August 30, 2009

Transitions
Although I hate to see summer on the wane, I always get a renewed boost of energy in late August when the air gets cool and faintly smoky in at dusk. Taking advantage of this state, I baked up a storm this weekend: banana bread, sugar-free peanut butter cookies, healthy bran muffins and (my son's favorite) ginger snaps. Mmmm...

There is something so satisfying about filling your home with good things you have made with love and your own hands. Maybe this urge to create is due in part to the back to school push. I have always enjoyed the excitement of new beginnings that the fall brings - it's knowing that new opportunities and challenges are right around the corner.

Like many others, I am so weary of hearing about the "economic slowdown". At some point we all need to look in the rear view mirror and realize that those issues are so far behind us that we can no longer see them clearly. What are you missing that is right in front of you, and what have you overlooked because you were focused too dearly on past events that you are powerless to change?

Tonight as I prepare for the busy work week ahead, I am thinking of what I can do to move beyond the speed bumps around me with positive energy and joy-filled purpose. What can I do to ensure that I put the same love and care into my interactions with others as I do with my family's favourite foods? I have seen first hand how small things can have a huge impact; how sometimes they make or break/tip the balance, but it is easy to get discouraged when there is so much negative speak out there!

What are your goals for this transitional time? How do you stay positive and focused on what matters? Want to bake something quick, easy and healthy while you ponder? Here is my recipe for sugar-free peanut butter cookies - hope you will enjoy!

SUGAR-FREE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup Splenda
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
tiny pinch of sea salt
Optional: a few salted peanuts or chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Measure out all ingredients into a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly. Take rounded teaspoonfuls of the batter, roll into balls and place two inches apart on insulated aluminum cookie trays (no need to grease sheets). Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand and make a small dimple in the top of each cookie. Place a peanut or chocolate chip on top of each cookie. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, until firm and slightly golden - watch carefully so as not to scorch as these over bake very quickly.

Yield: 16- 18 cookies, 4-5 grams of carbohydrate per