Chocolate Coconut Macaroons! And a small talk on my diet.

As many of you know, I have a disease called ulcerative colitis. This disease has changed my life, and I have shared my story in a previous blog entry. Despite the amount of suffering I have gone through, I am grateful for my disease because it has forced me to become a healthier person, especially when it comes to food. Many people can get away with eating junk most of their lives until they get a wake-up call when they have a heart attack, stroke, etc. My body is so sensitive that I get quicker feedback when I put junk in my body.

Thanks to the help of my boyfriend, Dale, I have found a diet that has kept me flare-free for over 5 months. This is the longest I have ever been without a flare despite being on some nasty medications over the past 5 years. My diet has four basic components:

1. No white flour.
2. No white sugar.
3. No cow’s milk.
4. No processed foods.

As simple as that looks, it is very difficult buying foods without those ingredients. This usually turns into me making a lot of what I eat, and I think that’s great because I know exactly what’s in it. I have used the internet to find recipes that work for me, and I’ve found some tasty meals which I will continue to share with you. I have a sweet tooth, so the first recipe I will share with you is one of my favorites: macaroons! They are super easy to make and require no baking.

This is the recipe:

1 heaping cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup coconut oil
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

All you do is combine the ingredients (you have to melt the coconut oil), roll them into balls, and stick them in the fridge to re-solidify the coconut oil. They are fine at room temperature as well. If you don't want to get your fingers dirty you can use a cookie dough scoop.

That’s it! When Dale and I are super lazy, we bypass the ball-rolling step and eat the batter right out of the bowl. Enjoy! :).