Cookie Monster want treat

Layered Reese's "Peanut Butter" Cups

I've been giving my gut a "monster" rating depending on how I'm feeling each day. Today is a Cookie Monster day which means my gut isn't talking to me much.

I have bacterial overgrowth in my small intestine (SIBO) and candida as the result of years of misdiagnosis of my stomach problems. SIBO causes IBS-like symptoms, in the severe category for me. Left unchecked, the overgrowth damages your gut resulting in leaky gut syndrome and autoimmune disorders.

I guess that's why I have "monster" ratings for my situation. The bacteria by itself is relatively harmless but as a collective, overgrown mass, it becomes a monster to the host, which is me.

Some days, I feel like Sigourney Weaver as Lt. Ellen Ripley battling the extraterrestrial creatures in the  Alien movies. My monster seems as indestructible as the eight-foot-tall creature that burst out of a crew member's chest after using him as a host. Some days, I'm Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors feeding Audrey II, the blood-eating plant with an insatiable appetite.

Luckily, today is a Cookie Monster day. But as with any chronic illness, you never know when things might change for the worse. Your best bet is to keep a positive attitude. But on the "Alien" days when I feel like I'm battling an extraterrestrial creature, I admit to being less than positive and at times, even having an emotional meltdown.

I've been combating the "Aliens" with my own special forces. I call them the Aliens' worst nightmare, sort of like Hellboy, a demon who works for good. My Hellboy forces include probiotics, HCL-Pepsin supplements, herbal antibiotics, lactose-free yogurt and kefir, and cultured veggies.

Sometimes, I toy with the Cookie Monster, or whatever the monster of the day is, by eating a low fermentation treat. The trick is to avoid eating much that can't be easily digested. Your foods need to have low fermentation potential. Even then, you can't overdo what you eat.

Here is what you need for Layered Reese's "Peanut Butter" Cups:

For the chocolate layers:

1 T. cocoa powder
2 T. coconut oil
1 T. unsweetened sunbutter or other seed/nut butter
5-10 drops vanilla liquid stevia, alcohol free

For the "Peanut Butter" Layers:

2 T. sunbutter
2 T. coconut oil
liquid stevia
pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, alcohol free

Here's what you do:

Make the chocolate mixture. Combine softened sunbutter, coconut oil, cocoa powder, stevia in a bowl. Pour a thin layer of the mixture in the bottom of mini-cupcake cells. Set the mini-cupcake pan in the freezer or fridge to hasten firming.

Next, mix up the "peanut butter" mixture. Once the bottom chocolate layer is firm, pour on a thin layer of the PB mixture. Return the cupcake pan to freezer or fridge.

Keep repeating this procedure until you have no more room in your cupcake cells for additional layers. Once the PB cups are firmed up, remove them from the pan and store in the freezer or fridge until ready to toy with your monster.

Misha grabs his pal, Foxy, off the shelf.

 http://wholenewmom.com/miscellany/healthy-peanut-butter-cups-raspberry-almond-squares-grain-free-thin-mints-seasoned-nori-chips/