Michelle Obama's Cookies, Cheesus and National Cheesecake Day

cleverly photoshopped by wifezilla. Because we all know my oopsies droop, honey.

That's right! It's a happening day in low-carb land.

As Obama and crew come to Denver, whether you're planning to attend the event or will be out watching another Dark Knight in theatres, here are some tips to keep you sane and safe during day-long events where food and frivolity are involved.

In that same article I tweak a recipe of Michelle Obama's that was first published in Parents Magazine.

Woman sees religious deity in a Frito Lay product. I have to wonder about these folks, but it might (help) explain why Britney Spears went nuts. She ate a ton of Cheetos. You could see her orange-tinged fingers twitching in videos. Those vile little buggers were to her what crack and lack of sunlight are to Amy Winehouse.

It's National Cheesecake Day! Woot! Put your hands up in the air! And then get thee to the funnery!

Don't forget to subscribe to the National Examiner column by clicking 'subscribe' on the column. They like us, and want to see more of our stuff, so I'm busy slaving for them. If I don't produce hilarity and low-carb goodness at least daily, they beat me and stuff.

Stevia-sweetened Zevia rocks my low-carb socks

I just had the opportunity to review Zevia for the National column, and let me tell you what: this was good stuff.

Forget what you thought you knew about diet sodas. If you're used to regular, high-carb beverages, or Diet Coke and other highly-flavored drinks, Zevia might come as a surprise. I'd given up Diet Coke a couple of months ago, and found I really appreciated the light, natural flavors of this stevia-sweetened product.

Want to try the product yourself? They are giving free samples for a limited time. You pay shipping and handling. Or, if you're already bought in, save $5 on your next case of Zevia. Just use code cleochatra5 at checkout.

Oh it is SO good to be back.

Picture: Wiped out from the trip, daughter and puppy are knocked out on the RV couch. Detached foot belongs to teen. He's got long toes. There is no more to the teen, incidentally. He's all feet with a stomach attached.

I was in Neah Bay, Washington, where the Makah Indians live. They are a great people, and I had a fantastic time meeting folks and learning more about their culture. We even were allowed to dance one song with them. It was a pretty good workout and made us appreciate the humor and the richness of this coastal tribe of First Peoples.

We enjoyed fresh salmon, saw the canoes paddle by the house, and watched bald eagles soar over sea gulls playing in the low tide pools. and marveled at sea stars, starfish and sand dollars. My husband's parents were tremendous hosts for showing us the sights for three days before heading off to Spokane.

I'm telling you, there's nothing like driving across Wyoming in a 30 foot RV with sheer winds trying to blow us into passing semi trucks who are also weaving all over the road.

I was almost in tears for 5 hours as a red dust storm chased us down 84 past Laramie. It looked like Mars rising over there. I haven't seen that much dust since Amy Winehouse sneezed out her excess cocaine.

Of course I missed you guys, too.

My big gripe was the lack of cooking facilities in the RV. I found out the day before the trip that because propane hadn't been hooked up, we bought a vehicle which may or may not house a functioning stove. I brought along pre-cooked bacon, and that was pretty gross by the third day, and cheeses weren't making the palates smile. In short, I ended up off-plan for the entire time. I'm not even stepping on the scale for awhile.


Coming Up...

I have some cool stuff coming up for you guys, including a Zevia review and a reader code for you to save $5 on your next purchase of Zevia, a book review, and a giveaway from netrition.com (Tom is the best).


Anyone Drink Coca Cola Zero?

I have 6 coupons for Coca Cola Zero if anyone wants them. They're for $1 off of a 12-pack. If you want to drop me your email addresses in comments, I'll mail them to you. They expire in mid October, so you'll want to use them in the next couple months. I'd say "email me" but I don't want to do a giveaway for coupons. I just want to pass them along.


Eggs Actly.

I share a great way to cook perfect hardboiled eggs at the Examiner column, so check it out! If it's one thing I hate, it's messy, hard to peel, hard-boiled eggs. They make me make faces like this. ARRRRRR!!! See, that's me sounding like a pirate face.


Soylent GreenwithEnvy

I found out today that I'm allergic to soy, which ticks me off. The good news? I've got a recipe for you guys who have been missing pasta coming up very soon. There's no reason you can't enjoy what I can't have (that was the guilt portion of our program).


Catching up

If you've dropped me a line, I'm still going to email you. I have been out of town and before that I was in a grumpy mood. Email responses would have been curt responses like, "Don't eat that," or "No, pickles should not be inserted in your ears."

Now, I'm rested and relaxed and can fully answer those burning queries about your kneecaps and bladderwort. And low-carb stuff.

On Vacation

Judging from my lack of editing skills in the last blog title entry (and my stress levels), I need a vacation. I'm going to my own cue and go see some stuff. Tall stuff, short stuff, new stuff and old stuff (not you, pepaw and grammaw).

Be good!

The column at Examiner.com will be on hiatus, too.



My apologies for not answering emails and comments. I had been single-'mom'ing it with hubby out of town for an extended period of time. I need a nap!

Keep emailing and commenting. I will be back soon, in full form, and ready to bring in the second half of the year as we move towards New Year's!

I have another giveaway coming up in August, along with a special offer just for readers. And, of course, I'll have more stories and stuff to talk about, recipes, and more.

So, be good, stick to your low-carb lifestyle, and when I'm back you can tell me all about your success. And don't make me come over there if you think you can sneak the Twinkies and I won't notice.

Diabertes Cook Book Winners!

The name-drawing offices of randomness, after carefully cutting the many wonderful and more sexy-than-average names of the entrants, have chosen the following readers from the mixing bowl of glossy shininess.

Elaina O., Kathymath63, and Jan J!

I am giving away a third book, because so many of you have made me so fortunate that I want to pay as much forward as is possible.


Thank you so much for your support, your emails, and your readership.

Dessert Pizza Puts Pizzazz in Picnics

Aside from my skillful alliterations, this dessert pizza is pretty tremendous. It is not an induction-friendly dessert, but this baby is gluten-free, easy to make, and all yours.

Examiner.com Dessert Pizza

Have a safe 4th of July! I'll see you on the other side.

Keep checking out Examiner, and if you haven't already, check the new cookbook review, and enter to win to your own copy!

July 1st! Oh my goshies

Two sweet things: Chili and Chili Dog buns at Examiner.com today!

And this is the first 6-month anniversary of beginning Atkins in 2008.

Can you say 86 pounds lost?

Oh yeah! And I eat what I make and share with you. No austere diets for me. Puhlease!