Friday, October 24, 2014

Sugar-free Pumpkin Oatmeal

I'm obsessed with anything pumpkin flavor and even better if it's healthy! So here's an oatmeal recipe I found a few years back  that I really like. And as a bonus there is no sugar added!  

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. milk
1 sliced banana
1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice
handful of frozen blueberries or dried craisins.  Cook oats, pumpkin, milk, banana and pumpkin pie spice over low heat until warm and oatmeal is cooked.  Add fruit at the end. (If your bananas aren't really ripe you may want to add 1/4-1/2 t. honey). 
(Excuse the poor quality photo!)

Pumpkin Bread

This is one of my favorite things to make and eat!  And seeing as it's fall for you there in the USA, I thought I would share.  It is over 100 degrees fareheight here most days, so it's all the same to me.  But I'm not bothered, I'm used to eating pumpkin all year long!  I almost titled this, "Pumpkin banana apple raisin bread"but even though I like my eaters to be informed of what they are eating...thats a really long title and depending on the mood I'm in the same recipe can be varied in lots of different ways.  Also known as pumpkin nut bread, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, pumpkin craisin white chocolate muffins, etc.  It's like pizza: very versatile!
 So here in Bolivia the pumpkins (or squash), are huge so you buy it by the kilo, cook it down, pure it and then it's finally ready to eat!  Here's a modified recipe of my favorite pumpkin recipe.  Most people who know me well have tried this at least once! (It sometimes has chocolate chips, or nuts, or is in the form of a muffin, but this time I went for more fruit!).

4 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
15 oz pumpkin pure
1 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. applesauce or 2 mashed bananas

3 c. flour (I do half whole wheat and half all purpose white flour)
2 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. cinnamon (you can use pumpkin pie spice as well)
1 t. salt

2 c. dark chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, diced apple, shredded carrot, craisins, white chocolate chips, or any other mix in that you prefer.

Mix wet ingredients and then sift and add dry ingredients. Finally add mix ins and pour into greased muffin tins or bread pans.  Bake at 400 degrees.  45-60 minutes for loaves of bread and 16-20 minutes for muffins.

This makes 2 loaves or 2 dozen muffins and they won't last long!


Friday, October 3, 2014

Oromomo. Another lesson in flexibilidad!


Beautiful sunrise as we approached Cochabamba by bus. 

Eliana excitedly awaiting our departure for ORomomo! 

Equipo de solteros.  We took advantage of a day in Cochabamba and arrived very early and tired to the Mano a Mano hangar. 

Safe and uneventful flight to Oromomo. 

Kids playing soccer in their recreo time from school.  The community also has a sports "hour" every evening.  Loved playing with them and trying to remember names and personalities. I liked it because rules were minimal, and playing in the mud is great! 

"Welcome to Oromomo of the Secure [river].

Where we stayed. This is a sunday school room + guest room + bathroom for the pilot and his wife. 

Doing homework with the kids-hoping to help them catch up.  They know little Spanish (fluent in Chiman). 

Hermana Judith.  This is Payuje (I think that's how it's spelled).  Ripe plantains, cinnamon and water. It must boil for 2 hours, then let cool overnight and eat with milk for breakfast. Yum.  

One of the projects was to put signs on the church. 
Siblings -1.  Jose was so fun to play frisbee with-even though he wasn't very attentive and his partner had good aim and hit him in the side of the head. Classic!  It's all good though, he shook his head, laughed and kept playing all afternoon! 

More of the family.  Th man on the right side in back is the "mayor" (I think that's the equivalent) of the community and recently converted to Christianity.  He eagerly attends church and discipleship group.  He is Chiman and his wife in the middle with the sleeping baby is Yuracare.  They both speak Spanish as well. 



Virginia slept through most meals, and fell asleep halfway through some. 

Making empanadas for dinner.  Que lujo!

Juan and his little date for the "Miss Primavera" pageant put on by the teachers from the city. It was definitely not typical to this culture!

This guy cut his foot open and Hermana Judith treated it and had him wear a sock to protect it. I'm pretty sure it didn't stay on very long! 

One of the many work projects we helped out with-I don't think I took pictures of most of the other projects....but they'll show up somewhere!

Tito is the pastor of this church.  He is tri-lingual and has an amazing story.  I'll write about it on the other blog

Dalinda weaving fans.  She also made mats (see other pictures). 

Naty with baby Alinda (yes her name is VERY similar to her sister's name, which makes it even more unbelievable that I could never remember Dalinda's name!)

Mati cutting up fish.  I learned a lot this day!

Sunday school! Naty and I taught the kids the story of the Tower of Babel. 

Serafin, super cool kid.  I kept thinking of that song from Sister Act-I told him there was a song with his name in it, but I refrained from singing it! 

More kids. I so enjoyed every second with them, in Sunday school, playing, swimming, singing, etc. 


Where we slept.  Mosquito nets are so helpful. Except when the mosquitos get trapped inside! :/


Ecological bathroom. Quite impressive actually. Sanitary and relatively clean. 

Kitchen. 

Note that Emanuel (=God with us) is shorter than the same idea in English, Yuracare or Chiman. 

Apparently the government gifted solar panels, a battery, and bathroom to every (or every 2) households.  There is also internet and cell phone reception for the community-which makes it seem a little less isolated. 

Another bug. This gave these guys plenty of exercise (running away!)

Breakfast! This Chiman family lives here while both parents recover from surgery and the baby twins recuperate.  There are 7 kids, and they were an absolute delight! Here is (front to back) Alfredo, Dalinda, Virginia, and Juan. 

Little Raul was tuckered out from the walk/piggyback ride and slept on my lap for the whole church service on the other side of the community. I noticed everyone else slapping bugs off their legs and arms, and realized even if you live their all the time you never completely are without bug bites-although they feasted on us newbies for sure-especially us gringoes! 

This little girl hung around a lot and she looked so much like a little girl from Oromomo who lived at the orphanage I used to work at, who apparently is of no relation.

The parents with the babies. 

Mati made friends with everyone.  And she really did like him even though she's not smiling in this second!

Judith and her mother Nasmi who came last month and plans to stay and help Judith with her work there. Sweet ladies that took such good care of us!

Return to Cochabamba. 

There you have it folks: the mosquitos loved me! 

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Weekend away to Roboré!

A couple from my class along with the husband's sister and grandmother planned a weekend trip and invited me along.  We spent many hours in the car talking, laughing and drinking terere.  It was a very unique cultural experience: exploring Bolivia with Argentinians.   
The Argentinian family that took me on a fantastic weekend away! I was never bored! Mara and her brother Matias, their grandmother Layla and Matias' wife Naty. 

Naty and I at the second hot springs.  Both hot springs were in Aguas Calientes.  The first one, is the one I don't have pictures of but it was amazing! Bubbling up through the sand which you would sink into if you stepped on them.  The water was super warm and there were little minnows swimming around. The second place was not quite as warm, but so nice and there was hardly anyone else around. 
This is the plaza in Santiago de Chiquitos.  I thought it was funny that there was a horse grazing on the main plaza!

We passed a military checkpoint and parked near this plaque of the five missionaries (some of the first families to serve with New Tribes Mission) who were killed by the people they went to serve among.  They were found in the valley that this mountain overlooks. 


It was chilly and Naty was dancing to keep warm. She also took lots of pictures! 

Layla was a trooper, and made it up with us, with a little assistance. 

The colors reminded me of fall.  (My favorite season!)

Here they are at the "mirador" (first overlook). 

My classmates and I.

Tried to capture the sunset. 


UPside down selfie. Talent. 
Afterwards we got some home made yogurt from a Quaker farm (if you ever go there, it seemed that everyone knew of them to tell us where to go).  It was dark but otherwise I would've loved a tour of this place.  The yogurt was also delicious.  I recommend the coconut. 

The toucan at the hostel where we stayed. 


At another balneario, this side had little fish in a tank. Little worms would fall out of the tree above and the fish would come up to eat them. 

In case you wondered: "Roboré: the paradise is here"

We had to watch for all kinds of hazards on the roadside...




Sanctuary in Chochís


I think it was a Ayoreo man and a Yura man...

A llama!

The ladies!







We saw lots of cows!