It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like ...

2010 Here We Come?!

... my second low carb Christmas! Are the holidays a happy time for you? This past Thursday we went to a "Holiday Sing". A 5 year old girl we're very fond of was taking part in it. It was a wonderful reminder of what the holidays can be. A sea of bright, smiling faces filled the church stage with yuletide glee. The kids were all singing and using sign language in the performance. All types of songs were performed - Christian, Jewish and non-religious tunes. It was pretty special.

We're not really exchanging many physical gifts this year. At least that's the plan in our family. But I do have a treat to share with you all. My lovely wife, who's recently crossed the "15 lb weight loss mark", came up with this one: Low Carb Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies!

Here's the basic recipe for the LC Peanut Butter Cookies: Peanut Butter Cookie Link

This is the brand of LC (xylitol-sweetened) fruit preserves we've been using: Nature's Hollow

Just add a dollop of any flavor of LC jam or jelly you enjoy on top of the cookie and starting chewing! We've tried their apricot and wild blueberry jams and also their Sugar Free Maple Syrup. Very tasty. :-)

To all that stop by ... I wish you and yours a blessed, healthy and joyful holiday season and a great start to 2010. 2010?! Crazy.

We Cannes Do It!

Ventimiglia, Italy

Mad just arrived home last night from Cannes. I was thrilled that she was able to eat well while avoiding all the croissants, pastries and freshly made pasta in Italy. That's right, Italy! It turns out that Mad and some of her colleagues took a 1.5 hour train ride to Italy one night! What?! They toured (and ate in) a small town called Ventimiglia.

All in all, it seems like it was a good but very, very, very busy time. She literally walked the soles off a pair of her shoes! Seriously!

I have a love-hate relationship with such alone times. I managed to eat okay but the dramatic change of pace ends up making me feel psychologically shaky. I ended up working a lot more than usual - without much of a break or distractions. I basically hunkered down in our apartment and just kept on writing.

Before I go, I have a new low-carb tip. I made some salmon fillets and mash recently and I included a little something extra to the mix. I brewed a strong tea consisting of a few bay leaves and a few tbls. of thyme. Then I strained the herbs and used the decoction as a liquid for the mashed cauliflower. It added a much more interesting dimension to this side dish, IMO. Very nice.

Three Trips and a Funeral

Our Pre-Feast Table - On the Left is Some Pâté and Gherkins

Pies We Didn't Eat

Dear Ladies and Gents,

Much has occurred since I last blogged here. There was an unexpected funeral in New York. Thanksgiving in Martha's Vineyard. Lots of scrambling before, during and after both of those events. Now Mad's getting ready to head off to Cannes! Help!

I'm sorry for kind of slipping off the face of the Earth for awhile. I've barely been able to keep up with Healthy Fellow these days. But I'm determined to get back on the right track on Wowee Z beginning this upcoming week.

I apologize for not being as supportive as I'd like to be on your blogs as well. It's been a rather overwhelming time. But the good news is that both Mad and I are staying on course - M's been losing weight and feeling great and I've been maintaining my recent LC loss. No slip ups to speak of ... even with all the hustle and bustle.

I hope you're all doing well and that our paths will cross again soon ...

PS - I just added a few meager photos from our Thanksgiving. We didn't take many because we were still recovering from the days leading up to the holiday - the funeral prep and the funeral itself.

We mostly ate turkey with gravy, Brussels sprouts with smoked bacon and pecans and garlic-baked green beans ... also some fresh crab meat. The food was delicious! For starters we had some locally made pâté and mini pickles. What a feast!