A Day For New Goodies!

So today I decided instead of getting my car's a/c fixed, I was going to make a detour and go shopping for some new kitchen stuff. I'm trying to get everything ready for my trip to Florida next week, so I needed a few things anyway.

I know this may come as a shock, but I have not been in a Bed Bath & Beyond for at least 10 years... maybe 15. I mean I was a BAYBAY last time I went in there and I hated it. What child wants to spend hours looking at wine glasses, dishes, cooking utensils, storage bins, kitchen appliances, and the like? Not I  said the fly, not I! But as a 21 year old who now loves to cook, BBnB was like Heaven on earth! I think I got there at 1:30 and didn't leave until 3. And the only reason I left was because I knew Ross was next door... DANGEROUS!

So here's what I managed to salvage at Ross for waaaaay less than I would have to have paid at BBnB....

And now to introduce you to my new friends.....

Orange and lemon... bakery emulsion? I had been planning on buying orange and lemon extract or Capella drops, but these were only 3 bucks and it's 4oz. They are very delicious! I already made orange "soda" hahaha. And they're in my new little bin that I got for 50 cents... I actually got 2/$1 ^_^ I was content. As you can see from the top picture, I used the other one to store my bottles of stevia and my army of Capella drops. 

nomnomnom! It's hot outside... We hit a high of 107 with the heat index today... and like a dummy I was out shopping instead of fixing my a/c. That's how I roll. Anyway I got a 32oz bottle ($3.99 for that bad boy!) that has a nice little ice thing that goes down inside it and a straw and everthang. However in this photo I was too impatient to wait for the thing to get cold so I'm drinking room-temp water. Oh boy. Haha. 

Cute little ice... fruits. Reusable ice? I'm in! And only $1!! I hate filling up those stupid ice trays all the time hahaha. Hmmm wait a second... apples, strawberries, grapefruit/orange slice... sound familiar?

It's HCG fruit! We have to kick the little grape out though... Poor lil guy.... 

Also, helping me show off the fun lil ice cubes is my new (and VERY heavy glass!) dessert dish... grapefruit sorbet here I come! I think that one was $1 also? *happy dance*

Annnd what else did I get? OH YEAH! My favorite one... I finally got a cool glass to drink out of! Only 75 cents!!!! 

Here it's filled with sparkling water and Vanilla Creme stevia... "Creme" soda! Yum! You can't really see it, but it does say "Coke" on it. 

So that was my shopping for today and I'm pretty pumped to use all mah new stuff!!!! Now I'm off to make dinner... would you believe I'm going to make chili even though it's 107 outside? I told you I'm crazy. Oh wait, did I not? Oops! ;-)

Gel-OH!

DISCLAIMER: The desert you are about to embark on making is calorie free. It is delicious. I cannot take responsibility if you eat it all in one setting. I also plead innocent until proven guilty. And pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Gel-OH!

This recipe is gluten-free, HCG Phase 2 friendly (and beyond of course!), sugar-free... Can't beat it.

1 packet gelatin

3/4 c cool water

1 c boiling water

5 packets of stevia (or to taste)

choice flavor of Capella drops or extract (check ingredients in flavor extracts)

Sprinkle gelatin over cool water and let dissolve for about 1 minute. Add boiling water and stir, then stir in stevia and flavored drops. Make the sweetness and flavor a little stronger than you actually want it - it mutes when it chills.

Pour into mold or dish and chill for 2-3 hours. Remove from fridge, slice into cubes (optional of course ;-) and serve!

Try steeping 2 of your favorite fruity tea bags in in the boiling water for 5-10 minutes instead of the flavor drops... it will also have color if you do it this way! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie D'OH!

Just a quick post today, with pics of my deliciousness to come next time I make some... I um... kindof ate it all. Hahahaha!

I've been craving sweets like CRAZY the last 2-3 days, which I finally figured out... *shifty eyes*... TOM is hanging around apparently. Ugh. I tell him constantly he's not welcome but he keeps coming back! Someone else wanna take him off my hands??! Moving on ---> Cookie D'oh

So because of my sweet cravings, I didn't want to give in to a bunch of refined sugars and end up feeling like a squished dog pile on the side of the road (that's what I feel like when I eat sugar... pretty much sums it up!), and I also didn't want to use any grains really because well, they make me feel like a dog pile slightly off the road, and unsquished, yet a dog pile nonetheless.

I looked around for some gluten-free/sugar-free recipes and saw a bunch, but most of them had way too many ingredients that I didn't feel like messing with (wonder why?!? -.- ). I switched over to my former life, RAW foods, and found one that looked promising. Something about cashews always remind me of cookie dough. I based my recipe on one that I found, but wasn't true enough to cookie dough's real flavor. Tweakage is my middle name, dahling! Well not really... that would be... weird.

So here's my Chocolate Chip Cookie D'oh! recipe...

3/4 cup raw cashews
2 tbsp almond flour (maybe 1/4 cup whole almonds?)
about 9 soft dates, pitted
1 dropper-full of stevia (I have vanilla stevia)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened carob chips (alternatively: insert other form of chocolate as desired)

Grind up the cashews and almond flour together until fine and flour-like. Add in dates and puree until it forms a sticky mess. Add in stevia and vanilla and puree a bit more. You really can't puree it too much... I left it running and Facebooked.

Once it's all sticky-fied, move it to a bowl/container and stir in the chocolate chips (this is totally optional, as I'm sure you figured out. It's just as good without them :) I left mine just like that and popped it in the freezer... ate it by the spoonful after it was cold. Cold cookie-dough was always the best! Next time I'll make it into little bars or something (like a Larabar?).

Hope you like it as much as I did! I couldn't stop eating it... <<<<fatbelly>>>>