Happy New Year!

As most people do this time of year, I am trying to bring back a little more health into our diet. Now, minus the taco night we will be having with friends tomorrow (per Anders request), we have been eating pretty healthy. My local fruit and vegetable guy supplies me with lots and lots of fresh produce. If he doesn't have it, I don't eat it. I've gone to the grocery store around the corner to pick up produce before but I've since learned my lesson - it all tastes the same from them. So I stick to my veg guy - he knows what is in season and even carries hard to find items like okra and PURPLE CARROTS. Have you ever seen these before? Now that I think of it, I'm sure Whole Foods are Central Market probably carry them but I was more of a Walmart grocery store kind of girl when I was in Dallas. Anyway, the veg guy had these purple carrots from Gotland (a Swedish island) on sale the other day and I picked some up. I did a little research and apparently they are even better for you than the orange ones - more beta carotene and anti-oxidants. Yay Me!! There just beautiful and originate from Africa. I feel so worldy now - ha!

I also decided the other night, around 9:30pm actually, that I HAD to have chocolate chip cookies. The only problem was no white flour. So I used this white flour with wheat instead. I don't think it was 100% wheat flour but a mix. I was a little skeptical, so I only made 1/2 the recipe that way if it was bad I wouldn't have wasted my precious chocolate chips. I also put in baking powder instead of soda. The results - delicious! I think I actually like these better because it gives them a little more salty, earthy flavor. That's why I like these cookies so much to begin with - the combo of salt and sweet. And they weren't dry either. Of course, I made them old school style with...dare I say...crisco. But that's because I didn't have the patience to get the butter to room temperature and I also found a store nearby that sales crisco. Happy Days!! Aw, get over it - they don't make it with transfats anymore!! ;-)

Now I am off to walk Reagan in the sunny but bitterly cold weather. Have a good one!!