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It doesn’t happen often, but still, there are some days when I think, “Man, getting older sucks.” (And then I quickly remember, “but it beats the alternative.”).

Still, I find it’s a common occurrence lately to wake up the morning after a workout and feel my muscles aching as I climb the stairs (I keep forgetting that I can’t lift as much weight as I used to on those quad machines!); or experience an upset stomach if I eat four two one too many (albeit homemade, candida diet-friendly) cookies; or endure unreasonable levels of frustration when I can’t figure out a new gadget (like my very first smart phone, purchased a few short weeks ago–holy smokes, there are a lot of little buttons on that thing!); or discover I’m late to a social media party that’s already old hat to everyone else (have I told you that I’m now finally on Instagram, courtesy of that phone?).

And the weird thing is (take heed, twenty-somethings!) I don’t feel any older at all inside. . . unfortunately, my physical body has other ideas.



The HH sometimes tells a story about the first time he realized he was starting to get older. He was in his 40s and helping a friend who was buying a house to check out the condition of the roof. The two guys climbed up, looked around, and then the HH decided to jump off the roof onto the lawn. When he touched ground, he thought, “Whoah! Gee, I guess my legs just don’t absorb as much of the shock as they used to . . . “. Okay, let’s set aside for a moment the fact that he was talking about a twenty year gap between those two jumps; but who decides to jump off a roof onto the lawn–at any age?!!. Gah.

Last weekend, for the first time in a while, I actually felt younger than I normally do. Yes, DDD readers, I finally joined the 21st Century (and not just because I bought a smart phone!). You see, for the first time in my entire life, I was able to enjoy a common pleasure associated with today’s youth: the 3-D movie.

Because of my weird eyeglass prescription (don’t ask), those wacky red and green spectacles never did work for me. I once sat through an entire 2 hours of Jaws 3D, seeing everything double (one in red, one in green), because I was too embarrassed to tell my friends that the glasses were a failure. I left with a headache, an earache and slight dizziness. . . though in retrospect, I think the earache was due more to all that shrieking from the audience every time the shark approached.

And then, last weekend, my life changed when I joined the HH (and the rest of world) to take in the latest Star Trek film. . . in 3D! (As if Chris Pine wasn’t dreamy enough in only two dimensions. Seriously). I’m elated to say that I was able to enjoy the entire move with those oversized plastic glasses perched on my nose. Hooray for modern technology!

In fact, all those cosmic thoughts about the SS Enterprise, wormholes, Captain Kirk’s dreamy wry grin. . . well, they probably led to this very recipe. You see, I was kind of playing with the previous Cosmic Cookie recipe already on this blog, and was so pleased with the result that I popped an Instagram photo of it up on my Facebook page (wow–not only did I manage to watch a 3D movie, I also learned how to share on multiple platforms at once. Things are moving at warp speed over here!). Much like my raw cookie dough recipe, this one wasn’t originally intended for the blog. But it got such a a great response on Facebook that I decided I really should share here, too.

While the original Cosmic Cookie used chocolate chips, raisins and Sucanat, these combine coconut sugar and stevia for a lower glycemic index; and to add a superfood boost, I tossed in goji berries (which have a lower GI than raisins) and unsweetened carob chips to replace the chocolate.

I think of these Super Cookies as an adult version of the original. And if the cookies are any indication, well, I guess getting older may not suck so much after all.

Last Year at this Time: Lemon-Kissed Blueberry Ice Cream (gluten free; ACD Stage 2 and beyond)

Two Years Ago: Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad (gluten free; ACD Stage 2 and beyond)

Three Years Ago: Rhubarb Swirl Ice Cream (gluten free; ACD Stage 2 and beyond)

Five Years Ago: Decadent Chocolate Pâté (gluten free; ACD Maintenance)

Print This!

Grown Up Superfood Cookies A cross between dessert and a superfood breakfast bar, these cookies are not too sweet, yet remain chewy without being gooey inside. Filled with nutrient-dense ingredients like seeds and berries, they’ll provide some great nutritional benefits along with the addictive taste. 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp (110 g) old fashioned rolled oats 1-1/4 cups (165 g) Ricki’s All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Mix 1/2 cup (70 g) sunflower seeds 1/2 cup (70 g) pumpkin seeds 1/4 cup (20 g) medium shred unsweetened coconut 1/4 cup (20 g) psyllium husks 1/4 tsp (1 ml) stevia powder, or to taste 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) fine sea salt 1 Tbsp (15 ml) cinnamon 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (175 g) unsweetened carob chips or dairy free chocolate chips 1/2 cup (60 g) goji berries (I used Navitas Naturals), or raisins, if you can eat them 1/2 cup (40 g) coconut sugar 2 Tbsp (30 ml) yacon syrup (or use molasses if you can tolerate it) 1/4 cup (60 ml) sunflower or other light tasting oil, preferably organic 1-1/2 cups (360 ml) unsweetened almond or soy milk Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut, psyllium, stevia, salt, cinnamon, chips and goji berries. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the coconut sugar, yacon syrup, oil, and milk. Stir until the coconut sugar dissolves. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and mix to combine. It will seem very wet at first; wait 2-3 minutes and it will thicken enough to handle. Use a large ice cream scoop and scoop large mounds of the batter onto the cookie sheets. Flatten the tops only slightly (they should be about 3/4 inch or 2 cm thick). Bake 30-40 minutes, rotating the sheets about halfway through, until the tops are dry and bottoms are very brown. Allow to cool completely before consuming. Makes 12-14 very large cookies. May be frozen. Suitable for: ACD Stage 3 and beyond, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, nut free, vegan.

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© Ricki Heller







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