To bake or not to bake, this is my question…

Back to the downgraded editor.

While it looks like the Divi Builder has a lot of cool features…

It’s also super confusing.
Somehow I have to piece the format together, or I have to choose a template. I’m not sure if I choose a template if it applies it to the whole website (because the template includes multiple pages) which could break things….so…I need to research that more. Typically playing around with something I can get myself up to speed, but I may need to stop and ask for directions here via youtube.

My future to-do list is pretty massive. Anyone else?
There’s about a billion things I want to do when I have a moment….as well as all the self-care. I suppose that’s where having really good boundaries comes in the play. This is been a repeated lesson for me over the years, getting better and better at protecting my energy and setting boundaries. I suppose we all have life lessons that are repeatedly tested?

Lately, I’ve been feeling not quite myself, brain foggy, tired, bloated.

Actually, it was something I noticed after covid (which coincided with turning 40) that my digestion/gut brain was just not responsive, super sluggish so it’s better than it was, but I’m still not there yet. This week I’ve mostly survived off coconut water, water, and kombucha after hearing about a friend who cleared out a bunch of parasites after doing a water cleanse. She had taken the parasite medicine and didn’t see a release of parasites until she decided to do a water cleanse. *I’m not advising anyone of anything they should or shouldn’t do medically. I have heard it’s wise to do a parasite cleanse once or twice a year. And in the past, I have taken parasite medicine…and it was wicked. I felt terrible… however, there was no mass exodus of parasites, it was quite uneventful from that perspective. (Skyler’s dad once did a ‘master cleanse’ water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for 40days and still had solids coming out for most of that time…I don’t think I could ingest cayenne pepper).

I do regularly eat foods that are supposed to keep parasites at bay, like papaya and pumpkin seeds and garlic…however, who knows what’s going on in there. When I broke my rib, they did an x-ray and the technician pointed out air in my colon. When I had dengue and they did an ultrasound they mentioned lots of air as well. I’ve had significantly more health concerns the last few years since turning 40 and/or since covid…which is the culprit, I’m not certain.

So hearing that 85% of people have parasites and this friend of mine having significant results, she said a ton of parasites came out, gross, but better out than in…. So 4 days of liquids, but tomorrow we have friends in town, so it’s likely I will return to eating tomorrow. I really love coconut water…I think I could live off of it, but I also love veggies and think I would miss them.

And Pizza.

OMG a friend made the best homemade pizza recently, like the kind that once you’ve discovered it, if it’s no longer in your life, you’ll now know there’s something missing. So I definitely have to get my gut sorted so I can easily digest yummy pizza…provided I can learn to make it. It was a soft crust and it really satisfied that ‘sink your teeth’ into something craving.

Anyway, One thing to consider when living in Costa Rica…is not all homes have ovens. You can’t just go on Amazon and have a countertop oven the next day. Yes, they have a few stores in town that sell countertop ovens, but, there is only one pizza tray with holes in it in town…and you guessed it, it’s larger than will fit in the ovens sold in town…and just like that, there goes my very short-lived baking dreams. Visions of turning last-minute group playdates at our house into, no problem I’ll just ‘throw together a pizza’. Large frozen pizzas, aren’t really a thing here. Maybe if you live where there’s an Automercado (higher-end grocery store), but it’s not like the States with a large section with a variety of frozen pizzas.
Freezer space is sacred and freezer delivery trucks are often breaking down, so it’s always good to double-check the freshness of your items. I once found black mold inside a bag of frozen french fries…ewww.
Anyway, I love my air fryer for its simplicity, the set it and forget about it has always worked well with my level of kitchen commitment.

The last several years cooking has only been focused around what can I get my kid to eat. I once had a chef stay in a spare room through workaway to cook and repair things in exchange for room and board…and would you know, my kid didn’t like a single thing the chef made.

He was completely flabbergasted. He had cooked in high-end country clubs, on yachts and my 7yr old was not having it. While it was frustrating for the Chef…what a relief it was for me…it wasn’t just me that would make something only to find a dramatic display of 7yr old feigning his death… From there I decided to keep it simple, find something reasonably healthy that he liked and stick with that for now.

Chickpeas and rice. My son loves roasted chickpeas.

Thank you airfryer.

This is a great and tasty snack.

All his friends love it too. Olive oil, salt, and rinsed chickpeas in the air fryer, delicious. 280 for like 10-15mins

However, now that he’s getting older…I think I want to add to the list of things I can make, have a few go to dishes I’m good at that maybe adults would like too. Currently my only spices are butter and salt, which are kid friendly…and if I’m honest…I don’t have the most diverse palate either, do I do like butter and salt also.

Anyway, these are all things to consider when contemplating a move to Costa Rica. The things that are complicated elsewhere are simple here, and the things that ‘should be’ simple, are complicated here.

Like I’ve been envisioning if a friend, who keeps saying they are going to visit, (Oh Andrew…) would be willing to bring a countertop oven if he comes down…feels like a big ask…however, what you’ll find here will usually be less quality and at least double the price. Most people find their peace by simplifying and going without. Really, that is the key to happiness here, is not going against the flow so much and just creating a peaceful life where you can walk, enjoy a slow pace, appreciate nature and the beach and not need to count every dollar. If you have the time to stop and talk to people in the street and just appreciate life while you live it, and not need to have rigid timelines, not always need reliable internet and power for work meetings, then this may be a fit for you…or maybe it’s something you test.

I saw someone post in an expat group today on facebook…Moving our family permanently to Costa Rica in 3wks and they were asking about where they should move, and hadn’t visited before…200+ comments ripping this choice to pieces. What really is permanent in life? Do we know? Do we ever really know? Or is it just a series of…this works for nows…until it doesn’t?

Pura vida,

Cheryl