It’s all about joy!

Delicious foods make me happy. I’m also a big fan of trying to keep things low-fat and full of fiber. That’s why I crafted this low-fat, high-fiber, incredibly tasty chocolate chip cookie recipe from a traditional Toll House recipe. It only makes five or six cookies at a time, so if you’re in the mood for something great but don’t want the temptation of extra cookies lying around, give it a try.

Low-Fat, High-Fiber Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 tablespoon light butter (I like to use Brummel & Brown)
• 1 tablespoon non-fat ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar (or granulated sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 of an egg (or use egg substitute)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons old-fashioned (slow-cook) oats
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 15 - 20 chocolate baking bits (I prefer Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bits)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter, ricotta cheese, sugars and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the flour, oats, salt and baking soda. Mix well, and then add the chocolate bits.

On a greased cookie sheet, drop by the spoonful (you should get 5 - 7 cookies). Bake 9 - 11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove promptly and let cool.

You’ll note that these cookies are more cake-like than traditional cookies (because there’s less fat). For me, they’re the perfect guiltless dessert.

Last week I was in Seattle visiting my cousin for a few days. The first morning I was there, I was awakened by the incredible smell of fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen. I hadn’t set my alarm, and was naturally roused by the rich aroma that wafted through the house. Immediately I was taken back to my childhood, where every morning started that way. It was absolutely magnificent.

Two days later, finding myself with low energy, I plopped down in front of the TV and discovered a Tom & Jerry marathon in full swing. I was glued! It felt wonderful to have no agenda other than to watch the hijinks of that crazy cartoon cat and mouse for over an hour. Sweetening the deal was a bowl of animal crackers I grabbed from the kitchen. Instantly, I was six years old again without a care in the world.

There’s something very joyful and comforting about returning to childhood through sights, smells and sounds. My childhood was a happy one, so any time I’m able to awaken my inner child, it’s reason to smile.

This partial list I found on Viva Consulting had some great things reminiscent of being a kid:

• Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening
• Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, “do over!”
• Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in “Monopoly”
• You could determine if someone loved you by plucking flower petals
• The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties
• Decisions were made by doing “one potato, two potato, three potato four…”
• Nobody was prettier than Mom
• Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true
• Saturday morning cartoons weren’t 30-minute ads for action figures (and weren’t known to cause seizures)
• War was a card game
• Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin or grape-flavored cough syrup
• A lie didn’t count if your fingers were crossed
• Ice cream was considered a basic food group
• A quarter bought a pack of gum (Bubbalicious or Hubba Bubba)

* a few were edited or added to better fit my own experiences

I’ll be spending the next eight or nine days on the west coast, and primarily in San Francisco. Last week marked my first ever visit to California, and I have to say, when seen from the Bay Area, it’s quite lovely!

Today, as I was walking from my hotel through the financial district, some things jumped out at me that brought a smile to my face:

• San Francisco style (it’s varied, which I like, and unlike any other major city I’ve been to)
• The gorgeous 50+ degree weather
• Beautiful palm trees (they look more lush here than ones I’ve seen on TV)
• The Bay Bridge (holy cow… that’s an engineering feat)
• A little girl who was playing with two five-pound weights in a courtyard, treating them like they were her pet. She had a rope tied around them as she dragged them behind her and barked.
• The lobby of the Hyatt Regency (another engineering feat; my goodness, it’s spectacular!)
• Vesuvio (a place I’d like to go, but have only yet heard the legend of)
• Smiling faces everywhere (so far, anyone I’ve smiled at has smiled back, which has to be a record!)

On the flip side, I did have one unfortunate thing happen today during lunch. I had the pleasure of eating sushi at one of the coolest sushi bars in town. However, it was the first time I tried raw fish, and for better or for worse, it did NOT agree with me. So much so that I will probably never eat raw fish again.