2015-04-04 - 11:42 a.m.
Today I want to talk about someone whose life is a cautionary tale instead of an inspiration. Babe, you know her by association. I'm sure you remember that Newt Gingrich looking battle axe I used to work for and her ever enduring daughter. Well, the battle axe had another daughter who has just died of necrotizing (flesh eating) bacteria. This woman was only 45 and by all accounts was a well loved, sweet natured person. She died directly because of her weight. She weighed at least 500 pounds. Everyone thinks fat people eventually have a heart attack and fall over, but there are many ways to buy the farm when you're that big. She developed an infection, probably in a skin fold, and it turned into flesh eating bacteria and just overtook her very quickly. When a thin person gets necrotizing bacteria, the doctors sometimes start amputating hands, feet, and limbs, because under that kind of attack your body will draw all resources towards your heart, leaving your extremities without oxygen. Amputating limbs can sometimes prevent total death. But what a situation to be left in! I've coded the charts of people with all 4 extremities amputated due to flesh eating bacteria. People who weigh over a certain amount are too risky for surgery so they don't really have that option. If necrotizing bacteria is caught soon enough or contained early enough, even super large people can live, but there's a point where it gets completely out of control and there's no hope. I feel for the family, even the hateful old battle axe. Her baby has died.
This young woman didn't have to die. She died because of her size. She got that infection because air couldn't get to all her... areas. She was too big to be saved once it got started. I feel bad for my friend, she's really sad about losing her sister. She's coming along right behind her, getting bigger and bigger by the day. I can't hit her up with "You gots to lose weight" right now, but eventually, I will find a way to approach her.
Let's talk about something happier. Like cookies. I made some peanut butter cookies that are really very good. I don't eat more than 2 at once, because they are half peanut butter and that stuff has carbs. Each cookie is about 2 carbs or slightly less. It's only 4 ingredients and it doesn't sound like it would work, but it totally does. They come out sandy (in a good way) and somewhat fragile, but if you store them in the fridge, they hold up better. They are most delicate while they're hot. Let them cool completely before you put them in a container.
Ingredients:
1 cup Peanut butter
1 cup splenda or whatever non-sugar sweetener you like
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350. Stir ingredients together, roll into 16 walnut sized balls, place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, use a little sweetener on a fork to flatten the balls. Bake for 12 minutes and move to a cooling rack. Dust with sugar free confectioners sugar substitute or whatever sweetener you like. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. I used Splenda, because I have this big bag of it that needs to be used up. Natural sweeteners are better for you than Splenda, but let's be honest, Splenda tastes good and works very well for this recipe. I also used some Swerve to dust the cookies with after they baked.
You'd never know these aren't made with sugar. I love this stuff called "Swerve confectioners". It's the best, in my opinion. There's no bitter after taste. It's cold on your tongue like confectioner's sugar should be. It's pricey, but well worth it. I am going to try rolling the balls in Swerve confectioners before baking. I think that would be good. You can reduce the carbs even more by using the lowest carb peanut butter you can find. Almond butter is less carbs than peanut butter and I plan to try a batch of these cookies using the almond butter. I'll let you know how that turns out. Oh, maybe I'll add almond slivers too.
People think low carb means eating nothing but meat, eggs, and cheese. My typical day goes like this: Bullet proof coffee for breakfast, a chia pudding for lunch, an avocado for a snack, a meat, a couple cups of salad, and maybe a low carb veggie for dinner, a low carb dessert. If I'm snacky in between or during a movie or something I eat things like pork rinds, macadamia nuts, deviled eggs. That is all good food and I don't get sick of it. I made a low carb lasagna using roasted eggplant slices for noodles and it was good.
I made a big chicken salad with some boiled eggs and sugar free sweet pickles in it and the nephew still has no idea he was eating low carb chicken salad. He couldn't tell at all. I like to put walnuts in my chicken salad too. You don't have to suffer when you cut carbs.
Tonight the 2nd season of "Outlander" starts on Starz. I love me some Scottish highlanders. What a good story! I wish I'd written it myself. There is a marathon of Season 1 going on right now. Whosoever has not seen it and has the Starz channel should watch it at once!
I wonder if my bwah watches the Walking Dead. I am such a fan of that show. I avoided it for the first couple of seasons, because zombies are more disturbing to me than other monsters, but that show is so much more than the zombies. Turns out, humans are much worse monsters than mere flesh eating walkers. I like to watch the Talking Dead afterwards too. It is full of interesting bits about the show and it sometimes clarifies things that happened on the show or gives more insight into the trends that are coming out. I do a lot of screaming and carrying on when the show is on. Dexter doesn't like to sit with me when it's on. I get a little bit animated with it.
My wee pinky toe has survived the injury it sustained and it's on the mend. I'm still worried about hitting it on something and my toes get scared when my clumsy little dogs try to trample them.
I think I will do some painting this day. I can at least get my canvases prepared. I'm going to make a couple of paintings to go above my bed. I have a few ideas circulating.
*poof*
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