Pseudo Hiatus... & More

I scheduled this post to go up while we are in Honduras. Yep, that's where we are and keep reading... you'll find out why :o)

First, I want to thank you all for your prayers for Jon... he is recovering very well from his nasty bike accident. I am SO thankful that he is alive and nothing is broken... just a lot of bruises and scraps.

So, starting this week... I'll be really busy till the middle of January and thought it would be good to take a little break from Sweet Wholesome Wednesday & some blogging. I'll still post when I can, but my time with my family is priority right now. I would like to try to keep posting my day to day photos for the December Photo Project... so we'll see how that goes :o)

So, why am I taking a "Pseudo Hiatus"?

Well, my hubby and I will be traveling a lot...

We are in Honduras till next week for a youth retreat that Jon was asked to teach in. A big opportunity for RO4Y came up a while back and we are praying hard about it. My hubby shared the news last week... there's a possible chance we might move to Honduras! Please keep us in prayer that God will show us exactly what His will is for us & RO4Y... especially while we are in Honduras this week. Thank you!

Then after that, we get home and Jon's parents will be here through Christmas. They want to take us to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica (I will for sure tell you all about that!).

Then, we fly to California the day after Jon's parents leave to go to a missions conference and will be there for about a week. (Anybody want to hook up with us?! I am planning to get together with Ann Marie from Cheeslave and go to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market... so excited!!)

Then, our amazing friends in Seattle are flying us to visit them for a week and will get to meet the girls for the first time! They helped pay for both midwives of both girls' births and have basically adopted us into their family. We are so excited to see them again.

Then we fly home.

Whew. Its going to be busy, but good.

I'll be posting recipes (hopefully) that I've been saving to keep things interesting around here :o) Please don't go away and check back regularly. If you haven't... take a tour of the whole blog and try some recipes. I am always open to feedback on my recipes!

BUT... before I end this post, I want to share some blog awards I received a while back. Pamela from Seeds of Nutrition gave me the "Let's Be Friends Award" & "Neno's Award". Pamela is a midwest gal who has a great blog full of information on everything related to the Nourishing Traditions way of life. She is an avid gardener and follower of Jesus. Please stop by and say hello... Thank you so much Pamela!

I didn't know this about the friendship award, but glad to know now:

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to four bloggers.

I like that! Now, the Neno's Award also has some rules & regulations too:

Neno’s Award—-Rules and Regulations

1. As a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.
2. To seek the reasons why we all love blogging.
3. Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it.
4. Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.
5. Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.
6. Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.
7. Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

Why do I love blogging? Well, to be honest.... I don't love blogging. I enjoy it very much, but to me... the word "love" has emotional ties and I don't want to have that with my blog. I love my Lord Jesus, my hubby, my girls, cooking/baking and the life God called us to live.

So, I will change up the question a little (can I do that?)... Why do I enjoy blogging? I enjoy blogging because I am using it as an outlet to share my recipes, things I've learned & to help people make wise health and food choices. Since moving to Costa Rica... I didn't really have much opportunity to share because of the language barrier and lack of interest. Now, it is so nice to have a blog where people can come here by choice and enjoy my recipes, sound bites, seek suggestions & ask questions if they need to. I've also enjoyed meeting like-minded people from all over the world, especially those who are deaf like myself.

Now I would like to past on these two awards to:

1. Green & Crunchy - I love Sheri's laid back blog with all kinds of YUMMY raw, vegan treats that she makes for her 5 kiddos. Yeah, she's got a big family and loves it!
2. Sense & Serendipity - Divina is a sweet friend and fantastic cook. Her blog has many wholesome, Asian-inspired recipes along with tidbits about nutrition, health & more.
3. Naturally Knocked Up - I recently met Donielle through Real Food Media and have enjoyed her like-minded blog very much. Good reading there.
4. Citron & Vanille - Silvia is a fantastic chef and I adore her recipes! She is french/italian and her recipes always leave me hungry! I enjoy reading her stories & history behind most of her dishes. If you are in the Bay area and need a personal chef for a party or for your home... look her up!

Remember to take some time to slow down and enjoy the coming celebrations of Christmas & New Year.

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a

free bag of organic evaporate palm sugar!!

Please also take a moment and vote for me... Thank you!

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Wild Gooseberries & Cacao Nibs 'Bite Size' Cookies

Here are the vegan-licious cookies I told you about a couple posts ago. These yummy gals are egg-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and can be gluten-free if you use GF oats. They are also full of yummy goodness from coconuts, ripe bananas, almonds, cinnamon and my 'Soaked & Ready' Oats. The gals were a bit crumbling, but I think I could've let them sit in the oven a little longer to prevent that. But we ate them in less than a day... it felt & tasted great going down! I found these at 101 Cookbook and followed the recipe, but added dried gooseberries & sweetened cacao nibs instead of chocolate...so tart and delicious!

If you have your 'Soaked & Ready' Oats in hand... go and make these now! These literally took me less than 30 minutes to mix together and about 15 minutes in the oven... so you can enjoy these gals in less then an hour! If you just have regular rolled oats... you can totally use them, but you'll be missing out the benefits of soaking the oats beforehand. Also, you can make your own almond meal by simply chopping whole almonds in your food processor till they develop the texture of sand. Don't go too far or you'll have almond butter instead! I used my soaked & dehydrated almonds for these, but you can use regular almonds.

Wait, before you go off to make these... I am excited to share with you that I've been nominated for The DivineCaroline Love! This Site Award. So, if you do love this blog... could you all take a moment (you'll have to fill out a form, quick & free) and vote for my blog? I would GREATLY appreciate it! There's a badge on the upper right sidebar that you can click on and it will take you directly there to vote. If I remember correctly, the voting is over on December 4th. So make sure you go and do it before you forget... also, let your friends know about it too if they Love! my blog! Thanks so much!

Now, go make those cookies and enjoy!! Let me know what you think ;o)

Wild Gooseberries & Cacao Nibs 'Bite Size' Cookies

• 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or olive oil)
• 2 cups 'Soaked & Ready' Oats or regular oats
• 2/3 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped dried gooseberries
• 4-6 Tbsp. sweetened cacao nibs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla, and coconut oil... set aside. In another bowl whisk together the 'Soaked & Ready' oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the gooseberries and cacao nibs.

The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, but that's fine. Drop dollops of the dough, an inch apart, onto a parchment lined (or buttered) baking sheet.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Every oven is different... I will let it bake just past 15 minutes next time I make these. Make sure it is nicely browned in the bottom before taking out. Enjoy them warm :o)

Go and enjoy! Remember to check back tomorrow for Sweet Wholesome Wednesday... I have a Special Guest sharing a beautiful tart with all of you!

These cookies are shared on Tuesday Twister

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My First Blog Award!

While I was having a wonderful vacation with my family this past two weeks... My good friend, Diana, nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger Award! I haven't had the opportunity share this with all of you and to go through rules for this award, but now I do...

Here's the list of rules:

1. Thank the person who has given you the award
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog
3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated

About Me:

1. I was born deaf. I grew up doing speech therapy and learned sign language later.
2. Married at 18 to my wonderful hubby, Jon. We've been married 6 years and have two wonderful, noisy girls :o)
3. Lived in Baja California, Mexico for two years at a free deaf school with Jon and now live in Costa Rica.
4. I am part Swedish, Norwegian and German.
5. Rode and showed hunter/jumper horses for several years (professionally in the last few years). Still love and ride horses.
6. I learned to love cooking and baking by being in the kitchen alone. I didn't really have anybody to show me the ropes, but it came so naturally to me.
7. Love Jesus with all my heart, soul and mind.

Drumroll, please............

And the nominations are:

1. Happy Foody
2. My Diverse Kitchen
3. PC Cuisine
4. Playful Noshings
5. Foodo' del Mundo
6. Taste Memory
7. Simply... Gluten-free

My nominations were based on a mix of delicious photography (because I'm a photographer), unique recipes (because I like the unusual) and overall creativity (because that's what the award is about). Check these guys out and enjoy their stuff!!

Also, my posts are now "printer friendly"!! Click on the green button below on any of the posts and print my recipes. Woohoo! Enjoy! Again,thanks Diana for the nomination!!

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