A New Month, A New Me

Holy moly, it's already been another month!

When I was a kid I thought adults were full of crap when they said that time moves more quickly as you get older. As I've gotten older, I've realized just how right they were (as is the natural order of things). I decided a few years ago though, that this actually makes sense mathematically. The years seem to go by so much faster now, but it's because each year is a smaller and smaller percentage of my total life experience. I've experienced almost 30 (ugh) full years, so I can look back at the whole of my life divided into 30 segments. Whereas when I was 10 and a year felt like "literally, ohmygod forever", it's because the sum total of my life was only divided into 10 such segments. As I rapidly approach my next decade though, I'm learning to appreciate the moments in the years that make life brighter, and trying to cultivate even more of them in the years ahead.

Here are the things making my life brighter this month:

Recipe I'm drooling over: Double Chocolate Teff Cookies inspired by Run Fast, East Slow

(Mine didn't look quite that fancy, but you get the idea)

As I've said before, I have a mega sweet tooth. I got invited at the last minute to a birthday party and couldn't turn up empty handed so I cracked open my copy of Run Fast, Eat Slow and found a version of these bad boys that I couldn't wait to modify and try out! I would never post someone else's recipe as my own, especially if it's from a cookbook that you can buy yourself (and really you should get this one; these ladies really know their stuff). However, since I modified the recipe I can say that these are MY version of a super tasty dairy-free, egg-free, gluten free, sugar-free double chocolate cookie. Yes, it's possible! This recipe made about 18 mini cookies and they were a hit at the party (although it is recommended to have them with a glass of milk, or whatever your favorite milk-substitute is if your diet is dairy-free).

3/4 cup Teff Flour

1/3 cup Organic Unrefined Coconut Flour

1/2 cup Organic Dark Chocolate Chips (stevia-sweetened, hooray!)

1/4 cup Organic Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt

1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup (seriously...the 100% organic stuff from VT...no fudging allowed here!)

1/3 cup Organic Raw Coconut Oil, melted

1 teaspoon Organic Vanilla Extract

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F

2. Combine all dry ingredients with a whisk in a medium-sized mixing bowl

3. Add wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until combined (it will be a fairly dry batter because of the coconut flour, add a little more coconut oil if you're worried it's too dry to hold together)

4. Use a large spoon and your fingers to form batter into balls and place onto parchment paper. Press down lightly in the center to flatten the balls slightly (enough to spread them, not enough to form cracks/crumble them)

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are just slightly darker than the tops

6. Allow cookies to cool completely before removing from parchment paper

I kid you not, these do NOT taste as healthy as they are and I'll be making them again soon!

Book I'm tearing through: Zodiac by Neal Stephenson

As I've mentioned before, Neal Stephenson is one of my all-time favorite authors. This is one of a very small number of his books that I hadn't read yet (I've read several more than once and can't wait to read them again). His writing style is unparalleled and it has been fun for me to go back to one of his earliest books to see how much he has evolved over the decades. Here he tells the story of a cynical environmental activist using all his chemistry knowledge and street-wise (damn-near-criminal) wiles to attempt to eliminate the worst and most mysterious pollution of the Boston harbor. Known for having a science-fiction bent to most of his writing, Stephenson painlessly teaches the reader a lesson in organic chemistry (the bane of many a pre-med student) while keeping the pages turning with his immense vocabulary (one of my favorite qualities of his writing overall) and ability to create a vivid image in the reader's mind. I highly recommend any and all of his books, and this one has been a fun (and at just over 300 kindle pages - short!) read for sure.

Album that's driving me: Music for Focus and Creativity by The American Dollar

I don't know what it is about this album, but it never fails to light up my productivity. This nebulous, ambient, sometimes droning music can start my engine in the worst of my unmotivated moments. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but there's a sort of astral quality to their music that really comes through in this collection of tracks. If I close my eyes it almost feels like I'm hearing the galaxy in its mysterious but entirely mathematical movements. I imagine this is what astro-physics would sound like if it was turned into music (and if that description appeals to you, also check out the album Oversteps by Authechre...one of my throw-back favorites in that realm). Many people I respect recommend binaural beats when looking to change their mental state - whether to relax and meditate, or get down to business and create. I haven't done much experimenting in that field (yet...) but this album has an effect on me that feels very similar to the anecdotes they've used to describe the state-altering effects that music can have on the brain. If you're feeling stuck on a project and can't seem to find a way to get moving, this album might work for you too!

Podcast episode I'm in love with: "The Perils of Intimacy" on This American Life

I know, I know, I'm #sobasic because I listen to TAL (while eating avocados and wearing leggings as pants and wanting everything in fall to smell like pumpkin spice...I get it). But all jokes aside, it's a world-class broadcast and Ira Glass and his team are mythical journalistic legends. This episode in particular was originally broadcast in May of 2016. It took me by the shoulders and made me pay attention then, and it was no different when it was rebroadcast just this past month. In fact, I found it had even more impact on me now after some of my recent experiences. The description on their site speaks for itself here: "Stories about mysteries that exist in relationships we thought couldn't possibly surprise us, the strangeness of putting our wants on the line with someone who may not share them at all, and how much we're willing to risk for someone we may never see again." If that doesn't make you click, it's maybe not up your alley. But if you read that and think "Oooohh yes!" like me, for the love of God, put everything down right now and listen. The last act in particular takes my breath away every time and I hope it will do the same for you.

Weird thing I'm eating (and loving): Cocoa Nut Protein Bars made with cricket flour by EXO

Yes, you read that correctly - crickets...as in the creepy little jumpy noisy bugs (that when you bake them and sprinkle a little salt, they actually turn into a deceptively tasty crunchy snack...if you close your eyes...FYI for the more adventurous folks out there). Turns out that they are an excellent source of protein (although beware anyone with a shellfish allergy - some studies indicate you may also be allergic to crickets...). It's a nutritious and sustainable source of protein that helps fuel me through my workout days (which is every damn day lately because it just feels so good!). The bars are stuffed with all kinds of feel-good ingredients like almonds, coconut, cocoa nibs, and cocoa powder, and even better - they taste amazing! Sometimes the best store-bought snack alternatives made with quality ingredients (not the fake sugar, artificial flavor junk) can taste a little...well...bland. These are up with the better-tasting bars I've tried and I promise you can not tell that they've been made with ground-up insect dust (although I personally get a kick out of that fact).

TV show I'm hooked on: Mr. Robot

My best friend has been telling me for ages that I need to watch this show. As always (or very nearly always...) he is 100% correct. This show has had me glued to it from the very first episode. I am all-in on near-future pseudo apocalyptic storylines, especially with an emphasis on technology and where we seem to be heading as a nation. As it's no secret that I'm a sci-fi nerd it's easy for me to love this show. That said, even people who really hate sci-fi can get into it. It's not your typical campy, far-out, space-age science fiction. It hits close to home and even creatively splices in actual news footage from time to time for impact. I recently read a (nonfiction) book called The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly and also a (fiction) book called After On by Rob Reid (a couple bonus reading recommendations for you!) and both of those reflect this trend in our society towards disruptive technology which is neither inherently good nor bad...but which will certainly have far-reaching impacts in our daily lives in the very near future. This show feels similar to me in that it describes what could happen tomorrow with technology we already have today. I'm about to finish binging the second season on Amazon Prime and I can't wait for the third season to finish airing on USA so I can watch that too!

So there's another month, and another set of things I'm super into right now. I hope these benefit you all and please let me know how you like them!