A blender…An usual recipe…A request from a casual encounter….Kind words from a friend…

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Huge boulders placed on the beach as a breakwater or were they there all along?

A few days ago I wrote to the lovely property owners of our upcoming vacation rental in Trinity Beach, Australia beginning on June 11th. I posed a question to  Andy, the owner of the property for which I anticipated a negative response: “Is there a blender available for our use during the 89 night stay?” Only about half of our vacation rentals have had blenders.

With the huge time difference of 20 hours between Hawaii and Trinity Beach, Australia, I didn’t expect to hear back for a day or so. In no time at all, Andy replied that they had a blender and would let us use it during our stay.  We were thrilled. 

A lone tree near the shore on the Kauai Path.

Why do we so desperately need a blender? Over the past few years, as we fine-tuned our diet, we’ve stopped using products containing soy, vegetable, and seed oils and any products containing chemicals. Store-bought mayonnaise contains all of these. 

I’ve been making a walnut (a nut, not a seed) oil dressing and yesterday, I made a bacon grease mayo that was delicious. With our low carb high fat (LCHF), grain, starch, and sugar-free way of eating, saving the grease from nitrate-free bacon over several days, left us with the one cup of clear, clean, chemical-free oil needed to make a perfect mayo.

You may cringe at this thought. If I were to try to explain how it’s safe if not healthful on our way of eating to consume bacon grease every day on our salads, it would take me more than the 1000+ post we’ve done so far. 

A bushy path to the beach on the Kauai Path.

There are numerous scientific books I’ve posted here that explains it better than I. If you’d like to see that list again, please feel free to write to me and I’ll resend you the list that is the basis of this way of eating.

Oh, it’s easy for me to talk about health when I’ve been suffering from an infection for over a week, now slightly better on day two of taking Cipro. No diet, no lifestyle change, and no exercise modality can make any of us exempt from illness. If there was, we’d be doing it! Being sick in a strange land is awful.

The beach in downtown Kapaa.

So for those of you who either have adopted this way of eating or are considering doing so, here’s the recipe:

Jess’s Baconnaise
2 egg yolks from pasteurized eggs (readily available at most grocery stores)
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 T. lemon juice
1 cup bacon fat, strained or not (Don’t refrigerate it before using, only after it’s made. If the bacon fat is solid, place it in hot water in the sink to let it liquefy. Don’t heat it in the microwave. Hot grease won’t work. It will cook the egg yolks which you don’t want).

Place yolks, mustard, and lemon juice into a blender or food processor. Blend on low for 15 seconds. Put the lid on the blender removing that little plastic cup in the middle of the lid. Turn on to the lowest speed. As slowly as you possibly can, drizzle the grease into the hole in the lid of the blender. Season as you’d like with salt and pepper or other spices. Store in a glass jar with a lid. It keeps two weeks in the refrigerator.
A house during construction above the Kauai Path which has a magnificent distant view of the sea.

Please don’t consume a high fat and high carb diet together. It’s a lethal combination! It’s that way of eating that is causing diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and obesity all over the world. 

Please read about this way of eating before adopting this lifestyle to see if its right for you and also check with your doctor, although most doctors didn’t study nutrition in medical school for more than a few hours and still believe in the low fat, high grain diet that we were fed by congress in the 1970s. Read the book by Nina Teicholz, The Big Fat Surprise, if you’d like to see the facts.

Anyway, enough pontificating for today.  I apologize if I bore those of you who have little interest in these topics. 

In any case, Andy offered the blender and we were almost as appreciative of Andy in Australia as were with Mario in Fiji who purchased a stove for us as told in this post of a few weeks ago. 

The Kauai Path is well maintained and has several restroom buildings such as this and lifeguard vehicles with surfboards for aiding in water rescues.

Gosh, maybe it really is OK to ask for what we want. In our old lives, we hesitated to ever ask for anything we wanted or needed from others. We always tried to do it ourselves, never wanting to impose. How we’ve learned from experience!

Continuing on…yesterday, I received an email from a lovely woman I’d met while on the tour of the Princeville Botanical Garden, asking for a reading list on my anti-inflammation way of eating.  

I wouldn’t normally bring up my diet on a tour but when I refused to taste the fruit from the trees and the sugar-added-chocolates during the cacao beans demonstration, I was asked why I refused to taste either. In brief, I explained, and yet, the questions kept coming during breaks on the tour. Today, after I’m done here, I will send Barbara the list. If you’d like a copy of this list, please send me an email.

In every direction, a mountain view enhances the exquisite scenery in Kauai.  On most days, there are full clouds hovering over the mountains. The sky is seldom totally clear for more than an hour.

Then, early this morning while checking my email, I was blown away by a message Tom received from Jerry (and Vicki) whom we met on the beach in Hanalei when we first arrived in Kauai. 

See this link here from the day we met Vicki and Jerry. We only spent a few hours together on that special day.  They were leaving the next day but a friendship blossomed that we’ll always cherish and remember. We’ve been lucky to meet so many wonderful people here in Kauai!

I couldn’t resist posting this photo of Tom and Jerry, one more time, as we approach the end of our time in Kauai. Here it is! It bespeaks the fun we had that afternoon.

This photo makes us smile as we recall how lucky we were to meet Jerry and Vicki in January.

Today, Jerry wrote the following in his message. I blush over the accolades but so admire him for taking the time and effort to share his thoughts with us. Here it is:

“Hello Tom:  Some days, I speed read Jessica’s blogs.  Of late, I am hanging on every word.  I am so glad I/we met you and Jessica.  She says and writes what she thinks, in a way putting into simple words what we think, but somehow can’t get out.  Ah, what a teacher.  Teaching is a way to see the world thru nature and our interdependence on one another.  The May 13, 2015 blog was special.  It strikes one’s emotions and reminded me of a saying I once read in “golf in the kingdom”—-we are all kites in the wind, attached only by a mere thread.  but even a kite, a symbol of freedom in the wind, cannot fly without a conductor, someone to help it get going.  Thank you, Jerry, Hanalei Beach January 19, 2015, Kauai, Hawaii.”

Jerry, thank you!  Your words warm our hearts and validate the degree of effort we exercise daily in posting and sharing endless photos. We’ll always remember you both. But, as we soon leave Kauai in nine days, guess what? We’re taking you with us! As you hopefully continue to follow us each day!

                                               Photo from one year ago today, May 14, 2014:

Taking a few more photos in the souk as we wound down our last day in Marrakech, we spotted this colorful swirl of scarves. For details from that final date and our total expenses for the two and a half months in Morocco, please click here.

Tom loves cruising…I like cruising…Is that a problem for us? My food list…Homemade mayo recipe…

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A view of the Hanalei Wildlife Refuse from a hard to find overlook in Princeville. 

The tiny cabin is not an issue. Balcony cabins they’re often as small as 171 square feet (15.89 square meters) or as big as 194 square feet (18.02 square meters). Oddly, we adapt to it very well. The fact that we’re both tidy by not leaving out our clothing, shoes, and miscellaneous lying about, definitely helps.

Maneuvering around each other while dressing isn’t an issue either. After 10 cruises in the past 30 months, we’ve got it figured out. I go first in the morning, showering and dressing for the day and he goes first in the afternoon, doing the same, allowing me time to get ready to go out for the evening. 

Another view from the obscure overlook.

With few clothing options dressing for dinner is easy for us on cruises. Wear this. Wear that. That’s it. Since recently disposing of many worn out clothing, soon I’ll head to a women’s clothing store in the Princeville Mall to buy a few items for the upcoming cruise. They seem to have affordable and useful items that may work for me. 

Tom has a white dress shirt waiting to be mailed soon with our other supplies accumulating at our mailing service in Nevada. He’ll wear the shirt with black pants on dress up nights. We’ll post photos at the time.

Its relatively easy to find excellent scenic spots from most areas of Kauai.

With the size of the cabin being acceptable to me, what is my hesitation keeping me from loving it as opposed to my current “liking it?” Here are two reasons:

1.  The poor wifi connection makes it difficult for me to write and upload each day causing me considerable time and frustration.
2.  The food is challenging in both selection and taste. Our cruise representative at Vacations to Go has forwarded my food list to the upcoming cruise line, Royal Caribbean, to let them know what I can and can’t have. 

Crossing the one lane bridge over the Hanalei River.

I don’t believe I’ve ever posted this list. For those interested here it is:

No to the following in any form:

  • Wheat or any type of flour, bread, buns, crepes, pancakes, pastries, bagels, 
  • Grains:  rice, corn, quinoa, lentils, oatmeal
  • Fruit or fruit juice 
  • Starch: potatoes, potato starch, winter squash, beans (green beans ok), pasta 
  • Sugar, honey, agave, or sugar alternatives 
  • Chemicals:  MSG, food starch, additives 
  • Vegetable oils of any type except olive oil and nut oils
  • Soy sauce or any soy products
  • Gluten in any form 
  • Pre-made egg mix 
  • Yogurt, milk, or milk products (cheese OK) 
  • Dessert, even if gluten and sugar-free 
  • No foods labeled LOW FAT 
  • Bottled salad dressing or mayonnaise

Yes to these:

  • Beef, pork, poultry, wild caught fish and shellfish, nitrate free bacon or sausages made without gluten, starch or sugar
  • Escargot, made without gluten, starch or sugar 
  • Fois gras, made without gluten, starch or sugar   
  • Non starchy vegetables: such as aubergine (eggplant), peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, kale, spinach, cabbage, carrots (in moderation) cauliflower, etc. 
  • Fresh eggs 
  • Cheeses – non processed (good as a dessert without fruit or crackers on plate) 
  • Full fat cream 
  • Full fat sour cream
  • Full fat cream cheese
  • Homemade mayonnaise 
  • Full fat cream and butter reduction sauce made without thickener 
  • Olive oil, coconut oil, butter, homemade GF hollandaise sauce

When cooking at home, I tighten up this list, using only grass-fed meat, organic free range poultry and eggs, organic dairy, organic grass fed butter and organic produce.  On a cruise, I’m unable to get this buttoned-up list. For the upcoming 18 day cruise, I’ll manage.

View from an obscure overlook we found in Princeville.

On past cruises, I suffered no ill effects, eating in moderation; bacon, eggs and veggies for breakfast; protein source, veggies and salad (salad dressing is an issue) for dinner. Some chefs would make homemade mayo or hollandaise sauce for me which has worked well. All bottled mayo is made with soybean oil which I won’t eat, along with any other soy foods.

At home, I make mayonnaise using the following recipe:

Walnut Oil Mayonnaise
2 large egg yolks (I use pasteurized eggs for safety)
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoons powdered mustard powder
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 1/2 cup toasted walnut oil or other nut oil (other oils such as olive oil or coconut oil impart a strong taste whereby walnut oil or macadamia nut oil impart a subtle taste)

In a medium bowl combine egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard powder, and sale. Whisk until well combined for 30 seconds. Whisking constantly, add walnut oil a few drops at a time using a 1/4 teaspoon measure. Keep whisking and adding slowly until you’ve added about 1/4 cup of the walnut oil and mixture is noticeably lighter in color. Very slowly, add the remaining 1/2 cup oil in a thin stream until mayonnaise is thick and a creamy light yellow. If available, a blender may be used following the slow adding of the oil while blending at a low speed. Cover and keep chilled using within 2 weeks. Shake or stir before using. I store it in a glass jar with a lid.
Adding a few drops of sweetener or seasonings of your choice when serving adds a nice touch to the flavor when used as a salad dressing. Makes
approximately 2 cups. 

It’s highly unlikely the cruise line chef will make this recipe for me nor do I expect them to prepare any special dressings or sauces. At times, they bring me the list of ingredients on a bottled item to see if it works for me.  It’s seldom acceptable.

A  gnarly old tree on a secluded beach at Anini Beach.

Otherwise, a meal of plain seasoned protein, non-starchy vegetables, and a few slices of hard cheese will fill me for a meal. To ensure I get enough fat, I can easily add butter and/or olive oil.

Overlook view on a cloudy day.

As for Tom’s dietary habits on a cruise, he eats whatever appeals to him, often gaining two or three pounds on each cruise. Surprisingly, he doesn’t load up on a lot of sweets during the day, other than a few small cinnamon rolls at breakfast and a small dessert at dinner. 

Fences such as this are often used by property owners in an attempt to keep the wild pigs out. 
His taste buds control what he eats and often he finds pastries and desserts generally unappetizing after years of eating homemade desserts that I’d made in our old lives. Overall, we both enjoy cruising, baring these few issues. Ultimately, we have a fabulous time especially meeting other cruisers, often making new friends, and gaining many more new readers.
We never tire of this view, continuing to take new photos each time we’re nearby.

Recently, a cruise ship heading to Sydney ran into a bad storm at sea and was unable to dock at the port.  Here’s the story. This news doesn’t concern us a bit. We’ve already experienced 50-foot swells at sea. Anything less than that, we can handle.

We continue to visit the Laysan Albatross chicks every few days. At this point, this chick is almost as large as the parents. When she lifts a wing we can see pure white feathers beginning to fill in. Notice her feet as she settles her butt into the ground. We continue to share photos as they grow.

Have a fabulous spring weekend preparing your homes and yards for the upcoming summer. For those in the southern hemisphere where it’s currently the fall season, we’ll see you soon!

                                              Photo from one year ago today, April 24, 2014:

A view of the souk from an upper level. For details of that date, please click here.

An extraordinary evening with friends…

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Spotting these yellow tipped stamen on these Anthurium was a first for us.

Last night we made our way to Cathi and Rick’s beautiful home for dinner arriving at 5:45, smack dab in the middle of the suggested 5:30 to 6:00 pm. It’s funny when one is invited within a range of time how we contemplate whether to show up at the earliest point in the range or the latest or, in our case, the middle in order to play it safe. 

I only recall too well when we often invited dinner guests, how difficult it was when they showed at our door a little too early while we were still getting dressed or washing the kitchen floor after a messy day of cooking.

This is a view easily found in many backyards of homes in Princeville.

Having been out to dinner with Cathi and Rick in the past with another friend in attendance, and together at a few parties, the prospect of spending an evening at their home became much more intimate. 

As we all know, a four person dinner party can go one way or another with people you don’t know so well. In our old lives, we usually entertained longtime friends always able to count on having a fabulous evening. 

With the history of times spent together combined with mutual interests, humorous stories and lively banter, a good time was always expected and achieved. But, with new friends, it’s easy to experience a bit of trepidation as to how the evening will go.

The St. Regis Hotel down the road from us doesn’t seem to mind when tourists stop by for photos as we’ve done here.

Last night was no exception. Our inability to reciprocate by an invitation to our tiny condo leaves us feeling a little frustrated. Throw in the reality of my restrictive diet, inviting us could easily become a nightmare for a host.

To lighten the risk of any extra work for our hosts over what to cook we’ve always brought along a few items to add to any meat, fish or poultry dish they may be preparing. By doing so, the hosts can prepare any main dish and sides, they choose, leaving me a four or five ounce portion of the protein included in the dish.

Last night, we brought six of our homemade Low Carb Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins which they loved, (I’ve already sent Cathi the recipe this morning) and a low carb salad, hoping these additions would defray the concern. 

African Tulip trees are seen throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

I can easily recall how difficult it was over the years entertaining guests that were vegetarians or with certain food allergies, worrying there wouldn’t be enough food they could eat, resulting in my spending considerable time researching and preparing appropriate additions to the meal. This extra effort was never expected but was always appreciated.

With their plan to cook filet mignon and mahi mahi on their grill, we were thrilled. With no grills allowed at our condo, having grilled meat was appealing to both of us. It was delicious, cooked perfectly, seasoned with finesse. In addition, Cathi steamed a huge batch of al dente asparagus topped with butter, which added to our wonderful meal. 

Tropical plants and trees are blooming now that it’s spring. Hawaii’s year round warm climate experiences seasons, although they’re less pronounced than in other parts of the world.

The entire meal was comparable to one of those delicious meals we make for ourselves almost every single night; a protein, a vegetable, a salad and a low carb grain, starch and sugar free muffin. 

With our hosts at ease over the meal and us, especially at ease knowing I wasn’t having to refuse one item after another, the dining portion of our evening couldn’t have gone better. They set a Martha Stewart worthy table with linen napkins, woven placemats and Hawaii appropriate dinnerware. Add the candlelight on the lanai, a drink for Tom, drinks for themselves and the best iced tea I’d had in years.

At the end of the road at Anini Beach.

Many moons ago, when we lived in Minnesota, I’d often go to lunch at a chain restaurant with friends or client that has long since wafted away, the Good Earth. What I always remember about that “healthy” restaurant which eventually went out of business was their flavorful iced tea.

Last night, when Cathi poured me a glass of iced tea, my taste buds went into a frenzy over the spicy yet sweet (no sugar added of any kind) flavored tea. “This tea is amazing,” I told Cathi.

This may be a Fishtail Palm Tree.

“Its the same tea they served at the Good Earth restaurant many years ago,” she told me with a wide smile on her pretty face. We both broke into laughter. Indeed it was the Good Earth’s tea a remnant of years long ago, the exact same recipe.

Much to my surprise and delight, she insisted I accept an entire box of tea bags so I could make my own, at least while we’re still here in Kauai. I’ll savor each and every tea bag either hot or cold. She buys it online by the case. I wish I could do the same but, with baggage restrictions and space limitations doing so would be a frivolity.

From the dinner or the lanai, to standing at the granite topped island in their gorgeous kitchen in their equally gorgeous home, to Rick sharing some of his professional music skills with us, to sitting on the comfy sofa in their living room as the evening waned, every moment was memorable.

More interest buds on a scrub. 

The laughter, the freaky commonality that Cathi and I share in many details of our lives, the hysterical banter with Tom and Rick at times poking fun at us girls for our “overly detailed” organizational skills, every moment was filled with warmth and a blooming friendship one doesn’t easily find in this world.

This is in no manner is intended to diminish the quality of all the fabulous friends we’ve made both here in Kauai, Marloth Park and other parts of the world. 

Memories easily flood our minds of many friendships we’ve made in these past  months in Kauai, going back as far as our first few days on the island when we met Vicki and Jerry at Hanalei Beach or, the fabulous time we had last Friday night with Alice and Travis and of course, our friend Richard…and everyone in between.

New macro photo of tiny wild flowers, as small as a bean.

Perhaps, these friendships mean all the more to us with our vagabond lifestyle. Perhaps, the fact that we’ve simplified our lives to a degree that “less is more” we’ve come to appreciate friendships in an entirely new light.  That’s not to say we didn’t love and appreciate the friends in our old lives. We did more than we can say and will always love and miss them. But, everything is different now.

Oh, and I should mention that Cathi and Rick have also been to Kruger National Park on safari (soon to return) and fully grasp the power and depth of feeling such an experience embeds into one’s heart for a lifetime. 

We even went as far as to discuss the possibility of meeting up in Africa in the year of my 70th birthday (Tom’s pacifies me with this possibility when I say I miss Africa) to see what we all had missed; the gorillas in Rwanda, Victoria Falls, the Rovos Rail and more. One never knows what lies ahead.

Exquisite colorful plants and shrubs are found everywhere in the Hawaiian Islands.

For now, they’ve invited us to two more events, both beach parties, both coming up this weekend, both of which we’ll excitedly attend. We thank them for including us in their lives, for opening up their home and their hearts to us, for the laughter and for an evening we’ll always remember.

To respect their privacy, we haven’t included any photos of them or their home. However, snapshots of our evening together will always have a place in our hearts and minds.

                                             Photo from one year ago today, April 16, 2014:

My dinner plate, a mixed grill, one year ago in Marrakech at a local restaurant in the souk was excellent. Our story described the nuances of living with a household staff of our, two of whom were in attendance almost daily from 9 am until 7:00 pm. Please click here for details.

Full Moon Party tonight!…Decided on a pu pu…Recipe sharing…Today’s post is for “foodies” only…

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Not quite sunset, sunny views over the bay.

Whenever we bring a dish to share, we consider the tastes of the other guests rather than impose a recipe that is only befitting our dietary concerns. Many recipes for delicious and outrageously contrary-to-our-way-of-eating are my appetizer recipes from years ago, still taking up space in my brain.

Recently, when we invited a couple (who were on vacation) to our home for happy hour, I made an old favorite from the days when Tom and I first met and we entertained quite a bit. It’s high carb, high fat, high starch, and high sugar, which I never eat but, Tom does on occasion.

The rushing waters below at high tide.

Please share this recipe below with your friends who have no illness, no high blood sugar or diabetes, no heart disease, no clogged arteries, no dementia, no risk of Alzheimer’s disease, no pain, no signs of inflammation anywhere in their body, and, aren’t overweight and can eat anything they want without gaining weight. For those lucky folks, here’s the recipe we’re bringing tonight, which is NOT SUITABLE for my way of eating:

Jess’s Apricot Almond Brie en Croute 
1 medium-sized round Brie cheese
¾ cup apricot jam (not jelly)
½ cup slivered almonds
1 package refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2 T melted butter 

Preheat oven to 350.  Cover a baking pan with nonstick tin foil or parchment paper. Top the unwrapped Brie cheese with apricot jam. Sprinkle half of the almonds atop the jam.  Pinch all the seams together of the entire package of crescent rolls and carefully wrap the dough all the way around with the Brie keeping the jam side up. Make it look as nice as possible, leaving no gaps or holes. This takes one minute. Brush melted butter over the top. Poke holes in various spots in the top to allow it to expand during baking.  While butter is still moist, add the remaining almonds to the top.  Use a spatula to transfer it to the prepared baking pan. 

Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or less, checking to ensure the top doesn’t get too brown during the last 10 minutes (based on how hot your oven cooks).  This dish is very hot. Be careful handling it. Serve with a variety of crackers and plates, forks, and knives. May be prepared 48 hours in advance and cooked at the time of serving. Reheats well in the microwave.

When our guests visited, they loved this recipe so much they asked for it which prompted me to finally write it down for them via a PDF document. I hadn’t made this dish in years. 

Late afternoon sun over the sea.

I suppose I have hundreds of recipes stuck in my brain, not unlike the useless documents and files we end up transferring from an old computer to a new computer over and over again as we make new computer purchases. How I wish that one day I’d feel rambunctious enough to remove that clutter.

And, how I wish I could remove the clutter of old recipes from my brain in the same rambunctious manner.  Yesterday, I found myself looking for a recipe for Moo Shu Pork, a favorite I often made when preparing a meal of Chinese food. (Is it PC to still call it “Chinese food?” I could call it Asian food but there are many regions of Asia that cook many different styles of food. Hopefully, I don’t offend anyone).

Why was I looking for this recipe, so far removed from my modern-day reality? I’d found a recipe on Dr. William Davis (Wheat Belly) site for low carb, grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free tortillas, which could substitute for the Mandarin pancakes required in the recipe for Moo Shu Pork. I thought if I could find my recipe for the food that goes inside the Mandarin pancakes (like a tortilla), I could adapt it to my way of eating.

A pair of Nene birds, Hawaii’s state birds, wander around the golf course which they seem to love.

Oh, dear, I’d better post Dr. Davis’s tortilla recipe or I’ll get 100 email messages asking for it (of which I always, happily and quickly respond to each):

Dr. William Davis (Wheat Belly) Tortilla Recipe 
Make 4 tortillas      
1 cup golden flaxseed, ground
4 tablespoons almond meal or 4 tablespoons almond flour
1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with parchment paper. Add ground flax seeds, almond meal/flour, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk together. Whisk in the eggs just until combined. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls.  Using 2 pieces of parchment paper, roll each ball between pieces until 6” round. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden.

After I spent considerable time looking for a recipe similar to my old version of Moo Shu Pork, casually mentioning it to Tom he said, “I never really liked that dish anyway. Don’t bother to make it for me.”

Oh. it was one of those dishes I made in our “younger days” when he was courting me while pretending to like my “non-meat and potatoes” recipes. Now that we’re old, he doesn’t try so hard to impress me. My feelings aren’t hurt. I’ll make the tortillas and use them for my adapted recipe for Mexican food (Is that OK to say?)

A gnarly tree trunk at the edge of the golf course.

Anyway, here’s the third recipe of the day for which we received zillions of requests after mentioning it in a post a few days ago; low carb grain-free, sugar-free, starch-free high fat protein bars. 

I found this recipe online and adapted it to my taste and way of eating and voila, its a heavenly dessert, energy booster, and plain and simple meal substitute loaded with nutrients that won’t raise a person’s blood sugar if eaten in moderation, the size of an average protein bar. 

A strained branch holding a cluster of bananas.

From all the research I’ve done thus far as a layperson, on what foods raise blood sugar and subsequently increase inflammation I began testing my own blood sugar. In doing so it proved to me that eating any foods in excessive amounts, even low carb foods, can raise one’s blood sugar, even if I ate too large of a portion of protein, for example, a huge steak.  Moderation is always the key in life, isn’t it? 

Watching animals in the wild was a good lesson for me about eating in moderation, eating only until one is satisfied and not uncomfortably full. Animals never overeat (other than our household pets if we’ve  been feeding them “people food”). 

I believe this is papaya tree.

Wild animals only eat until full and comfortable. We never saw a lion while on safari eating the last morsel off the carcass he’d killed. He/she was always leaving some to savor at a later time, with the female leaving some for her cubs or often letting the cubs eat before her. Not so much with the males who would often steal the food from the females, never sharing with the female or her cubs.

If you make these delicious bars, please place individual portions into baggies to store in the freezer, taking out one bag at a time to eat frozen. They are so good they could trigger a frenzy of overeating.

Here’s the recipe:

Jess’s Low Carb High Fat Keto Bars
1 cup organic extra virgin coconut oil, melted (Don’t use
microwave.  Use room temperature)

1 cup organic almond butter
½ cup any lowest-carb protein powder (I used hemp)
1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened (the large unsweetened coconut chips  found in the healthy section in grocery stores or a health food shop, are good to use)

½ cup chopped almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans or
hazelnuts (I used macadamia nuts, grown here in the Hawaiian Islands)

½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup unsweetened cocoa chips (found in health food stores)
1/3 cup erythritol or other preferred 0 carb sweetener,  (found in health food stores)
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp Himalayan or sea salt
Whisk together oil, nut butter, protein powder until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and stir. Pour onto lined parchment paper baking pan being careful to have pan fully covered with parchment.  Cover and place in freezer until frozen (3 hours).  Break or cut into bar size pieces, keeping single servings in plastic bags in the freezer.  Keep and eat frozen.

These low carb recipes that I post are suitable for a low-carb way of eating where the body is burning its own fat stores for fuel, not burning the sugar we’ve consumed. These recipes are not intended to be eaten in combination with sugary, high calorie, high-fat food for which in doing so may increase in weight could result.  Burning our own fat for fuel is referred to as “ketosis”, not ketoacidosis, a dangerous life-threatening condition.  These are two entirely different metabolic states. The reading material in the following paragraph explains this further.

For more on the science surrounding the low carb, high fat, grain, starch, and sugar-free way of eating which causes our bodies to burn our own fat for fuel and subsequently reduces inflammation, please read, Dr. William Davis (Wheat Belly) or Dr. David Perlmutter’s  book Grain Brain, and Jonathan Bailor’s books, all of whom have highlighted my story on their websites and in Jonathan’s recent book, Eat More, Lose More (about health) in which there is a full story and photo on my return to good health after an over 20-year struggle.

Here’s a link to my story which was posted on their sites a few years ago, all of which are similar.

A boat, filled to the max, looks for the last vestiges of the humpback whales, many of which have already begun the journey to Alaska for the summer.

These three links I’ve provided above today are direct to their free blogs in the event you want to read more before buying their books if, in fact, the subject matter appeals to you.  I wouldn’t be traveling the world, pain-free if it weren’t for the science presented in these professional’s books and websites.

Enough for today. No preaching intended. Write if you have questions.

Aloha.

Photo from one year ago today, April 4, 2014:

The colors in the displays in the souks were astounding. Four of our senses were all in full on mode as we wandered through the maze-like environment; the smells, the sights, the sounds, and the touch of the fabrics. As for taste, we proceeded with caution, never dining on any of the food in the Big Square, the Medina for fear it would contain ingredients contrary to my diet or potential gastrointestinal distress. For more details, please click here.

52 days and counting…Two years upcoming in the South Pacific…Has our stay in Kauai been too long?…

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Finding bananas and any fruit growing while on a walk is always delightful.

It’s hard to believe that in only 52 days we’ll be leaving Hawaii. As of today, we’ve been in the Hawaiian Islands for exactly 180 days when our ship, the Celebrity Solstice, arrived for a tour of the islands.

The pods from which bananas grow. We saw these in Madeira but they were a different variety.

It was on October 5th, that we disembarked the ship when it docked in Honolulu, Oahu, where we spent 11 days in a condo in Waikiki Beach. Next, we spent six weeks in Maui, six weeks on the Big Island of Hawaii, and now, the time is passing quickly as we make our way into the final days of over four months in Kauai.

Queen Emma Giant Spider Lily.

We’re confident that we visited the islands in the correct order. Kauai has been the perfect island on which to spend the longest period as mentioned in a zillion previous posts. 

When we originally discussed spending four-plus months in Kauai, we cringed over the concept of such a long stay which proved to be the longest period in any one location since we began our travels almost 30 months ago. Looking to the future, we have no intentions of staying in any one location for longer than 90 days with the exception of Bali, where we’ll stay twice for 59 days with a two-month gap in between.

The condos on the right have a fabulous view of the sea and sunset, but the walk down to the beach can be difficult for some. We’ve done it once and may not tackle it again.

The fact that we could take a cruise to Australia, rather than fly, making the journey itself an extraordinary experience, greatly contributed to our desire to stay in Kauai for this extended period. 

Another influential factor was our desire to stay put for a while after the expense of the family holiday on the Big Island over Christmas. Staying in one location provides us with an opportunity to financially recover when moving about always ups the expenses.

Overlooking the ocean on a sunny day.

Having paid, in part, as stipulated in various upcoming rental agreements and for upcoming cruises, we have less than $20,000 outstanding for rentals for the remainder of 2015, greatly putting our minds at ease. These sums are spread over a series of months as we near arriving at the various locations, making it not such a hard pill to swallow, all at once.

As the days quickly pass, in another month, we’ll begin thinking about packing, including the products we’re accumulating at our mailing service in Nevada that we have yet to be shipped. We continue to contemplate and research the availability of items in the South Pacific.

There’s always “vog” in the mountains, although, the stunning coloration of the hills can be easily be seen. 

Tom’s three pairs of jeans, cargo shorts, a staple in his limited wardrobe, are threadbare. We tossed one pair a few days ago and once the three new pairs arrive, we’ll probably toss the rest. Jeans are heavy, adding greatly to our baggage weight. 

Several of my tee shirts are being beckoned by the garbage can as well as some of my old shorts. When recently, I’d purchased and had shipped, four new pairs of shorts from Old Navy I ruined one in the laundry when I’d left two gel cap magnesium pills in the pocket which I take with dinner each night.

On a walk by myself, I was enthralled by the view as I approached our condo (not shown in this photo).

We’d gone out to dinner and I’d stuck the two pills in the pocket, hoping to remember to take them at the restaurant. We were having such fun that I forgot to take the pills. When checking the pockets before washing, I didn’t reach deep enough into the pocket to take them out.

Alas, the pills ruined the shorts in a bleach-like manner. Thank goodness, they didn’t ruin the remainder of the dark-colored laundry. Gee, and I swallow these? 

Pink Ginger plant with colorful leaves.

I’m stuck wearing these ruined shorts around the house almost daily in hopes of wearing them out enough to give them the “heave-ho” before we leave. I’m not about to pack a pair of ruined shorts in my luggage when space is limited.

With more supplies yet to arrive in the next package from our mailing service, we continue to search online and consider the availability of certain products we frequently use in our travels that may not be available in the South Pacific; our special toothpaste, a few cosmetic items, a few adapters suitable for the upcoming locations (lessons learned from burning out the old adapters).

This was the first time we’d taken photos from this side of the Pali Ka Kua condos in our area.

Tom is still wearing his original batch of tee shirts. He, unlike me, will wear the same tee-shirt over and over again (while I wash it every other day), until it finally bites the dust.  You’ve probably noticed this in the photos I’ve taken of him. 

In our old lives, we’d only wear a tee shirt one time and wash it.  Now, we wear them twice, extending the life of the shirt by 100%. It’s the washing and drying that wears out clothing. In the South Pacific, our clothing will be hanging outside to dry, again extending their life by about 25%. Clothes dryers are seldom used outside the US.

The Makai Golf Course runs through many areas of Princeville, creating beautiful scenery.

Whoever thinks of this stuff but us? None of this ever entered our minds in our old lives; the long-term preservation of clothing. If a sock had a hole, we tossed it and the entire pair if it didn’t match any others. 

All of our socks are of the same brand and style. If one sock is tossed, we save the mate which goes into the flow with the others, eventually finding a mate.

Considerable amounts of lava rock exist in Kauai, although most beaches are sandy.

This may all appear to fall into the mindless drivel category. For us, what may appear to be trivial and unimportant falls into a category of mundane conscientiousness that somehow, we both manage to address in our daily lives.

Today? Soon we’ll be off to the pool and fitness center and later, the market. Saturday night is yet another outdoor Full Moon Party, hosted by dear friend Richard. We plan to show early to help Richard set up the tables and chairs in the vacant lot used for this event, the second month in a row.

We’ve seldom seen such bright colors as there are in Hawaii. These appear to be a type of Plumeria, flowers used in making leis.

We’re deciding on which pu pu we’ll prepare to bring to the party. Many of these events stipulate that guests bring a pu pu to share, I’m running out of ideas. I love it that my big challenge of this week is which pu pu to make! Any suggestions?

                                              Photo from one year ago today, April 2, 2014:

Taking a cab in Marrakech, we wandered through a neighborhood with many shops and restaurants. For details from that date, please click here.

Julie’s last moments in Kauai…Tender…Touching…Terrific…A brilliant sunset!…

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Oh, sun, what you do to us in our perpetual pursuit of the perfect sunset.

Yesterday, Julie and I returned to several of her favorite spots before she had to leave for the airport to return to her home in Los Angeles, California.  We revisited several of her favorite spots; the town on Hanalei for another sushi roll at the fish market behind Dolphin restaurant; a visit to see the Laysan albatross chicks and their parents; a stop at the overlook on the road to Hanalei.

A view of few tide pools from the grounds of the condos across the street.

She went with me on her last trip to the Princeville Center to the Foodland grocery store to buy ingredients to make a pu pu to share for tonight’s movie night at Bev and Sam’s home.  It will be the last movie night for us with our pending upcoming departure in two months.

Hideaway’s Beach at dusk.

A trip to Foodland became a laugh fest for Julie and I with the parking lot always filled with hens, chicks and roosters scurrying about hoping for a crumb from shoppers and diners from the various nearby cafes and restaurants. 

In a good spot to see the sunset, we couldn’t help but relish this view.

We laughed a lot about the chickens which are found everywhere one goes in Kauai, whether the parking lot at a market, a farmer’s market, a roadside stand, the sand at the beach or on the side of the road as one drives in any direction.

Although some locals protest over their annoyance, most are tolerant and some even find them endearing as we do.  Their constant presence is another reason for Kauai’s charm, found in every direction, down every road.

What a view!

To add to Julie’s final day, I made a dinner of corned beef and cabbage which I’d hoped to make on St. Patrick’s Day when instead we went out to dinner, the three of us and friend Richard.  With her flight not until 10:00 pm, it all worked out well.

A week ago, Foodland had offered a coupon that could be used for a free uncooked corned beef, you know, the one in the plastic with the little packet of spices along with a head of cabbage.  Of course, I used my “accumulated points” on my rewards card for the corned beef and head of cabbage.

Every Friday evening around sunset, we can see Norwegian’s Pride of America at over a mile from shore, as it passes on it’s week long cruise throughout all of the Hawaiian Islands.

When Julie and I returned from the grocery store, we noticed extra pairs of shoes outside our door upon entering.  Opening the door we saw Tom sitting at our dining table with a couple he’d met across the street at the lookout when he was whale watching, somewhat of an obsession he’s taken up this past months.

There sat Cheryl and Paul, a lovely couple, a bit younger than us, who by coincidence were also from Minnesota.  Tom had invited them over when pelting rain suddenly poured from the sky as they all were whale watching.

Yesterday, it rained most of the day and dark clouds were still looming.

The lively conversation was easy to step into.  They stayed for another hour as we exchanged email addresses hoping to be in touch before they leave in another week.  How funny!  My hubby “picking up” a lovely couple and bringing them home in the rain.  That’s my guy!

Adding to last night’s dinner was the leftover homemade German Chocolate cake that both Julie and Tom savored over a few days.  I also included those giant Grands biscuits, a treat for Julie and Tom, boiled potatoes and rainbow carrots cooked in the pot during the last 90 minutes. 

As the sun makes it’s final descent.  Its hard to believe how quickly the sunset disappears from sight.

We savored the dinner at 6:00 pm to ensure Julie had plenty of time for last minute details and for us to take a quick trip across the road to see the sunset from the grounds of the condo complex.  This explains today’s sunset photos.

A stunning view of Holes 6 and 7 at the Makai Golf Course that overlooks the ocean.

Saying goodbye to Julie we wondered when we’d see each other again when our plans include two years in the South Pacific, a very long distance from the US.  I held back the tears in an effort to stay strong for my younger sister (eight years), but she succumbed, sad and bereft over what the future holds as to when we’ll see each other once again.

A long Kolea bird on the grass at our feet.

I’ve often reminded her that on occasion with her living in Los Angeles and us in Minnesota, there were many periods of time that we wouldn’t see each other for a few years, staying in close touch by phone as we do now.  But, she says, that’s different.  We’ll be so far away.  We understand.  Its the nature of our lives.

Shortly after taking the above photos, Tom quickly drove us over to his favorite lookout spot when we got these final shot.  We don’t know the guy in this photo.

Now, Tom and I are settled back into our easy routine, firmly ensconced in our pleasant day to day lives, free of stress and worry, filled with the joy of our exquisite current surroundings and possessing a twinkle in our eyes of what is yet to come.

Moments later, darkness fell and we wandered back indoors.

Today, we’ll clean our condo and I’ll make our pu pu for tonight, a apricot almond Brie en croute with a variety of crackers.  Its nothing I can eat but perhaps a bite of last night’s leftovers of tender corned beef, cabbage and carrots will be on the menu before we head out the door.

Its Saturday night!  Enjoy!
_______________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, March 21, 2014:

As we’ve traveled the world, we’ve made a point of watching movies about the country in which we’re living.  A year ago living in Morocco, we watched one of my favorite movies, Casablanca which was a first for Tom.  For details from that date, please click here.

A night out on the town…Dinner for four…Fun times…People photos at last!…

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Julie and I, happy to be together at long last. The last time we saw her was when she came to San Diego on January 3, 2013, to see us off on the ship, our first trip outside the US on our year’s long journey. Now, here we are together again, 26 months later.

Hoping for a reprieve from cooking, we decided dinner out for Tom, Julie and I and friend Richard on St. Patrick’s Day was a perfect idea. Meeting at Bubba’s Burgers in downtown Hanalei, we wandered across the street to Bouchons Grill, an establishment with mixed reviews at TripAdvisor.

My sister Julie was ready for her Mai Tai.

We are not unlike other diners, at times throwing the mediocre reviews in the wind and going for ambiance and fun atmosphere over exquisite dining. With my way of eating, quality ingredients are my choice over fancy sauces and multi-ingredients recipes and courses. 

Richard was ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with us.

Although we’d have loved for Julie to experience highly-rated local restaurants, we knew she wouldn’t enjoy herself, nor would Tom or Richard if there was nothing on the menu that worked for me. At Bouchons it not only worked out well for me, but the others as well, enjoying good fresh food at reasonable prices.

Tom and Richard toasting on St. Patrick’s Day.

With Kobe beef on the menu, I opted for a burger, cooked medium, atop a salad of fresh greens which was delicious. Tom had the teriyaki chicken and ribs, Julie had their house special which is always fish and chips and, Richard devoured the macadamia encrusted mahi-mahi. 

Nothing like Mai Tai’s for three to start the night.

Added to their luscious looking Mai Tai’s and my perfectly prepared unsweetened iced tea, we were happy diners with the over-the-top-service and playful atmosphere in the open-air dining establishment, more often frequented by tourists than locals from what we could determine. Richard said he’d never tried this restaurant after many years on the island.

Richard had the macadamia nut encrusted mahi-mahi with roasted potatoes and mango salsa. 

Arriving at 6:45, we had no trouble getting a table. By 7:30, it was packed.  Whether it was due to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations or usual circumstances in a busy tourist season, we had no idea. Surely, Tom and I will return at least once more before we leave the island in a little over two months.

Julie had the house special, fish, and chips, which she said had a light batter, wasn’t greasy, and tasted “fantastic.”

Since it was son Richard’s birthday, we decided to let friend Richard represent son Richard’s birthday. After dinner, he enjoyed a  slice of frozen chocolate mint birthday cake with three forks included in today’s photos.

The total bill for four with drinks, dessert, and a generous tip was a total of $140, not bad for a popular tourist town like Hanalei or anywhere on the island for that matter. What impressed me the most was the special care our waiter took attending to my order. In reality, my diet causes little fussing;  meat without added starches or sugar, greens, and vegetables without sauce.  Easy. 

Tom had the teriyaki chicken and ribs, fries, and a small side salad.  He too said his meal was delicious.
Often I order a little cup of mayonnaise for dipping which seems to have no ill effects. He was right on the ball, checking back to ensure everything was perfect. It’s this kind of service that inspires us to return to a restaurant along with fresh food served hot and flavorful. It’s not a lot to ask and yet seems to be a challenge for some establishments throughout the world.  

Last night, Wednesday, we were invited to new friends Bev and Sam’s beautiful home for dinner. It was a potluck as is often the case here in the islands with the outrageous costs for food.  We love that concept and I enjoyed cooking and bringing our share. Also, I baked Julie’s favorite cake German Chocolate which I’d always made for her on her birthday in years past.

Here’s my grilled Kobe beef burger atop a bed of fresh greens. I swapped the salad dressing on the right for the mayo when I detected sugar in it. Few salad dressings work for my way of eating.

There was no way I was keeping that cake away from Tom when this is also his favorite. To keep them both happy, I made a double batch, leaving a cake at home for them to devour over the next few days. They’ll have no trouble accomplishing this feat when I just noticed Tom cutting himself a lofty piece for breakfast when he usually has this low carb egg thing I make in case he’s hungry. 

We had a lovely evening with Bev and Sam in their gorgeous comfortable home. Julie, having won an Emmy Award for producing the PBS TV series, “Gardens of the World” with Audrey Hepburn years ago, was pleased to have Bev give her the tour of their exquisite gardens. Most recently, Julie was one of the producers on another TV series, America Now with Leeza Gibbons. See photo below.

Julie on the left on the production set with production associate Dana, Lulu (singer, “To Sir with Love”), Leeza Gibbons, former co-host of a syndicated news show, America Now, (and recent winner of Celebrity Apprentice).

As I watched him take out the egg thing from the refrigerator (I made a new batch yesterday), I almost saw the light bulb go off in his head when he remembered the cake. He put the square of the egg dish back into the container and back into the refrigerator with a smile on his face as he cut off a piece of the cake. In a funny way, I was happy to see him enjoy a treat for a change when otherwise, he meticulously dines “my way” when we dine in (not so much when dining out).

Sadly, tomorrow night Julie leaves. Its been wonderful having her here with us. Luckily, there have been a few sunny days during her stay and she’s been able to lounge on the beach as well as see many of the local sights, many more of which we’ve yet to share here.

In a few months, we’ll be far away making it difficult for anyone to visit us. It’s a long way from Australia to the US, a 21 hour time difference from where we are now in Hawaii, a 16 hour time difference from central time in the US mainland. The world is a big place and we’ve yet to explore the “tip of the iceberg.”  Oh yes, we plan to go there too.

                                               Photo from one year ago today, March 19, 2014:

This was the only photo we posted on this date, one year ago. Stepping on grates is hazardous and we posted this as a reminder to other travelers to stay off of these. Attempting to recover from the intestinal illness I’d had since our first meal in a restaurant in Morocco, I succumbed, almost three weeks later,  to beginning a dose of Cipro which much to our delight started working within hours. What a relief! For details from that date, please click here.

Response to requests for recipes for low carb meal shown on March 1st and more…Last year’s first day in Marrakech…A visual explosion of color!

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This is an African Tulip Tree with the pod that blooms into these gorgeous flowers.

Tom says I mention food too often on this site. Let’s face it, we eat every day. It’s a big part of all of our lives.  Some of us obsess over it. Others could care less about food, only eating what is readily available and easy.  Others, like me, enjoy planning meals, grocery shopping, and cooking for daily meals.

Although I’ve lost interest in spending hours cooking, I still find a certain degree of satisfaction in preparing meals for our way of eating, at times challenging. Tom, who’s a picky eater, makes it all the more challenging.

Seedpod from the Pandanas Screw Palm. These are often the size of a grapefruit or larger.

At any given time, we have beef, pork, chicken, and fish in the freezer (or fresh when available) in varying forms; steaks, patties, fillets, chops, ground, and such. In many cases, the meat is locally grown and grass-fed and the chickens are free-range eating only natural vegetation as opposed to being grain-fed.

With a severe sensitivity to grains of any type, if a cow eats grains, there is no doubt those grains will be passed on to the consumer. As a result, it’s a necessity for me to eat grass-fed sources of protein when possible. On occasion when not available, I’ve had no obvious ill effects from a single incident of eating grain-fed meat or non-organic vegetables.

Jetties provide a more sheltered swimming area for safe swimming. Many other beaches are often rough and dangerous with riptides in more open areas.  It’s important to check online to determine safe areas to swim. Please click this link for a list of safe beaches in Kauai.

Hawaii’s farmers and citizens are passionate about non-GMO, grass-fed meats and organic vegetables, readily available in most local markets. Although prices are usually higher for these options on the mainland, much to our surprise, it’s been less expensive to purchase grass-fed meats and organic produce here in Hawaii than in other parts of the US, from what I recall when shopping over two years ago.

As a matter of fact, we’ve experienced excellent availability of grass-fed meat and organic produce in all of the countries in which we’ve lived to date. Yes, it’s pricey to shop here in Hawaii, but the more I become familiar with prices and products, I see our grocery bill inching downward.

Coconut trees are often found along the beaches often with more coconuts growing than we’ve seen further from the shore.

Another factor is that at this point in time, we’ve accumulated an inventory of the many staple ingredients we commonly use. If only we could send these items to Australia without paying customs fees and high shipping costs. Incurring these extra costs negates the value of shipping ingredients ahead of us.

With 89 days upcoming in Trinity Beach, Australia, as always, we have no choice but to purchase these staples once again. If we only ate a protein source and non-starchy vegetables, we’d avoid purchasing many of these staples. But, who wants a steak, veggies, and salad one night, and chicken, veggies, and salad the next? It becomes too boring.

The sparkling waters from the morning sun.

The meatloaf and muffin recipes listed below are perfect examples of additional items needed to add interest to our meals.  Last night, Tom had two pork chops, broccoli salad, green beans, and one low carb lemon poppy seed muffin which I made yesterday (recipe below).

I had a seafood plate with grilled yellowfin tuna, cod and scallops, fresh broccoli, salad, and a muffin. It’s not unusual that a few times a week we have two different entrees, based on the fact that he doesn’t care for fish, except for a rare occasion lobster tail or serving of crab legs.

Most beaches in the Hawaiian Islands have areas not suitable for sunbathing and swimming as is the case here.

Part of our lives revolves around the nourishment of our bodies with food and, the nourishment of our emotions with the planning and preparation of how we’ll accomplish this never-ending feat. Every day is a new day and the process begins again.

Many may perceive that my restrictive way of eating which I’ve adopted three and a half years ago as a lifetime commitment, is limiting and unsatisfying. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I live a pain-free life, easily maintaining a steady weight to ensure my meager wardrobe still fits and I find the challenge of making it work from country to country all the more challenging.

The Queen Emma lily.

Since arriving in Hawaii, I’ve researched and revised recipes to see if they work for our limitations and Tom’s taste buds. Our former list of only 10 favorite meals, as is typical for most families, has suddenly grown to 20 favorites. The search will continue as we try more and more recipes.

Included today is the recipe for the low carb, grain-free, starch-free, sugar-free muffins, and biscuits we have with dinner most evenings. I know. Variety is good. 

Kealia Beach in Kapaa is an easily accessible beach with ample parking, restrooms, picnic benches, and grills, a perfect spot for a day at the beach.

Escaping the temptation to repeat and repeat is difficult when one finds a particular recipe appealing. As I continue to search for more variety, these muffins topped with a glob of real butter, are hitting the spot, satisfying the desire to have the taste and feel of a bread-like item. At less than two carbs each, it’s a no brainer!

Here is the repeated photo that generated a number of requests for recipes, all of which are listed below.

Sweeteners included in low carb recipes always precipitate questions. You may use any sweetener you feel is best for you, your health, and your preferences. 

Jess’s
Low Carb Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup low carb ketchup (Heinz has a low sugar option)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds grass-fed ground beef

4 hardboiled eggs
12 strips nitrate free (or regular) bacon

Boil the eggs, cool, and peel, keeping them whole.

Combine everything except the bacon and hardboiled eggs in a large bowl. Mix well then shape into the bottom
half of one large loaf using ½ of the meat mixture.

Evenly place the hardboiled eggs into the center from end to end. Top with the remaining ½ of the meat mixture, sealing the two sections evenly and tightly.

Lay the whole bacon strips across the width of the loaf tucking the ends underneath the loaf. Bake at 350 degree for one hour or make into two loaves and bake for 45 minutes. 

If bacon isn’t fully cooked, turn on the broiler and set the kitchen timer for 30 seconds and broil until bacon is
cooked, repeating if necessary.  Watch the timer carefully.

Makes 8 servings

Here’s an extra recipe I’ve thrown in today’s mix. For the past few weeks, we’ve had one of these muffins with dinner each night.At first, the flavor is a little off-putting but by the second bite, the good flavors hit home.

Jess’s Low Carb Coconut Flour Drop Biscuits

8 eggs

½ cup melted butter or coconut
oil

6 packets of choice of sweetener or 12 drops liquid sweetener

½ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 375.


Line a baking pan with parchment and drop by spoonful.

Blend all ingredients, mixing well.

Bake for 15 minutes until lightly brown.

Makes 8 biscuits.

Two grams carb per muffin.
This is how a baked Low Carb Lemon Poppy Seed muffin looks. If over-baked they become extremely dry. 

Jess’s Low Carb Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
These muffins are intended for those choosing a low carb, grain-free, starch-free, and sugar-free diet. They do not have the texture or flavor of a typical muffin of this type and the sweeteners may add a taste one finds less desirable. Tom likes these!

2 cups almond flour or almond meal
1 cup golden flax meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 cups of a granular sweetener you choose to use (I use 40 drops of liquid sucralose
which doesn’t contain chemical fillers, available online at Amazon.com)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons pure lemon extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup water
4 eggs, beaten
In a medium bowl, stir together the almond flour, flax meal, baking powder, salt, poppy seeds, and sweetener. In another larger bowl add the melted butter and all of the other ingredients.  Pour the dry ingredients into the larger bowl and stir gently with a spatula. Don’t over stir. The batter will be thick. Using a tablespoon drop dollops into muffin papers. 

Bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until tops very are lightly browned

Makes 18 small muffins or 9 jumbo muffins. We freeze them, taking out a few as needed an hour before eating. For extra moistness, microwave muffins for 15 seconds, then cut open and add
butter. The recipe may be halved if preferred.
Two carbs per small muffin.
 
Yesterday, I made these 18 muffins in three batches when the muffin tin we have on hand is for only six muffins.

                                             Photo from one year ago today, March 3, 2014:

Within 25 feet of our front door down a short hallway, we were inside the souks. The colors, the endless displays of merchandise was like nothing we’d ever seen.  For details of our first day in Marrakech, please click here.

A delightful lunch at the Princeville Westin with friends…Many new photos…A year ago, a special visitor awaiting us…

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One of three pools at the Princeville Westin, where we met Elaine and Richard for lunch on Friday.

Seldom dining out in an effort to keeps costs at bay and to avoid foods not acceptable to my way of eating, we were pleasantly surprised when the Nanea Restaurant at the Westin Hotel not only had numerous options for me but also, served quality meals at affordable prices.

Entrance to the restaurant at the Princeville Westin.

We’d invited Elaine and Richard as our guests as a small token for all the kindness they’ve shown us since we arrived in Kauai, in introducing us to many of their friends and including us in social events. A small token, a lunch, but they both expressed a preference for going to lunch as opposed to an evening meal.

The lunch menu at Nanea, the Westin’s main dining room.

Although I rarely eat lunch, on occasion Tom may have a light breakfast or lunch to hold him through the day.  Based on my way of eating, I’m seldom hungry until dinner time.

My delicious lunch included a grass-fed burger with cheese, grilled onions and bacon, and a side salad.

However, there’s an exception. When an appetizing platter of befitting food is set in front of me, the sight and smell certainly fire up my appetite allowing me to enjoy a midday meal on a rare occasion.

Tom orders whatever he’d like when dining out. Here’s his burger with both fries and onion rings which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Such was the case yesterday at the Princeville Westin, an upscale resort and hotel popular attracting many travelers to the area with most rooms starting at the low $400 range. Rated 4.5 stars out of 5 at TripAdvisor, we decided a walk on the grounds may prove interesting and entertaining after our lunch with friends.

Elaine and Richard shared a meal of fried fish, fries, onion rings, and a fruit plate.

We weren’t disappointed as we wandered the grounds with fantastic ocean views, three luxurious swimming pools, an outdoor massage area, and lots of space for relaxing in the balmy trade winds.

Fresh orchids on display at the hotel.

The food at lunch was fresh and delicious with the chef totally complying with my dietary request of no starch, no grain, no sugar, and low carb, allowing me to enjoy a full meal in a restaurant.

Our friends, Elaine and Richard, have been wonderful to us.

With beverages (Tom ordered a beer, the three of us had iced tea) and entrees (Elaine and Richard shared an entrée and ordered a side fruit plate), our total bill with tax and tip came to $88.66, not bad for the upscale environment. We anticipate that dinner for two with a few drinks could stay under $100, not bad for the otherwise pricey Princeville.

After lunch, Richard showed us the koi pond near the restaurant.

After over three weeks on Kauai to date, this was only the second time we dined in a restaurant.  Having access to most of the ingredients we usually use to make our favorite meals has kept us content to dine at home, as opposed to a few times a week at some other places we’ve lived.

Wandering the grounds after lunch we spotted this outdoor massage hut.

Dining out is no novelty to either of us nor has it ever been. Since I continue to enjoy cooking to some degree, I never feel burdened to whip up a good dinner for only the two of us. 

Add more people to the mix and cooking becomes more challenging when others don’t necessarily eat as we do which includes a protein, a few veggies, and a salad which I can usually pull together in 20 minutes or less. With the expectation of a starchy side dish, bread or rolls and a dessert cooking for “company” is an entirely different undertaking.

There was a variety of waterfalls and ponds on the grounds.

As a result, I’ve somewhat lost interest in having dinner parties, especially when we’re living in a small condo such as this that simply doesn’t have the space for entertaining.

This lounge area is located in the center of the main pool.

As we make more and more friends on the island, we’ll have no choice but to do entertaining in public venues such as we’ve done today. One might think taking friends out for a meal is more costly. 

Considering the cost of groceries in the Hawaiian Islands, having even a few guests for a meal could easily cost $200 or more for the food and wine. Dining out may prove to be a more efficient alternative to reciprocation in several ways. 

Another beautiful pool overlooking the ocean.

Also, with the shortage of the many basic ingredients, we don’t use with our way of eating, filling in the blanks for guests coming for dinner could result in even a higher expenditure. We simply don’t have the inventory of many everyday products in the cupboards used in making meals with grains, starches, and sugar.

Back home by 2:30 pm, we found ourselves back into our lounging clothes with a plan to stay put until our daily happy hour foray across the street to whale watch, often meeting new people or gabbing with the locals we’ve already met who seem to frequent the same spot with the similar goals in mind.

At the edge of the grounds of the hotel, the views were familiar.

The remainder of the day and evening was spent in the pleasurable activity we call “mindless drivel” including online perusing, reading books on our phone, and, into the evening, relaxing with a good movie on my laptop.

Not unlike many of our worldwide readers, the mindless relaxation in the evening is an ideal way to “get outside our heads” allowing ourselves to wind down after an otherwise busy (or not) “day in the life.”

The Nene Goose, Hawaii’s State Bird, has experienced a resurgence in population over the past years when extinction was long a possibility.

There’s no complaining from us two, somewhat retired, world travelers always able to entertain ourselves one way or another.

Have a fabulous weekend. See you again soon!

                                           Photo from one year ago today, February 7, 2014:

Upon opening the drapes in the master bedroom in Khaya Umdani on this date one year ago, Mr. Kudu was awaiting us, wondering what plans we had for the day. Moments later, we opened this door, and yet he didn’t run away. For more photos, please visit us at this link.

No word on lava viewing…We’re so near yet so far away…Slowly, coming this way…Scary photo, one year ago today!

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The bright sun, the palm fronds and the sea create a gorgeous scene.
A perfect Hibiscus begs for a photo.

This article from the National Park Service explains where lava may be seen from the park, but also explains that the viewing areas aren’t open to the public (at the end of the first paragraph). In this same paragraph, it states there is no lava flow into the ocean at this time.

TJ is the king of videos, rather than taking still photos. He does a great job.

However, the flow continues to flow to Pahoa toward the little shopping mall, we visit almost every other day for one thing or another.  This article describes how it is indeed flowing toward the Pahoa Marketplace. At its current rate of flow, it could reach the shopping area and gas station within a week.

A grass fed cow lounging in his yard.

If that area is taken out, it will surely have an effect on our ability to run to the store, instead making it necessary to make the 35 to 40 minute drive or more (lots of bad traffic due to construction) to shop in Hilo.To make matters worse, it will have a bearing on the access road to Hilo which is already rather daunting.

It appears this road had been an ideal dumping spot for junk vehicles.

There’s a superette about three miles down the road called, “Da Store,” but their prices are at least 30% higher than the Mamala Market in Pahoa Marketplace. We’ve done the bulk of our food shopping in Hilo at the Safeway.

We’re often surprised to find yet another excellent viewing spot along the ocean.

We could worry ourselves into a tither. We decide not to, continuing to enjoy ourselves as a family of six for one more week until the other arrive, only adding to our enjoyment, doing exactly what we all feel like doing with no pressure to constantly be on the go. Nothing is more appealing to us than lounging together in idle conversation, looking out at the sea, searching for “blow holes.”

Tom whistled in an effort to get this horse to pick up his head from grazing in this yard.

Yesterday, TJ, Sarah and the two boys took a long drive on the island on a rainy day. Tom and I stayed behind preferring not to drive long distances in the rain when its impossible for us to properly explore and take photos.  They stopped at McDonald’s for lunch and later Baskin Robbins for a treat.

Its surprising how trees and other vegetation are able to grow in the lava rock.

It was good for them to have the day on their own without worrying about the oldsters. Returning around 5:00 pm, we fired up the grill an make six New York strips steaks (one grass fed for me befitting my no grain way of eating), baked potatoes for five, sweet corn, a huge salad and leftover garlic bread I’d made the previous night.

The waves are generally larger on this island from what we’d seen on the south side of Maui.

Oddly, the microwave died last night when I attempted to heat one more potato and now we have no microwave. I contacted the owner regarding this event, and heard this morning that she’ll replace it over the weekend. The sooner the better. Its hard not to have a microwave with kids around.

We’ve found many uprooted trees from recent storms.

We grilled the six steaks on the smallish Weber managing to get everyone’s cooked exactly as they preferred:  four medium, one medium rare (Tom) and one rare (for me). We all fit comfortably at the big square kitchen table and have enjoyed every meal together.

Striations in the lava from times past.

Tonight, we’ll dine in again, making pork chops on the grill, salad, some variation of potatoes, green beans, and again, bread of some sort which we’ll run to the store to purchase today. Of course, I’ll eat one pork chop, my coleslaw and green bean and be just fine

Everywhere we drive we discover these appealing tree lined roads.

Oddly, it doesn’t bother me to prepare these foods I can’t eat. Although, it does nag at me to see loved ones eating such carb laden foods, high in sugars and starches. I keep my mouth shut and don’t preach. Although, I have made a few comments about how bad soda is for kids (and adults). So, slap me. I’m just a concerned grandma.

The simple beauty of the sea.

The weather is sketchy at best today. Its windy and overcast with only a sliver of blue sky peeking through.  Hopefully, if the sun appears, we’ll head outside or to the tide pools in Kapoho.

Close to home, we ventured down a narrow one car road for some interesting scenery.
There are no sandy beaches on this side of the island of Hawai’i. The islands were created as a result of volcanic activity, its not surprising to see lava rock lining the shore.

May your Saturday be filled with fabulous holiday gatherings and if you don’t celebrate, may you recall, if you’re old enough, “It’s Saturday night!” 

                                            Photo from one year ago today, December 13, 2013:

We found this giant insect in our pool in Marloth Park, one year ago today. Zeff, our house person, fished it out of the pool for this photo. For more photos from that date, please click here.