AUG 15th Choc-O-Licious!

Hot diggity dog! I think I've finally found a nice homemade sugar-free chocolate candy recipe!

Why make it myself?? 

Because 1) I can't afford the nice but expensive ones that I used to buy online and 2) The cheaper local store-bought sugar-free brands contain a lot of chemicals, including sweeteners like maltitol, which causes... um... icky tummy disturbances.

I've been playing with recipes on and off for 3 years, determined to make an affordable but nice version. Sorry, I'm not in the all-or-nothing camp who say you can never have sweets or dessert if you want to be healthy. 

This is for life, folks. I'm in it for the duration, so I've converted lots of recipes to low carb/gluten free/sugar free versions. Especially a few old family favorites that are wrapped up in tradition and memories. :-)

But I also refuse to eat sugar, knowing how it affects me, personally. Hence my search for THE perfect chocolate recipe.

Here was my previous attempt; it's taste was nice BUT it was a tad grainy/chalky:

 Eek! See the grainy spoon??

The splenda just refused to dissolve. grrr

I didn't share that recipe for obvious reasons. :-}

And so the search continued... until now. 

And the joke is on me! 

This newest recipe is not even mine!! :-D

Well, it's actually a modified version of one from Linda Genaw. She has been generously sharing low carb, sugar free recipes online for years. Here is her Website, and the original version, Truffle Cups, in case you prefer hers. 

Anyhoo... here is my version, that I'm pretty happy with:

I doubled Linda's recipe, made a couple of ingredient changes, and used a silicone candy mold. It made about 42 little Chocolates (I included some links to sources).

My Chocolates 

8 ounces sugar free semisweet chocolate chips (I used Nevada Manna Sugar Free Chocolate Chips, from Netrition. They cost more, but don't have maltitol. If you can tolerate a little sugar, you can use regular semi-sweet choc chips) 

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon cocoa butter (My first cocoa butter was from Amazon;  but Netrition also carries Food grade cocoa butter. Just make sure to get FOOD GRADE cocoa butter, not just moisturizer! It MUST say so.) 

1 Tablespoon coconut oil (I buy 1 gallon tubs locally of Aunt Patty's Organic Coconut Oil; Netrition also carried Nutiva, a nice brand) 

Melt all above together (you can do it in a microwave like Linda suggests in the original recipe. I used a great little chocolate melting pot by Wilton, Here. It's not necessary, just efficient, fun and cute. And it keeps the chocolate at the right temp instead of hardening too fast while filling the molds). 

After melted, stir in the following ingredients til smooth:

4 Tablespoons heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract (as per Linda, you can vary the flavor; this was my favorite)

Dip or pour into molds (or paper cups) immediately (I use a long handled mini-ladle from Amazon.  If using the chocolate melting pot, you won't have to rush. I appreciated that, since I doubled her recipe and had more chocolate to get into the molds before it hardened).

Now just put in the fridge til firm. You can keep in fridge or freezer. I've done both, and it's fine both ways.

I added the cocoa butter to my version to make it silky, and the coconut oil to help make it firmer. But they still need to live in the fridge til served, or will melt.

For variation, next time I might try dropping in a nut, or a tiny bit of dried cherry, or?? :-D

I don't have the nutritional data for my version, but you can check out Linda's link above for that; they should be similar, depending on what ingredients you chose.

Bon appetit!

This is my very own well-worn apron!

My book quote for today:  "Do your part now so that God can honor your faith and empower you to live a life of excellence. Think the thoughts you would think if you trusted God's promises completely." --Tommy Newberry, The 4:8 Principle

My verse for today: "Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved."

My quote for today: "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." --Charles M Schulz, creator of Peanuts comic strip

Enjoy the Journey with a little chocolate,

Loretta

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DAY 1088

PS: Just so you know, I am not affilitated with any products I recommend here; I just like them, and wanted to share the love, no strings attached. :-)

AUG 10th Unfocused

Well, I just re-read my last post (HERE) and had to ruefully laugh. I know WHAT I need to do... yet somehow seem to be drifting instead of focusing! For the past couple of days I've felt sooo tired, yet I don't think I'm sick or anything like that. Just... tired. 

(to go cross eyed, click to enlarge)

Maybe I've allowed that to be an excuse for not focusing. When I feel less than 100%, it's too easy to drift, to not fight, to let it go and think "tomorrow".

Today I read a quote on Coach Dayne's blog Coach Your Mind.  It is from Michael Phelps. In case you don't follow the Olympics, he is the USA swimmer who made history by earning 22 Gold Medals over his Olympics career. He's 27 years old. 

Michael said 

"You can't put a limit on anything."

The title of Coach Dayne's post is "Your Choice Dictates Every Outcome". Ouch.

How many Gold Medals do you think Michael Phelps would have won if he occasionally said "Oh, I'm kinda tired. I think I'll skip training today."

Sigh... guess I'd better listen to Michael. :-}

My book quote for today:   "Every thought you have shifts your life in a particular direction, sometimes in a minor way and sometimes in a major way. Every individual thought matters."--Tommy Newberry, The 4:8 Principle

My verse for today:  "Praise the Lord, O my soul... who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle."

My quote for today: "I believe we get more of whatever it is we give our most intense focus... My focus is on being a champion of my choices everyday--owning each one and maintaining the healthy-normal boundaries that have brought me this far." --Sean Anderson, Transformation Road (website) 

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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DAY 1083

AUG 3rd Regaining Focus

From the start of my blog, my intention was to always be honest and open. Lately, I've felt like I have been going in circles, with nothing to say... so I haven't said much. :-}

But I don't want to give the impression that I'm trying to hide anything, or mislead. I just really didn't know what to say. Or that what I thought of to say wasn't worth saying. I hadn't changed anything that I was aware of, yet the scale was creeping UPwards. My conclusion is that it was a combination of several things, that all added up.

So... the last few days I've been doing a lot of praying, thinking, praying, reading, praying, and more praying! If you don't believe in prayer, or in a relationship with the living God, that's okay, I respect that. But I do, and I've been met with kindness, graciousness and encouragement.

And I really did need that encouragement! I'm looking for the answer to one question: "What now?"

And for me, it starts with my relationship with my God. Back to basics, if you will. Programs are fine. Books are fine. Plans and lists are fine. Blogs, dreams, goals... all this is fine and has a place. They are great tools.

But for me, they need to come AFTER the relationship. I don't want to get the cart before the horse. Get so busy that I forget that love relationship with my Lord, the one who loves me best.

How do I do that? Hey, I'm not the expert here, that's for sure. All I can say is, it's about focus... priorities... the intention of my heart. 

If you loved a person, but forgot to include them in your day, your plans, your thoughts, your TIME... how loved would they feel? Wouldn't they think "Gee, you're getting kind of self-absorbed, dontcha think? Remember me??"

I don't feel guilty, condemned, or anything like that. I feel quite loved, actually. :-) But I'm just working on getting my priorities in line. 

(Image credit)

And this morning I listened to a podcast that confirmed to me that I'm on the right track. It was Dr Loyd (author of the Healing Code book I've talked about HERE  a little) and he was asking the question: are you doing things to GET love, peace and joy, or are you doing things OUT OF love, peace and joy??

He said if you are doing things to GET love, peace and joy, then it can get hard; you can get tired, burned out and feel like you are always chasing it and it's just out of reach. It will just seem so HARD! Um... kind of how I was feeling about this weight loss journey.

But if you are first filled up with that love, peace and joy, then it flows OUT from you to others. That thing you are doing, working towards, or the goal you want to reach will not feel so hard; you will have that energy that comes from being full, not running on empty. And it will seem a lot easier, not an uphill battle. You will be working out of a place of love, peace and joy, not chasing after it.

Well, like I said, I'm no expert on all this. I feel like it's time to dig deeper. I've gotten too comfortable; stalled in my journey. That's weird to say, that I got "comfortable", seeing as how I have such physical pain right now. 

Yet, I got comfortable in my mindset, not wanting to make harder changes. Not wanting to shine the light into the corners where I held on to the "familiar" and safe stuff. But to make progress, I need to do that now. To trust that even while uncomfortable, it will be okay. Because I don't walk alone. My God is leading the way into those dark corners, shining the light and showing me what to do next. 

It's an inside job, this journey. Always has been. The rest follows. How did I forget that??!

My book quote for today: "Research indicates that the average person thinks approximately fifty thousand thoughts per day. This is either good or bad news because every thought moves you either toward your God-given potential or away from it. No thoughts are neutral." --Tommy Newberry, The 4:8 Principle

My verse for today: "I will restore them because I have compassion on them."

My quote for today: "They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progressess too fast!" --Dr Seuss

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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DAY 1076

AUG 1st Party Medieval Style With a Free Book!

It's another Launch Party!

This times it's my very own sister, author Karen Elizabeth Brown. Today kicks off the official launch of her newest novella, Medieval Muse.

On July 14th over at my art blog (HERE)  I gave a behind the scenes look at the making of the cover art for Medieval Muse.

Now... we are celebrating the story itself! First, I'll share Karen's "official" announcement, then below that I'll give MY review of the book. Watch out, just because she's my sister, don't expect me to "fudge" with my opinion. ;-)

Medieval Muse

By Karen Elizabeth Brown

What happens when Victoria Budroix receives a cameo that promises to give her the desires of her heart? Since she doesn’t know what that would be, a trip to medieval times, intrigue, threat of war and an overbearing lord are on the list for her to choose from. Or could it be meeting her one true love?

Sir William of Conrad has escorted a stranger home to be under his protection. He discovers this woman speaks her own mind and melts his heart. He faces his father’s outrage and a broken alliance with the neighboring clan by falling in love. 

Medieval Muse is available as a free read from Smashwords.com, HERE. 

Karen Elizabeth Brown’s passion for writing is what fills her entire life with exhilarating inspiration. She spends her days writing, doing research and studying about the subjects of her stories.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys music and reading, especially medieval fantasy. Born in Southern California, she migrated to Southern Oregon in 1974 where she now resides in the Rogue Valley with her family and friends. Find out more about the author at her official website. 

Okay, time for my honest review. 

Sister or not... Karen wrote a totally interesting story! I love time travel type tales, and this novella whisks you back to medieval times in an unusual way. 

I could identify with our leading lady. A modern, strong willed, independent and spunky gal who DETESTS having to ask ANY man for "permission" for anything... being plunked down in the middle ages! I enjoyed the humor that situation caused.

I also enjoyed "meeting" the people from the castle. The main characters seemed real and believable, from the castle gossip to the timid scullery maid. And of COURSE our leading man. Poor guy had his hands full with this feisty "Lady" who appears out of nowhere!

I won't give away the ending, but let's just say it didn't leave me grinding my teeth, like some unresolved stories do! It ended "just right". :-)

If you enjoy romantic fantasy, time travel, castles, intrigue, humor, double-crossing women and gossips... well, maybe not those last two. But this was a totally enjoyable novella, just right for a hot summer evening with a tall glass of iced tea.

Enjoy the journey with a free e-book!

Loretta

PS: Did I mention that it's a free e-book?? Just follow the link to Smashwords, where you can download it in whatever format works best for you. And if you enjoy it, would you be so kind as to do my Sis a favor and leave a review at Smashwords? 

Thanks bunches!

JULY 23rd Craze Is Back!!

I wanted to pop in today because my friend Mary Pax's Launch Party starts today! 

It's a Launch Party for the latest book in her Backworld's series, 

Stopover At The  Backworlds' Edge

First, the official announcement, then afterwards I'll give you the straight skinny:

The Backworlds Book 2 is Out!

The sequel to The Backworlds is now available. Craze and his friends continue their adventures in Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge. See what role chocolate plays in the galaxy this time.

The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned the enemy to Pardeep Station. A betrayal worse than his father’s, if Craze lives to worry about it.

Available for all ereaders from:

Amazon / Amazon UK / B&N / Smashwords
iTunes and Kobo will be available shortly.

If you haven’t read The Backworlds yet, it’s available as a free read from many outlets. See HERE for links. [http://mpaxauthor.com/the-backworlds-series/backworlds-the/]

Inspiring the words M. Pax writes, Mary spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the husband unit and two loving cats. She writes science fiction mostly and has a slight obsession with Jane Austen. Mary blogs at http://www.mpaxauthor.com/blog/

  

Okay, I promised you the straight skinny. When I review a book, friend or not, I'm honest. And honestly... this was a BLAST to read! 

I thought the first book in the series (The Backworlds) was a fun read... I was delighted to find this one topped it! Once I started, I didn't want to stop. 

It was a fun romp through space and other worlds, with fascinating characters of all "kinds". I'd even venture to call Chocolate a character in THIS story! Danger, betrayal, spies, frizzers, gender-morphing beings, revenge, cruelty, friendship and tenderness... and of course, chocolate. ;-)

The story had so many surprise turns I had to buckle my seat belt. I'm not fond of "predictable" books. Can we say Borrriiinnnggg? But NOT THIS ONE! 

Mary's characters, the pickles they got into, the worlds they were on--and inside of--had me shaking my head at her wild imagination. It had me asking "how does she THINK of these things??!!" And I thoroughly appreciated the ending. And no... no hints.

Yep... loved it. Honestly. Can't wait to read the next one in the series.

And the next time I sit down to have my hot tea and chocolate... I think I'll take a long pause and remember what happened in this story!! :-O

Enjoy the Journey with a good book,

Loretta

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DAY 1065

JULY 16th A Rant & A Blogcation

Shall we talk about The Food Reward Theory of Obesity?

Some of us old enough to remember drive-in movies, clamp-on roller skates and 4 cent postage for letters are cracking up over the people trying to make a name for themselves in the realm of research.

Give me a break! If it tastes good, you'll wanna eat more, and you just might get fat??? 

Really??? 

What genius! Why, let's give 'em an award for their brilliant deductions!!! (insert snarky sound effects here)

Hey, wait a minute!  Nobody gave my Mama an award for her brilliance when she refused to let us kids pig out on dessert after dinner. Or when she said only one cookie, or it'll spoil your dinner. Yep, Mama had this Food Reward Theory of Obesity all figured out. She knew you needed to control the sweets. 

Let's see, it went something like this:

It tastes good. 

Kids will wanna eat more than they should because it's sweet and nummy.

I'm the Mama. I will say No. 

End of story.

Nowadays, they are writing papers and books, giving lectures and holding conferences, and arguing with other researchers over "the cause" of obesity.

Come on... do they think we are suckers? I for one am tired of this stupid arguing! 

Of COURSE if you taste a yummy tasting food, especially a sweet one, it could trigger a response in you that says: Eat more, suckah! And that response could be physical, emotional, or both. 

Duh! Since when is this news??

Answer: Choose whatever floats yer boat.

Eat sweet stuff, or eat fruit, or eat both... it's a choice.

I am sooo over it! 

I've had it. 

I am DONE listening to all the Educated Idiots constantly coming up with the latest and greatest in New Theories as to how we got fat.

I wanna just get on with productive action, and get healthy. Enough with the silly theories already! I admit I over simplified the "theory", but come on, there's more important things in life than quibbling over minutiae and unproven theories.

Okay. Rant over. 

All done.

Happy again.

Now let's see... what's that theory about serotonin and dopamine deficiency fueling our cravings??  Ack! My head's gonna 'slode...

So... I've decided to take a Summer Blogcation. No more theory thinkin... it's starting to feel counterproductive.

I'm going to relax and spend time over at my art blog, HERE.   

I plan to pop in for a couple of pre-planned special announcements, but other than that, my poor little brain needs a break! :-)

Later Gators,

Loretta

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