting with sometimes different people and definitely different cultures, customs, and ways of living. I didn't have a choice to stay home and be aloof, but I wouldn't have turned down the invitation either.

Most of my life I have had the pleasure of travelling without having to pay for exploration, or book accommodations and make arrangements. Through family, work or sponsorship I have flown to other countries, crossed bridges and taken photos in beautiful places.  To be honest, having the ability to travel with minimal headache of bills, restrictions, or schedules has been freeing.

I am currently in a different state from my home town and have been realizing the niceties of living somewhere different for a short while. The people are inevitably different - the roads - the demeanor of strangers - the work load, and the list goes on. One could stay it is a study of humanity to just explore every few years. To explore outside ourselves, to really explore within, because it changes us - the accumulated experiences from these places.

Olympics - Be the best you can be

The Best You Can Be

There is just something about the Olympics that makes you want to be the best you can possibly be. These athletes have trained for years upon years. They have actually bled and sweat to be the best they can be, and be the best in the world. Why don't we try every day to be the best we can be? We become lazy, tired, anxious, and or annoyed, instead of pushing forward and pushing against any resistance we face. We stop doing things because they are hard, or we are tired. We make excuses for not pushing ourselves. We need to realize how important it is to be the best we can be in our jobs, in our friendships and in who we are.

Enjoying work

Enjoy Work

Enjoying work has always seemed to be a struggle for me. I understand work is mostly a necessity and that it provides money to allow us to buy our needs and, also, our wants, but it has never been fun. I have a career, not a job that pays minimum wage, and not a job in an industry I hate. However, work is still work.

You have to stay at work for your shift. You have to behave. You have to do your personal best. You cannot slack off, take a nap, or dress in pajamas. You have to be professional, and that sometimes gets tiring. I realize the best way to enjoy work is to realize how good you have it.

Reading a book that took place at a time when people were eating bread and milk for each meal, and sewing, knitting, and cleaning to pass the day and to get a few cents, has enlightened me on how good I have it. I work in an air conditioned building, with my own room and computer, and have wonderfully friendly coworkers who all are routing for me to succeed. Sometimes you have to realize that having the ability to choose your field and work in it for a good wage is what is important to remember when its Monday at 12 and you have 7 hours of work left.