Just in case you are curious: 1 batch yields 25 cookies, 87 calories each (according to the scaled ingredients that I used).

I also made another batch of peanut butter cookies for comparison.  They were so gross, I am not even going to share the link.  Before Kevin and I bit into them, I forewarned him that they were supposed to be ‘healthy’ and that he could spit them out if they were bad and not hurt my feelings.  We both tasted the cookie at the same time and proceeded to spit them out immediately.  Ha ha!

I also played with a new cookbook this weekend that I received for Christmas.

(source)

I do not live a vegan lifestyle or eat a vegan diet, but I have to say this book is incredible!  I made a batch of “Super-Charge Me! Cookies” and “Hemp-anola” (modified based on my pantry ingredients).  Both recipes turned out wonderful.  Even Kevin liked the cookies, although he did say that he prefers cookies that do not contain oats.  His comment is, “Cookies are not supposed to be healthy.  They are cookies!”.  Very true, especially after our incident above.

Dreena Burton’s vegan cookies contained the perfect level of sweetness.  My version included dried cherries, raisins, and dark chocolate.  Yum!

The “Hemp-anola” turned out delicious too, even though there was not a bit of hemp in the batch I made.  I also renamed this granola based on the recipient that it’s being sent to.

“I Hate Oatmeal” Granola

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup oat bran

1 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sorghum syrup

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup dried dates, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

Method of Prep

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients, except for fruit.  In a small bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until evenly coated.  Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so to prevent burning and to ensure even browning.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.  Add dried fruit and stir to break up large chunks of granola, if desired.

I have no idea how many servings this makes, but the batch is HUGE! Just fyi.

Kevin & I have been using the Vitamix non stop.  Since I am still unemployed actively trying to find a job, I wake up with him in the mornings and make him breakfast and coffee.  Green smoothies have now been added to his breakfast equation.  I send him out the door with his lunch and coffee in one hand and a smoothie to go in the other.   I know he doesn’t care, but I like knowing that he has had a whole serving of fruit and a vegetable before lunch time rolls around!

I have also been enjoying a delicious chocolate concoction in the afternoons.

It consists of 1 frozen banana, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 tablespoons of dutch process cocoa powder, and a handful of ice cubes.  No greens, but my lunch is usually so heavy on the greens that I skip them in my snack.

Lastly, just a couple of Lily pics.

When she isn’t playing she is doing this.

Updates:

I completed my internship for Johnson & Wales.

I finished all of the requirements for my bachelors of science and graduated!!

I am in the process of completing my applications for spring match dietetic internships.  Gosh it is confusing and overwhelming!

I need to find a job.  I need to find a job.  I need to find a job.

We have a puppy.  Her name is Lily and she is a purebred Chihuahua.

I visited a new allergist before Christmas to get a ‘second opinion’ about my corn allergy.  Another skin test later and the result was NEGATIVE!  He then sent me for blood work to be 100% certain.  Blood work came back this past week: NEGATIVE.  I then had to actually eat corn as a ‘challenge’.  ZERO side effects!  The new allergist thinks that either the last doctor read my last skin test incorrectly or I was indeed allergic and by eliminating it from my diet for 6+ months that I can now ingest it again.  His diagnosis is to continue to carry my epi-pen and not to go overboard on eating corn.

I received a Vitamix for Christmas.  It is now my most used kitchen appliance.

Diane, these pictures are for you!

Thank you Linda & Rich!

Just for you, Diane.

I’m drinking quite a few of these lately.  It’s a PB & J Smoothie.

It contains:

frozen bananas & raspberries

almond milk

maca powder

peanut butter powder

brown rice protein powder

I’m also enjoying decaf pumpkin spice lattes lately.  Did you know Starbucks will make your drink with almond milk as long as they don’t have to steam it?

It has been almost two months since I was diagnosed with an allergy to corn.  I have had to make many adjustments to my eating habits.  You would not believe some of the foods that corn is found in and what kinds of ingredients are actually derived from corn.  Did you know that maltodextrin, unless otherwise stated, is derived from corn?  How about baking powder?  Unless otherwise listed on a package of brownie mix or in muffins, baking powder contains cornstarch.  Ever heard of dextrose?  Most of the time it is added to products to preserve freshness.  It is mainly derived from corn.  Other ingredients that I have found to be derived from corn also include glucose, invert sugar, distilled white vinegar, xanthan gum (not always), and many more.

Let me re-visit one of these ingredients: distilled white vinegar.  Why do you have to be in so many things, but most importantly, KETCHUP?!  I officially make my own ketchup because I still need to dunk my kale!

Another thing that is pretty tricky is, unlike wheat, soy, milk, and tree nuts, corn is not typically listed on a package for a quick allergy reference.  Do you ever notice at the end of some ingredient statement you can find the phrase, “CONTAINS: milk”, for example?  I have yet to find one that says, “CONTAINS: corn”.  One thing I learned about food labeling laws last year when I went back to school was, food manufacturers are not required to give the allergy information on a package.  They must list the ingredients and any sub ingredients, like baking powder, but they do not have to list the allergens. Most manufacturers just do this to be nice.

Needless to say, grocery shopping has become a bit more challenging.  When a source is not listed for an ingredient (like dextrose), I typically use my best judgment in determining whether or not to buy the item.  My way of eating has become less and less processed.  If I want bread, I either make it myself or purchase one kind that, I know for a fact, does not contain corn.  Last night I made soft tacos for dinner.  I had two choices: make my own soft shells (store bought contain cornstarch) or have a taco salad.  I ended up with the salad out of laziness of not wanting to make my own shells.

So what do I miss? More than anything I want to eat a big bowl of popcorn while watching a movie, with my second craving being for warm tortilla chips and guacamole from Taco Boy.

What do I eat?  I eat a ton of fresh fruits and veggies plus many frozen kinds as well.  I still get to enjoy oatmeal or eggs for breakfast (no biscuits from Hominy though).  Most cereals contain some kind of corn too.  Many dairy items are still fine to eat, like good cheese and Greek yogurt.  Forget flavored yogurt.  Most contain cornstarch.   Luckily I am not allergic to any seafood so I have been enjoying as much as possible! J  I will choose shrimp over bread any day.  That is, unless it’s my Baba’s bread.  All bets are off then!

If you had to choose to cut one food item out of your diet, what would it be?

I drizzled mine with real maple syrup and a few different kinds of nut butters (TJ’s raw crunchy, roasted crunchy, and roasted flax crunchy).  After I took the picture, I sprinkled cinnamon all over the top.  It was delicious!

So today is Friday.  It should have come by now but it hasn’t.  I am on day 12 of the 7-10 day window.  I can’t say that I am not surprised.  Why would it come with the help of medicine if it didn’t come on its own in the past?  I feel let down.  It is like after Christmas.  You know, when the rush is over?  You have prepared for weeks, celebrated, and now it’s back to reality.  What do I look forward to next?  What happens next?

For the past month I have:

• Tried to decrease my stress levels
• Eat a balanced, healthy diet, paying more attention to my eats than ever before
• Bi-weekly acupuncture treatments– LOVE LOVE!!
• Herbal remedies and supplements (Evening primrose oil, maca powder, raspberry leaf tea, etc)
• Chiropractic adjustments & massage
• Balance my exercise routine: Body Pump 3x, Kickboxing 2x week (this is a decrease from my routine when I lived in Denver)

I realize that holistic remedies take more time.  I get that and am not looking for a miracle overnight. However, what about the Prometrium? Why didn’t it work?  I feel like I am at the point where my ob/gyn has no clue what’s going on.  I know it’s only a matter of time before she refers me to a specialist.  I am terrified of the unknown and pray every day that my body just starts working again.

I am going on 5 years without a normal menstrual cycle, except for two short bleeds within the last year and a half. That alone is enough to drive any woman crazy.  Except, you know what?  When other women find out about my lack of cycle, they immediately say something along the lines of “that’s awesome, I wish mine were like that!”  Um, no.  Trust me you don’t!  Is it convenient?  Sure.  Is it healthy?  Nope!

This past spring, I thought that once I was moved back to Charleston and our lives returned to somewhat “normal” again, that my body would return to normal.  I finally feel healthier than I have in my whole life, but for some reason my body does not agree.

First comes love –> living together –> buy a house –> marriage –> enjoy our marriage –> ____________.

This past year has been the fastest year of my life and it appears to be getting faster.  If you had asked me last year what I would be doing today I would have never imagined that I would be back in the south.

Over the past year I have completed all of the requirements (minus the internship) in order to graduate with a bachelors of science in culinary nutrition, we have sold 1 house, I lived away from Kevin, we moved 5 times, drove across the country (twice), I came home to my <3, and we purchased our second home.  We are now ready to start the next chapter of our lives, whatever that may be.

It feels like August was gone in the blink of an eye.  Rather than paragraph form, here is the list of accomplishments for August:

* Found the internship that I needed for JWU requirements

* Took the GRE (no scores yet!)

* Finally feel ‘moved in’ to our home

* Started acupuncture—more on this later.

Although this list may not appear to be a big deal to you, it is a huge deal to me.  Each one of these items took a lot of time to prepare and research for, all while working two jobs and finishing up summer classes.

Now it is mid-September already and I have started another list of goals and to-do’s.  School to-dos include my fall internship and all projects that come with it, and preparing my application for a dietetic internship for 2012.  Both sound pretty basic, but from anyone who has ever gone through the process or is going through the process, you know how much work is actually involved!

Have I lost you yet?  Most of this is for my own accountability right now anyway.  I mean, do you really care about my internship or fall goals?  What are yours?

We also have quite a few personal events coming up this year.  In October, we are going to NYC to watch Kevin’s dad play the banjo at Carnegie Hall.  Mid-October, Keith plans to move to Charleston from NYC.  In November, I will be about half way through my fall internship and preparing for the holidays.  Then, around the beginning of December, we are going to Florida to celebrate Kevin’s grandpas 90^th birthday!

The two things that I am very excited for this coming winter are celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas in OUR house, together with family.  Most likely it will just be us for Thanksgiving (and Keith) and friends.  For Christmas, my parents and both of my sisters will be here.  I can’t wait!

Meanwhile, we are both working away on this end.  It has actually taken me about two weeks to write this one post, which brings me to my next topic.  In regards to writing blog posts, I am going to start writing them like journal entries.  Not to say that I won’t throw a recipe in, here and there, but more of a journal for myself.  I have been writing posts as if they need to be formal, always have pictures, or share a recipe. Frankly, sometimes I just want to sit down to write about my day, the week, or vent about how my body is just not cooperating with me.  I get so caught up in trying to write what I think I should instead of what I want to!

So if I babble on (much like this whole post) and abruptly bring my post to an end, it won’t be because I planned it that way, but rather because I have nothing left to say.

A major congratulations to Erica and Josh as they welcomed baby Kaylin this past week. 

I started off this morning bright and early with a trip to Body Pump.  While it sucks to crawl out of bed at 5:15, while Kevin is still sleeping, the feeling I have when I walk out of the gym at 7 is worth it!

I had another doctors appointment this week.  Keep them coming, right?  Well this trip was to the allergy doctor to get allergy tested.  I have been putting this off for a couple of years now and decided that it was finally time.  Might as well just add it to all of the other doctors visits to make this a summer to remember.

After two hours of waiting, being stuck all over my back a gazillion times with possible allergens (and re-stuck to ‘be sure’), accompanied by the feeling of FIRE and itching as I started to react to the different sites, I found out that I am allergic to just about every kind of grass known.  Mold, pollen, ragweed, and dust mites also make the list.  Pretty much the doctor told me that from about April through October, I need to be on allergy medications to help combat the usual symptoms that a lot of people suffer from.

Honestly, I knew going into the allergy test that I was probably allergic to these things, since I have had to rely on Claritin-D during allergy season since I can remember.  But the one thing I was not expecting to be allergic to?  Wait for it…

CORN!

I was re-tested twice and both times results came back positive for a corn allergy.  Are you kidding me?  How can I be allergic to corn?  Do you know how hard it is to avoid corn?  Not to mention my three all time favorite corn items: popcorn, sweet corn on the cob, and tortilla chips!

I see the doctor for a follow up visit in two weeks.  I am asking to be re-tested for corn.  I just can’t believe it.

In other news, I have visited this place twice in the past week.

Guess what I found?

Kevin loves this beer.  We haven’t been able to find it anywhere in Charleston, but now that we know TJ’s carries it, I am sure this will become the new favorite in our fridge.

Well I’m off to work.  Hopefully today goes by quick and I can relax tonight.  My brain needs a night off from school work before I dive into more studying tomorrow.

I hear that sushi helps too.

Side note: THANK YOU to all of my family and friends that sent me birthday cards and gifts, texts, and phone calls last week.  It was the best birthday to date!!

My schedule right now varies depending on the day of the week.  Some days I work all day, other days I have class and work, and this week I took a couple of days off to “catch up” and study for finals.  I require a lot of iced coffee.

Here is my typical day:

5:15 a.m.- wake up

5:45 a.m.- workout (3x per week)

7 a.m.- home, make Kevin breakfast & pack his lunch

7:30 a.m.- my breakfast/ study time/ laundry (completely slacking on this!)

9:30 a.m.- shower and get ready

10 a.m.- leave for class

10:30-2:30- class, followed by more studying and my online class

4-9:30 p.m.- work

9:45- home, dinner for the both of us, showers, prep to do it all again.

On top of my “schedule”, I am trying to secure an internship for this fall as part of the nutrition program.  I also just started a new job, which adds to my plate since it requires prep outside of work.  Life is a bit stressful right now, which I am sure is the reason behind some of my health problems lately.  Let’s just say that I have seen more doctors than I have ever cared to in a lifetime, within the past two months.   I think I need more YOGA, not doctors!

So, the good news:  All of my labs, blood work, and CT scan’s are normal.  Bad news?  1. They are not sure why I can’t take a complete deep breath and 2. They are puzzled why my body is not menstruating.  Yes, I just ‘said’ that on the internet.

Now you know and I’m glad you do.  Maybe someone out there will happen to stumble across this page and have been in my shoes.  I haven’t had a period in 5 years.  It all started when I stopped using the NuvaRing.

Just yesterday the hematologist looked at me and said, “You are a normal, healthy, young woman.  All of your labs look great.  I am not sure why you are having trouble breathing.”

My reply? “Normal and healthy?  It’s great that I am getting 100% oxygen to my lungs. THAT is normal.  But not having a period?  That is NOT normal!”

So yeah, as of right now I am lined up to see more doctors that all want to give me a pill or shot to fix the problem.  But how can you fix the problem when you don’t know what the source of the problem is?

I long to be the woman who groans that her cramps are awful or lacks motivation because it is her ‘time’ of the month.  I want a period to know that my body is ovulating.  I want the chance to be a mom.

But let’s move on…

Kevin is working super hard right now too.  His hours are just as crazy, if not crazier than mine, although we managed to get time to grab our boat from our friends house.  Yay!

The yard also got mowed, finally!  It rained and rained and rained every time we tried to mow.

Kevin even had to make time to put in handrails on all of our steps.  Evidently, in order for our insurance company to give us insurance on our home, we MUST have handrails for every set of steps on the property, even though I think handrails look like crap.

Whatever the case, they are now finished and don’t look too bad (aside from being painted).

I’ll leave you with a few pictures that I didn’t post when Keith visited Charleston.

I need to get my nose back in my microbiology book!

This was purchased.

Our credit card is crying along with all of the other purchases that you make when you purchase a house.

The engine is a Honda and it better last!

The lawn was mowed.

Although we still need to purchase a weed “wacker” (do y’all call them trimmers or wackers?)

The dining room table was assembled and new blinds were installed.  The chairs still need felt pads on their feet.

The fireplace is finished and the television is mounted.  Kevin plans to fix all of the wiring so it is hidden.

The tree/ bush thingy is gone and now I can see the water perfectly from my kitchen sink.

We dined at Fig on Friday night.

KEEGAN-FILION FARM PORK SHOULDER AGRODOLCE sautéed greens, morel mushrooms

SLOW BAKED ESCALOPES of SCAMP GROUPER summer vegetables, capers inlet clam broth

Sticky Sorghum Cake

We also shared the CODDLED SEA ISLAND FARM EGG stone crab, sweet onion soubise, morels, english peas and CRISPY CAW CAW CREEK PORK TROTTERS sunny side up farm egg, field peas, poblano vinaigrette for appetizers.  I can’t even describe how delicious the meal was.  I especially liked the coddled eggs.  As Keith and I both stated: “It was like ______ in my mouth”.  You can fill in the blank.

Kevin & Keith worked around the house on Sunday while I was at work.  Keith learned how to change a toilet seat, install blinds, fix a mailbox, mount a television, find studs in a wall, assemble our home gym, and change a shower head.  The boys also unpacked our flag, which is now flying proud in our back yard.

Sunday night, after work, we went out to Roadside Kitchen (James Island) for dinner. Kevin & Keith enjoyed their dinners, but for the first time in a long time I was extremely disappointed.  I’m pretty sure the problem existed with the server and not the kitchen.

This is a summary of my dining experience.  Drink orders were taken for the boys and I told the server that I was unsure of what I wanted and I would let him know when I was ready.  Each time he returned to our table, he kept pushing a drink order on me.  Side note: I have not had a drink in a long while.  I have been avoiding alcohol for the sheer fact that I would wake up with a massive headache and bloating from one drink.  So, for me to decide to have a drink last night was a big deal.  I finally just ordered a mojito.

Next up, we ordered appetizers.  Keith ordered the scallops.  I ordered the white truffle parmesan pommes frittes for the table.  Keith liked his scallops.   The fries were good but not overly impressive the way the server talked them up to be.

Our meals arrived shortly after.  Kevin and Keith’s plates were perfect.  My main dish arrived, but my side of asparagus took another 10 minutes to arrive.  Who messed up that timing?  The restaurant was not even busy.  Upon first glance, my plate appeared a bit off.  It was even worse when I took a bite and realized that my dish was swimming in oil/butter.  It was so bad I could feel the grease on my lips.  Evidently the server didn’t listen to me when I ordered (later Keith told me that he was watching the server and knew right off the bat that my meal was going to come out wrong).  I ended up getting the opposite of what I asked for.  I wanted roasted beets with LIGHT vinaigrette.  What did I get?  Beets that were swimming in oil and super salty scallops.  They were so bad that I sent them both back and told my server that I didn’t want another plate.  My GRILLED asparagus arrived 10 minutes later, swimming in MORE butter.  One complimentary scallop also arrived with my asparagus from the kitchen.  It tasted like a salt shaker.  Was this from an angry chef?

At that time, the manager was making her rounds and approached our table.  When asked how our meal was, I bluntly told her that it was awful and I was extremely disappointed.  For as much publicity and hype that this restaurant has received, I expected more.  Heck, I could make a better meal in my own kitchen! In the end, the manager removed my meal from our ticket and I ended up eating fries and a mojito for dinner.  I started the evening craving fresh vegetables for dinner and at the end of the night ended up with fried vegetables and alcohol.  I won’t even mention how I felt on Monday morning.

——-

I’m still trying to make it through my summer classes.  Microbiology is kicking my booty!  I took an online HR test on Saturday night and received my score yesterday.  I got an “A”.  Wahoo!

Keith leaves to go back to NYC today.  It has been so nice to have him around.  Hopefully we haven’t scared him off with all the house projects and he comes back to visit soon!   I’m headed to class then to work.  I have another fun dinner post to share later!

For those of you who don’t know Keith, he is Kevin’s brother (and amazing chef) that lives in NYC.

After the grocery store, I brought him back to our house and gave him the grand tour.  The tide was also REALLY high, so we went out to the dock for a while and enjoyed the views and wonderful breeze!  We caught up, talked about house renovations, jobs, life, etc.

Kevin rolled in a bit later and we went out for bbq at Smokey Oak Taproom.  Great company and delicious view, I mean food.

Today we put our house guest to work.  Want to visit?  We crack the whip!

Just kidding.

Sort of.

Keith actually asked what he could do and volunteered for quite a few projects.  It is definitely nice to have the extra set of hands around here.

Plus, let’s face it, these colors were just not going to work for us.

Keith is making great progress and is now on his 3rd coat of paint.  Sadly, I think it is going to need a couple more.  It’s so hard to cover up black and blue paint.

Now if only we had a lawn mower!  The one I set out to buy today was SOLD OUT and won’t be available until next Wednesday.  Not cool, considering our grass is about knee high.  In the meantime, I’m hoping Kevin can ask around to borrow a mower until we get ours next week!

We have a lot of fun activities planned while Keith is here.  Mainly food related: EATING here, here (the one closer to us), here, here, here, here, and maybe here .  I am missing many more great restaurants, but I’m not sure how much more I can squeeze in.  Anyone want to join??

In the meantime, I need to get my butt in gear and get more work done around here!  See ya later with finished fireplace pictures.

That’s how it always is, right?

This is how we spent our Saturday.  We have only been in our house for two weeks and had to take down this cabinet.  I knew it was going to come down.

It wasn’t until Kevin said, “This is annoying. It has to go. Now.”
 

Yes, my husband is a redneck.

Not really, but he does look funny in his safety glasses, ripped shorts, and cut off shirt.

He had on another t-shirt when we started but it was soaked in 5 minutes.

Our A/C is not on yet.

He changed shirts and decided to “fashion” his own by cutting off the sleeves.

Something tells me he doesn’t know much about fashion.

His ripped pants?

We were squatting to move the kitchen stove and his pants ripped.

It was hysterical.

We both about peed our pants.

Then his ripped even more.

For some reason Kevin kept trying to flex for the camera.

I told him not to bother since he doesn’t have any muscles.

He kept trying.

Then he cried because I told him he didn’t have any muscles.

He said that he got dust in his eyes.

Heh…dust!

He must have been plotting something against me for telling him I was posting these pictures.

Because after he finished, he ran after me to grab the camera to take a picture of my “hot, sweaty look”.

For some reason I can’t find those photos.

But I did find this “glistening” one of him.

All gone.

Wide open spaces.

See you soon with more house adventures!