Really, Really Good, Better for You Chocolate Chip Bars

In honor of National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, I give you a healthier, grain-free, low glycemic chocolate chip bar.  I am not going to lie: you will love them.  I make this recipe regularly and get asked for the recipe often.  It is based on this recipe here, but I have tweaked and changed enough ingredients that it is worth writing out. These satisfying cookie bars are not low calorie but rather than spike your blood sugar and then leave you feeling lousy, you feel full for hours. They are also quick, one bowl, and don't require using a mixer.  Have I sold you yet?

Rich but healthy chocolate chip cookie bars (another name suggestion?)

1/4 cup coconut oil, or butter
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 an egg (if you are a "flax egg"eater, God bless you, skip this all together)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups almond meal (I buy it at Trader Joe's)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350
Either in a glass bowl or sauce pan, melt coconut oil in microwave or over the stove, depending on just how hippie you are. Add to the coconut oil the honey, maple syrup (if you don't have any on hand, just add a little extra honey), half egg and vanilla.  Mix with a spoon. Add almond meal, salt, and soda.  Mix well.  Finally stir in chocolate chips to taste.

Spread mixture along the bottom of a 9:"square pan.  Mixture will be wet, this is the hardest, stickiest step. Bake till lightly browned on top.  18 minutes in my oven.

This recipe doubles easily to a 13X9 pan, and you can use the whole egg that way.

Feel free to leave comments if you bake these and love them. If you change up or substitute ingredients and then don't like the way they turn out, keep it to yourself, Jana.

Realistic food photography.  Eat a row of these babies, and you don't feel like eating dinner that night.

A Magical Valentines Luncheon

Valentines Lunch- the hastily written, blurry photo edition.

Violet had been practically begging me to host a little Valentines get-together, who was I to deny her this little request? *Violet wanted to invite many of her friends, but we had to narrow the pool to who would fit at the table and be willing to dance.

Charlotte came over early to help with the last minute food preparations.  "So, after lunch, there will be dancing? Right, Violet?  I'm sure Sawyer will ask me to dance, he can't take his eyes off me".  Violet, never considering such an idea, nervously ate an apple.

The guests arrived and everyone sat down using their most respectable manners.

Okay, here is one little time consuming detail:  fulfilling a life long dream of  mine, I made paper doll placecard holders that resembled each child.

Something funny, I told Jana what I was making, the detailed placecard holders, and she said "I can see putting that much effort into it, maybe, if it was for the mothers, but not for the toddlers who won't appreciate it".  Oh Jana, as if any of this was for the children.

 The food: Sweet Potato Soup, fruity salad, and heart-y grilled cheese. For Dessert, heart sugar cookies and chocolate lava cake.

"Dancing?  I am not going to dance with a boy.  What an archaic idea!" sassed Anya.

Here is something I really loved.  While I was chugging in the kitchen, trying to serve the food warm and keep stray guests happy, I left Violet to host and manage the table.  She did a fine job and left me with nothing to worry about as she gently nibbled her food and made polite conversation. 

With lunch over with, the time to dance had arrived.  "Now Violet, I just want you to relax and have a good time, don't worry if anyone asks to dance or not, just have fun with your friends."  "I'm going to need another apple!!"was her nervous reply.

With music pumping, Whitman got everyone started on the dance floor!

 Side-line Sitters. Notice who's getting cozy..?


Before you knew it, partner dancing had begun!

Charlotte talked a big talk, but when the time came to ask Sawyer to dance..she clammed up and let him make the first awkward move.


Eventually they got into the swing of it.


Who will dance with me?  By this time everyone seemed to have found a partner or a baby doll to dance with.

Maybe Isaac?  "I'm out of here!!"

And then, the most wonderful thing happened: an older, handsome boy asked Violet to dance.

 and they danced..

 ..and danced away.  Till Prince Charming announced to his mother "my hands are getting watery"!

The end.  Here is your precious table now.

Baby Walmart

Do you know what really upsets me?  (Cruelty? Intolerance?) -Wasted Effort.  It is because of this that I rise from the blogging grave to bring you these pictures.  She was a mere 5 months old!  She couldn't sit up straight in the cart! After making her t-shirt/costume I had to drive all the way out to Forest Grove to get a picture in the guns & ammo section of Wal-mart. (You should have seen the looks I got from women waiting in line for licenses.  Shouldn't I have been staring at them?) Whitman came along screaming and pooped his pants on the way into the store.  "When in Rome".  

 "You don't know me!!"

After all that, I didn't feel like I got the shot. So I planned to take a redneck picture of her sitting infront of the run down camper trailer that sits in a newer housing development.  Only she didn't know how to sit.  As proof of how much I love her, I didn't do it because it was turning cold outside and I didn't want her to freeze in her tank top,mini-skirt, and flops.

 A couple of months later, and colder still, I tried to make it happen in my garage.  She was confused.

Jana, always angry, accuses "so now Bumbos's are trashy??!!"  No, it's the only way I could get her to stay in one spot.  I was hoping it looked like an armchair. I was forcing it. What I really need is an old trailer!! And bottle of Mt. Dew!

My parents have an Oregon camping trailer.

I love her 5month chubby baby legs.

Ha!  Now that I've lured you here with baby in wig photos, how about you stick around to hear my opinions:
If you have every had the pleasure of hanging out with me in a social situation when Wal-mart is brought up, you already know I have strong feelings about the world's most profitable retailer.  In short: they are unethical bullies.

Almost everyone I know has a story about something terrible that Walmart has done in their community.  So why are we still shopping there?  In Oregon there are not very many Wal-marts- another reason I love Oregon!  They tried and tried to build a new store just a mile or so past our neighborhood and it took years and umpteen protests to keep them out. They recently succeeded in opening a  "smaller" Wal-mart into a struggling retail area and my blood boils every time I drive by.

I have a personal shopping ban on Walmart (that I try to persuade everyone I know to commit to).  Mostly is is because they make money at the expense of others, and hurt America over all.  I don't want even the smallest amount of my money to support their dirty business.  If I can't change laws to make some of their worst practices illegal, than at least I have the option of voting with my money. And I think Wal-mart is really starting to feel it!  (small joke)  I realize that not everyone has this luxury.  If you live in a rural area, not by accident, Wal-mart my be your only shopping option. Or maybe saving $2 on diapers isn't selling out your fellow Americans to you, but rather it is the difference between diapers and eating or just diapers. I'd pick Wal-mart in that senario.

With its low price focus, Wal-Mart may appear to help the U.S. economy. But, the reality is that with its poor wages and benefits, massive China out-sourcing and tax avoidance, Wal-Mart makes its workers and the communities where it operates poorer.
"Wal-Mart routinely dodges state and local taxes, meaning money spent at a Wal-Mart store won't end up in your community. Wal-Mart actively works to challenge property tax assessments and creates complex real estate arrangements to obscure how much taxes the company owes. When Wal-Mart dodges its tax burden, it takes precious revenues away from cities and states to pay for roads, schools and other services. In turn, individual taxpayers are forced to pay more to make up the difference (which takes more money out of their pockets) or get by with less."  from-David Nassar, "Why Wal-Mart Does Not Strengthen Our Economy"

I could go on and on.  Instead I will say how much I love shopping the fresh local produce and meats at New Seasons, the stylish and pleasant smelling Target, the Hillsboro Farmer's Market where I feel like I'm practically stealing from the vendors, Fred Meyers for a little bit of everything, and Goodwill when I'm on a treasure hunt.

Oh!  But in the same way that Hitler really loved his mother, I hear Wal-mart sells CD's with the swear words bleeped out. 

Rose Lunch, Y'all

 Violet has a BFF named Charlotte Rose.  She just turned 1 and Violet got it in her head to throw a small Rose-themed lunch in honor of Charlotte Rose.  Just a small little lunch, no big deal.

Here is each place-setting.  My favorite part is in the tiny baby sized silver and real plates on the left, where the bread plate would normally reside.

 Oh, and the flowers.  Stolen roses as far as the eye can see.  Thank you to Audrey, Audrey's next door neighbor, Yuan, the house up for auction across from Yuan, Kristen, the bank parking lot next to New Seasons... (No well manicured gardens were injured in the making of this lunch.)

Oh!  And what is in the boxes you ask?  Each baby was given their own fancy bib!  In rose colors or prints, with pearls, lace, or buttons or bow-ties for the boys.  You can see them wearing them in most of the photos. Rachel made them, you can read about them on her blog.

Violet saw to each place setting.

Napkin folded as a rose.  Which I didn't even use.

Another something I didn't use but wanted to: I had several images like this along with short poems about roses layered over them and I had creamy paper to print it all on and cut out and place on the table but at the last minute, my printer was out of ink!  Violet is still irritated about it.

printable source here

Here is little Charlotte Rose.  She was the perfect Guest of Honor, maybe a little bit of a ham. Charlotte's ancestry is Southern, and she has charm to prove it.

Kylie was also an ideal guest.  Friendly, sociable and good natured, but didn't try and steal the spot light.  She is very mature for her age.


Each baby was given a wrist corsage or boutonniere. Charlotte is a model child.

Graham nobly wore his boutonniere and his fancy bib without complaint.

Not all behavior was ideal.
Perhaps Violet over did herself, stayed up too late arranging roses and baking.  That can partly explain her cranky behavior over lunch.

 Here is what she thought of her corsage. It actually angered her.

 I overheard her spreading gossip...

"Do you see how Eliza didn't show up today?  She's afraid to show her full head of hair at my house apparently.  See if she gets invited to another party in the next 5 years."  Charlotte, "gasp!"

"Well, I heard that Sawyer isn't here today because a few particular sores from a particular hand, foot, and mouth virus refuse to heal in a particular area, and he might still be contagious!"
Graham, clearing his throat and clearly embarrassed, "certain things should not be said."

Here is where the day turned a little.. too Southern.

Charlotte insisted on eating with her feet on the table.  There was no talking her out of it.  She's just like her mother.

In the end, Graham paid us the ultimate compliment. (see inside joke here)

What did we serve for lunch, you ask?

The photo-less menu:

Chilled Strawberry Soup

Pimento Cheese, and Ham and Pickle finger sandwiches with Oven Fried Okra and Greens

Southern Rose Pound cake with strawberries and cream

If you would like to read Charlotte's version of the day, and you do, go to here.

May Day! May Day!

Today, May 1st, is May Day.  And you know what that means- protests and worker's rights?!  No, (though I do have that in me), flowers on doorsteps.  Of course.


Don't you love these vintage May Day cards?  

Suckers!  I printed them from here, onto cream paper. 


 I like the sentiment of May Day flowers coming from your own yard. As you can see, we have lilacs, which I love, but I am allergic to their intoxicating smell.

Another easy option is to make baskets out of lunch sacks.  

I filled them with lemon bars and daffodils, but next year I think next year I will fill them with garden section blooming plants, still in the containers.

Hmm, I should have cropped this photo.  Still, Violet is on board.  She carried her flower the whole time. She's the only one I bother dressing anymore.

Completely effortless.  No one fought over who was going to pull the wagon and who was going to carry the cards or who rang the doorbell last or who gets to sit in the wagon.  And it barely rained.

What did you do for May Day?  Does anyone else remember this mini-holiday?