Author Archives: Steph

12/23/17

Perfect low carb, sugar free chocolate chip cookies

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!!!

I’m SO excited about the upcoming holiday!

The stockings are stuffed, the presents are wrapped, the food is prepped (or ordered!), and the cookies are baked!

A few days ago I posted about all-things-CHRISTMAS COOKIES. Well I’m back to add one more cookie to the list!

There’s still time to bake up a batch of these chewy, crispy, buttery, chocolately, low carb, sugar free, keto friendly chocolate chip cookies to share with family and friends this holiday! These cookies are a winner. They’re SO delicious you’ll think you’re snacking on the real thing!  Continue reading →

12/21/17

Christmas Cookies Galore! (And some low-carb ones too!)

It’s no secret that I love to bake. 

Especially around the holidays!

Baking dozens upon dozens of Christmas cookies for family and friends was a tradition my mom and I started way back in once upon a time time when I was a child. Her friend Mary Kelly would join us and we would literally bake all-night-long. 

Oatmeal fudgey bars, rum balls, Tollhouse cookies, Spritz cookies, jam dots, snickerdoodles- the list goes on and on. By the time we were done, we’d have enough cookies for my dad to take to work, my mom to share with her co-workers at school, and a plate for just about everyone else! 

My mom loved the holidays, and I’ve carried on that enthusiasm in her absence by continuing these fun traditions that we started long ago.  Continue reading →

11/26/17

Low carb Fiddle Faddle (or Poppycock if you’d like!)

When I was around 7 or 8, my grandfather, Abuelito, built me a treehouse. 

It wasn’t fancy or elaborate, just a big wooden platform, about 7 feet off of the ground with a ladder to get up to it. He even added green indoor/outdoor carpeting over the wood to add a little extra something, but other than that, it was a super simple design (unlike my life-size, walk-in, air conditioned playhouse him and my dad built me when I was a toddler which WAS elaborate, but I’ll save that for another post). Continue reading →

11/21/17

Strawberry Butter

Last summer my supervisor added an assignment to my scope of work, supporting new teacher mentors in 13 rural districts in Northwestern Tennessee. The work would take place at the University of Tennessee’s satellite campus in a small town called Martin, TN. 

I had been to Tennessee dozens of times- Nashville, Memphis, The Smoky Mountains- but Martin? Where in the world was that?  Continue reading →

08/26/17

Flourless Cherry Almond Muffins

It’s no secret that I love to cook. But my heart is really attached to all things baking related. 

It’s why I started this blog back in *gasp* 2009. 

The first name of this blog way back in once upon a time-time was “Stretch: Stretch your Budget, not your waistline”. It was a way for me to share the healthy sweet recipes I was creating, and to document my journey as I attempted to start exercising and train for 5k races to lose weight.  Continue reading →

06/24/17

6 years

2191 days since we met, and every day is better than the last…

One of our first dates in 2011

Happy first date anniversary, husband! This life together is just everything. Continue reading →