Fall back, Spring Ahead. Don't forget to move your clock ahead this weekend.

If you're looking to get back a little time, or would like a quick weekday breakfast, a smoothie is a good choice.

This one is good for the whole family. Kids love to help make these, and the limited number of ingredients make clean up a breeze.

The key to flavor is the All Fruit Spread. Be sure to pick a natural spread with lots of chunky fruit.

If you're one of those people that likes to skip to the end of a book to read the last chapter first...let me save you some time. The net result is a recipe for some pretty darn good chocolate chunk cookies, that are gluten free and just happen to be made with agave nectar. If all you're looking for is the pictures and recipe then go ahead and skip to the bottom. If you want the story...here it is.

It all started last weekend (Saturday) when my son looked up at me and said "Momma. This is my super blaster and makes people want to blast things."

Me, feeling a little under the weather responded. "Yeah, well this is my super belly and it makes people want to exercise."

Sigh...Time to go on a diet. The holidays are coming; I have cute fall clothes to wear that just happen to be a size to small; we're going home for Christmas and I don't want to hear relatives comment "Looks as if you've taken this food thing a little too seriously." So...what to do.

I rummaged through Experience Magazine (Lifetime Fitness freebie with membership) and read a featured article on liver detox. This caught my eye, "Many people experience significant and immediate weight loss on this program, but the net benefits for energy and long-term health are every bit as dramatic."

I was in at "significant and immediate weight loss."

At a high level, the plan calls for eliminating caffeine, all sugars (refined, artificial and honey), gluten and trans fats. There are a number of things that you should consume (apples, oranges, leafy greens, etc) but when it comes to dieting I'm all about knowing what I need to leave out. Consuming things has never been an issue. It's the elimination that I struggle with.

I successfully participated in the plan for 4 days. And felt lousy. And lost no weight. None. Nothing. Zip.

On the evening of the fourth day I decided to do a little research on the author. And...I discovered that in addition to coming up with this detox plan she believes that using cell phones makes you fat.

Sheesh. Why don't I look before I leap? I suffered four days because I believed that someone (who just happens to think that using cell phones make you fat) knew more about nutrition than me.

So, needless to say, I'm off the detox program.

The truth of the matter is that there is no magic formula for weightloss. Eat less and exercise. If you put less into your body than you use, you will lose weight. Very simple.

BUT...something good did come from the detox plan. I learned to use Agave Nectar in more things (Agave has a lower sugar content than honey or sugars) and I developed a large amount of empathy for people that cannot tolerate gluten. Gluten is in practically everything (that I typically eat at least). It's a protein that is found in refined wheat products...think bread, pasta, even some soy products. I personally found that by cutting down the amount of sugar and gluten that I consumed, I felt better, had more consistent energy levels and less cravings.

If you'd like to give it a try...check out these cookies. They are gluten free and use Agave Nectar. I like them as much (if not more) than a traditional chocolate chip cookie. They stay moist and are quite simple to prepare. Since they are made with dark chocolate which tends to be less sweet than milk chocolate, kids don't usually find them quite as yummy. (At least mine didn't)  Dark chocolate tends to suit the taste buds of older folks, since our preference moves toward bitter from sweet.

Pulse blanched almonds in food processor until texture resembles that of flour. 2-3 minutes.

Combine almond flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk.

In a smaller bowl, combine melted butter, vanilla and agave nectar. Whisk.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir in the chocolate pieces.

Roll into balls the size of a golf ball. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. 9 cookies per sheet (they spread when baking)

Bake for approximately 10 minutes until the outer edges are a nice brown color and the top of the cookies are beginning to turn golden in color.

Who is the last person that ever heard a dinosaur? Exactly! So why do we think they roar?

What if they quacked like a duck? Or squeeked like a mouse? Or blabbered?

Maybe some dinosaurs evolved to live with us and aren't extinct at all. Maybe they eat chocolate Teddy Grahams for breakfast and run around grabbing anything they can reach.

Sure, no one's seen a T Rex in some time, but did you ever look for a Blabbersaurus? I bet you've seen one, or may even have one living in house!!!!

Blabbersaurus are sly little creatures. When they don't want to be noticed, they don't make a sound. They diligently go about their business of exploration; quietly burying treasure in unsuspecting places...like the refridgerator, or the carpet, or in under the pillow in your bed.

Sometimes they wake you up suddenly from a dream! Blabbering loudly about it being time to wake up and then running out of the room before they can be indentified. "Blabber  Blabber  Blabber.  Get out of bed.  Blabber.  Blabber."

Blabbersauraus are messy eaters too.  And amazingly picky for being so small and unable to provide for themselves. Most like crackers and chocolate milk, and like to leave crumbs on the floor for other creatures that may stir in the night.

These dinosaurs can definitively detect color. They love bright colors and will decorate walls or floors if given the opporuntity. To a blabbersaurus, everything looks better with glue, glitter, paint, or kool aid on it.

While the blabbersaurus has no natural predators, it has developed a very sophisticated mechanism to conceal its indentity.

On rare occaision, when you catch the prehistoric creature running around, tearing up your house, filling your head with nonsense... the Blabbersaurus does the most unusual thing.

It stops. Right where it stands.  Looks at you. Smiles. And hits you with a hug and a kiss.

The hugs and kisses of a Blabbersaurus are intoxicating.

They make you forget everything you thought you saw.

All the destruction. All the noise.

And you go on...forgetting that you ever saw one of these little creatures in your house.

The Muse Gourmet

Ahhh...

The autumn equinox. Nothing wakes me up like fall. I love it. The season energizes me. Fall is my spring.

I'm not sure if it's the balance between day and night, or the cooler weather, or memories of the seasons of the past that put me in good spirits, but I always find myself eagerly looking forward to what life will unfold in the year ahead.

When I was in college, I always took a pilgrimage on the the first day of fall and went for a drive to Redwing, Minnesota. I drove with the windows down and appreciated the natural beauty of the trees along the way. Redwing is known for its antiques and pottery. And...caramel apples (at least that's what I remember). I can't think of Redwing without thinking fondly of the caramel apples, crisp and fresh from the season harvest, generously covered in homemade caramel.

It's been years since I've had the pleasure of visiting Redwing, but the fond memories of the caramel apples has never left me. So today, on this first day of fall, I stopped at the local Whole Foods market to pick up the freshest, most delicious Macintosh apples I could find. By the way, if you've never baked with Macintosh apples, you're missing something. There's a reason Yankee Candle has a candle scent dedicated to this king of apples. The aroma when you're peeling the apples is absolutely intoxicating!

So as I write, the windows are open, fresh air is filling the house, and my crock pot is bubbling with apples, cinnamon and honey. And when I wake up, there will be a fresh batch of apple butter, all ready to enjoy of a piece of toast...or all by itself. It's just like a caramel apple without the stick. Hmmm...now I need to make a pilgrimage.

The Muse Gourmet

The Muse Gourmet

The Muse Gourmet

The Muse Gourmet