Sugar free easy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Sometimes you just need a comfort food fix.
Even with being bariatric, I sometimes crave something sweet.

These cookies are quick and easy. Not for everyday, but an occasional treat is okay.





Sugar free easy Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

1/2 cup softened butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 cup sugar-free brown sugar (I used Sukrin Gold 1/1 ratio)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup Bisquick (I use gluten free)

1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used lily brand)

Blend Butter, vanilla and egg.
add all other ingredients (except chips) and mix until smooth
add chips and mix by hand

Heat oven to 350

On cookie sheet with parchment paper, place tsp size cookies 2" apart.

Bake for 10-15 minutes
Cookies will look moist as they are removed from the oven.


Allow cookies to cool. They will firm up.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Covid 19 face mask- crochet

Worsted weight yarn- I used Caron simply soft. I do suggest washable yarn.   

G hook

Firm gauge 

Leaving a 6” tail, Chain 90

Row 1-7- In 2nd chain from hook, Sc. Sc in next 9 chains, ch1, turn

Increases:

Row 8- 13 ch 1, 2sc in next stitch Sc in each stitch across to the 2nd from end. 2sc in next stitch, Sc in last st of row. 

Should be 19 stitches. 

Begin rounds- 

Row 14- Sc in 2nd stitch from hook, Sc across all stitches. Chain 19. Slip stitch to opposite end of same row. Chain one. Mark beginning of round. 

Single crochet in each stitch for 24 rounds. Stop at marker. Remove marker, turn.

Decreases:

Row 38: sc 1, decrease by sc2tog, sc to last 3 stitches, sc2tog, sc 1, ch1 turn

Repeat row 38, decreasing 2 per row until 9 stitches remain.

Next row: sc even for 7 rows. 

Chain 80. 

Attach both ties at the opposite side of same end forming loops that can be tied behind the head.

Weave in ends 

Fold so the pocket is able to hold a filter of a folded blue shop towel. 

Decorate the front with embroidery as desired. 

Information about blue shop towels for filters in face masks 

Covid 19 face Mask- knit

Adult size: 

Bulky weight yarn- I used Color made easy by LionBrand

(Can use dk held doubled)

Size US 9 circular needles (you will be magic looping in the middle of the project I used 40” but you chose)

Gauge: firm fabric

Kid size:

 dk-worsted- single strand

Size 5 to 7 circular needles depending on what gets you a firm fabric.  

1 marker
Blue shop towels - info on using as filters

Cast on 89

Cast off 80, k8 (9 stitches on needle)

                                            Row 1- P across (ws)

Row 2- K across

Rows 3-7- Repeat 1& 2 

begin increases. 

Row 8- K1, m1, K to last stitch, m1,K1

Row 9- purl

Rows 10-17- repeat 8&9 (19 sts on needle)

Row 18 k to end. Cast on 19 stitches 

38 stitches on 

Begin magic loop-slip marker as you come 

to it.  

Separate for 19 sts on each needle 

Join for the round  attaching to the opposite 

side of the mask, with next stitch. 

                                               Row 19- 42- K1,sm,(p1, k1) 9x, k19  

Row 43-starting 1 stitch before marker, 

                                                k1,remove marker, bind off next 19 stitches.   

                                               K19 (19 sts on needle)

Back to flat knitting- Decreases

Row 44- purl (ws) 

Row 45-k1, k2tog, k to last 3 sts, ssk, k1

Rows 46-51 Repeat 44-45 until 9 stitches

Row 52-  purl across

Row 53- knit across 

Rows 54-59- repeat 52-53

                                           60- cast off 9 stitches,

Cast on 80

Cast off 80. Sew ends of ties to the opposite side of end it is 

attached to. 

Weave in ends. 

Sew a face if you like. 

Use Blue Shop towels folded as filters.  

Pepper Beef

Pepper beef has become a favorite of our family  the pressure cooker allows for a quick cook too. 

Ingredients:

1 roast- you decided poundage- I like about 3 pounds as that is good for leftovers. 

1 jar yellow peppers- mild

1 packet brown gravy mix

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Italian seasoning

 

Mix the juice from the peppers with the gravy mix

Put meat in pressure cooker. Set to cook well done (mine is 1hour)

Sprinkle meat with garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning.

Add peppers to meat and pour gravy mixture over. 

Close lid on pressure cooker. 

Let it cook and depressurize naturally. 

We like to serve with garlic mashed and a salad. 

Enjoy! 

Two years In the making.

Two years ago I wrote a list of things I hoped to be able to do once I had gastric bypass surgery. 

I will mark, in bold, the ones I accomplished in the order in which I wrote them. 

1. Tie my shoes without hassle

2. Touch my toes

3. Sit in an airplane seat without an extender

4. Feel comfortable sitting in the back seat of a car

5. Play cars with the grandcubs on the floor

6. Ride a roller coaster. 

7. Go down water slides

8. Wear size 10 pants

9. wear a medium top

10. Buy calf boots that fit and zip

11. Purchase clothes from a regular size store

12. Go hiking

13. Walk a 5k

14. Ride a bike

15. Walk up a flight of stairs without panting

16. Walk fast enough not to hurt my hubby

17. Walk the boardwalk and pier

18. Climb a pool ladder

19. Go horseback riding

20. Be told I'm tiny

21. Fit in a restaurant booth

22. Take an Amtrack trip

23. Easily cross my legs

24. Sit Indian/crisscross style

25. Wrap a bath towel around me

26. Pull the car seat forward

27. Wear my husband's clothes 

28. Feel pretty

29. Walk a corn maze

30. Build snowmen in the yard with grandcubs

I'm only missing 6 out of the 30 NSV's I wrote when I began this journey. I plan to finish this list this year. 

Things I did not write down like working a full time job and finishing my college degree…wow. So many more that are not mentioned. 

22 months out

22 months ago I had  bariatric surgery.
Yes, I have lost weight.
No, I have not met my personal goal.
Yes, I am very happy.

It is a day by day challenge.
In the last two months, I have graduated college

Started working full time

And just yesterday, completed my 2nd Coast Guard Festival 5k.

With the best hubby/fulltime support person ever.

I have an amazing doctor

Great friends

The route map

My number and medal 

Official time 

That is 6 minutes off my time from last year. 

I never knew my life would make the turns it has, but I am not complaining about where I am now.

I'm Wanty not Needy

I only made a few purchases this weekend.
Well, if you count skinny pop, diet Snapple or beef jerky, then I made lots of purchases, but you came here for fibery goodness.
Almost a year and a half ago, I was given two Corriedale fleeces. Shannon had taken them Up North to have them processed at Stone Hedge Fiber Mill. I love the way they clean and prep. 7 pounds of dirty fleece became almost 5 pounds of yummy roving.

While we were at the Tip of the Mitt Fiber Festival, I picked up Grellow Fiber from IceMelon. You see it here in singles form. I need to ply.

Also pictured is some laundry butter (new to me) and a skein of Washtena Wool Company fingering in Wolf. I see it as Hedwig and will be making something owlish from it.

My lovely hostess, Shannon, knows that I want to learn to sew better, so she gave me this book to increase my skills. I didn't think anything would fit, but I am within the scale of the measurements on the patterns. Happy dance and big NSV.

I think the biggest want for the weekend was just to be with my hubby. We are together a lot, but there is nothing like a road trip to get us talking. I think we both wanted/needed this.