He Thinks Of Me

I need to take a minute to honor the man to whom I am married.  But first, a little exposition…

I wrote, last week, about the fabulous trip I had planned for tomorrow to Jamaica that fell through at the last minute.  It got cancelled as my husband was in New York, waiting for his flight to come back home.  My parents had just gotten back from Hawaii the day before…All of my loved ones were off doing wonderful and exciting things.  Before the Jamaica trip fell into my lap, I was a bit bummed that I couldn’t go to New York with my husband.  We just couldn’t make it work so I stayed home with the kids.  But once I found out I was going to be flown to Jamaica, I wasn’t all that bummed anymore!  Because I was going to get to go somewhere wonderful and exciting too!!  But still, my husband knew I really wanted to go with him to New York.  So before he left, he hid gifts and prizes and clues throughout the house for me and our two children to look for while he was gone.  There was a clue and a prize for each of us for every day he was gone.  It was incredible.  The kids loved it.  I loved it.  I still can’t get over the fact that he thought of something like that.  And that he did it so perfectly.  That’s the kind of man I married.  I married a man who thinks of me and does things for me, even when I don’t deserve it.

When I called him in New York to tell him about my trip being cancelled, I knew he was upset for me.  He knew how much I needed to get away and how much I had been looking forward to it.  He knew I had been stressed out for the past month and this trip was going to be my big release.  This trip was going to be what turned me back into the happy me I had lost.  He walked in the door that afternoon, after being in an airport for hours, and in a cramped airplane, and stuck in traffic, wanting desperately to get home to his family, with a bottle of my favorite champagne to help make the sadness go away.  He Thought Of Me.  As he unpacked his suitcase upstairs and I sipped on my first (of many) glasses of bubbly, he brought me a bag of gifts that he had bought for me in New York.  He went shopping for me, he bought me clothes.  The clothes fit.  The clothes were beautiful.  He Thought Of Me.

A couple of days later was Mother’s Day.  And, even though any other man could have convinced me that he had already done enough to make me feel special that week, he created a whole, relaxing day just for me.  I stayed in bed and he brought me homemade waffles and coffee, he took care of the kids, he cleaned the house, he bought me yet another of my favorite bottles of champagne, he made me a salad to eat in bed for lunch (that he just threw together) and then when I thought I had had enough special for one day, for one week, he surprised me with dinner out at my favorite sushi restaurant.  We brought the kids, they behaved themselves like they were under some magic spell, and we ate sushi that never tasted so good.  He took care of everything the entire day.  He managed to get my daughter to sleep the best nap she’s had in months, there were no meltdowns, no tantrums, no tears, the day was perfect.

He’s been working so hard to try to get me happy again.  And I’ll get there.  I just feel like I’m stuck in Groundhog Day.  It’s a good movie, so it could be worse.  I could be stuck in Batman and Robin.  But I’m just in a little funk at the moment.  We all have them, maybe no one else writes about them like I’m doing now, but these things happen to everyone.  I’m no idiot.  I know what I have.  I have nothing to not be happy about (yes, that’s a double negative but it’s allowed here).  My children are incredible and I get to be with them every single day of my life.  When I’m old and grey and they don’t want to be around me anymore I will be so thankful of these days.  My parents live close by and they love my children and my children love them.  And I have a husband who Thinks Of Me.

I think I’ll be OK.

I know I’ll be OK because I have a husband who will make sure that happens.  I have a husband who puts me and his children first.  I have a husband who, for some unknown reason thinks I am worthy of such behavior.

I know I’ll be OK because I have a husband who Thinks Of Me.

Now, I get to show him I’m thinking of him…

Like any man, my husband loves chocolate and all things sweet.  And he has really loved all the raw and vegan desserts I’ve been making lately.  He and I both are healthy eaters so I try to have homemade, healthy treats around the house for the whole family.  I usually have my raw PB Cookies, my Chocolate Brownie Cups and my Coconut Banana Muffins in the fridge at all times and they’re all family favorites.  He and my son (and I) loved my Raw and Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Cream that I made during the holidays, he loved the Raw and Vegan Chocolate Banana Cream Pie I made for Valentine’s Day, even though I wasn’t too satisfied with the results…and neither was my son.  My five year old took a lick of the ‘chocolate’ filling and scrunched up his face and said, ‘that doesn’t taste like chocolate.’  He was right!  So ever since then I have been wanting to give the raw chocolate pie another go.  The last one tasted too much like bananas.  The texture was great, it was beautiful, but it didn’t hold a candle to a ‘normal’ chocolate pie.

So considering my current state of slump-ness, I thought it was the perfect time to try to create something amazing.  Plus, I feel my husband deserves a special surprise of his own.  While my 2 year old daughter took a nap, I set off to the kitchen and began to play.  My counter tops looked like something out of Hoarders.  Everything I owned seemed to be bumping into one another up there.  But, the good news is that I have finally made a raw and vegan chocolate pie that is amazing.  Seriously, it’s outstanding.  The filling alone can be made to be served as chocolate pudding at room temperature, but when you pair it with the crust and chill it until firm, you have a luscious, velvety and extremely satisfying chocolate dessert that contains only healthy and natural ingredients.  Nothing to feel bad about here!!!  And considering I am my worst critic, you will just have to believe me.  Or…wait for my husband to discover his surprise in the fridge and hear what he has to say.

It’s true what they say about chocolate.  It certainly can lift a mood.

The five year old approves!!!

*Raw and Vegan Chocolate Pudding Pie
(makes 1 small 6 inch pie/tart (with a very thick crust!), but can easily be doubled if desired…you could even just double the filling part and keep the crust the same for a regular sized pie with a thinner crust)

For the Crust:
In the bowl of your food processor, combine the following…
-1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
-5 (large) medjool dates, pits removed
-2 TB dark, unsweetened cocoa powder (the better the quality, the better the taste)
-1 tsp kosher salt

Process until everything has broken down.  You will still see some flecks of nuts, but that’s fine.  You just want it moistened and finely ground.

Press firmly into the bottom of a 6 1/2 inch wide and 3 inch tall spring-form tart/pie pan/shell, (this is a small size, feel free to double the recipe for a larger pie). Press evenly.  Set aside or refrigerate if you’re doing this step ahead.

For the Filling:
In the same food processor bowl (no need to wash), combine the following…
-Just the white top cream from 1 can of full fat coconut milk (this happens at room temperature usually but you can place your can in the fridge overnight or for a couple hours if you aren’t sure)
-1/4 cup raw cashew butter
-13 (large) medjool dates, pits removed (yes, that’s 13…I know it’s strange)
-2 TB dark, unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
-1/4 tsp kosher salt
-splash of vanilla extract

Process until everything is silky smooth.  You don’t want any bits of anything to be seen and this can take awhile.  But when it looks exactly like chocolate pudding, you’re done.

Remember, you can just make this and eat it as pudding!

Spread this over your prepared crust and make sure it’s smooth on top.

Now, this right here is the most crucial of all the steps.  You must now lick the spatula and if you’re feeling friendly, find someone to help.

And when the spatula is clean…

Refrigerate the pie until firm, at least 4 hours, but overnight is preferred.  If you’re desperate, you can place it in the freezer and check it after an hour.

Once it’s completely firm, remove the sides of the tart shell and slice, with a sharp knife, into desired serving slices…or just pick a good man to share it with right on the couch with a couple of forks.