First week in Atenas as Expats

First full week in Atenas!  So far, none of us have been disappointed with our move.  The weather and natural beauty here really inspires us to spend a lot of time outside.  Even the dog seems rejuvenated and enjoys roaming the grounds exploring instead of sleeping all day long.

Some things here are done "old school," or the "old fashioned way" to save energy.  One of those chores is laundry.  I did four loads of laundry and then hung all of to dry "a aire puro," or with pure air...and of course sunshine!  Electricity is not cheap here, so while we are fortunate not to require heating or air conditioning, the dryer seems like a luxury as well.

We eat a lot of fruits and vegetables since they are in such an abundant supply.  I love making papaya and orange juice smoothies with just a bit of ice as well as enjoying tamarind water.  Tamarind is a tangy bean that has a delightful pulp that can be used to make really good atole (thick hot gravy texture drink) that is commonly served with enchiladas in parts of Mexico as well as a good cold tangy drink served over ice.  

One of the daily adventures now is hunting for tarantulas when I take the dog out before we turn in for the night.  The tarantulas are not as big as the ones we had in Texas, but they are tarantulas nonetheless.  After we come in from taking care of fhe dog's last "business" for the day, I am reminded of one big differences between living here and in the USA.  We have about 8 or ten locks to secure the house every night, including a wooden door deadbolt and secondary exterior door with metal bars and deadbolt.  While violent crime is not a major problem here, apparently property theft is not unheard of in houses that are easy to access.  So the common practice here is to make your home much more challenging to break into than your neighbor's house.  The other advice we hear often is to try to blend with the community, which means not flashing high tech toys that are taken for granted and in widespread use in the USA.  Costa Ricans have a much lower per capita income and substantially reduced selection of items to purchase than in the US.
  

To end on a lighter note, and to infuse some fun I would like to share some of my favorite healthy recipes that I hope others will try as well.

For breakfast, I really enjoy a version of muesili that was served on a Holland America cruise we enjoyed last year:

4 servings

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon honey

1 to 2 apples, peeled and grated

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts or almonds

1 cup low-fat yogurt (any flavor you wish)

Combine oats, milk and honey and leave soaking in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, add the grated apple, hazelnuts or almonds, and yogurt.

What is great about this recipe is that it is easy to make, good for days and great with fresh berries.  Since we cannot readily find fresh blueberries and raspberries here, I have substituted fresh sliced strawberries (which are grown nearby) and sliced bananas.  

Another favorite recipe is known as "gallo pinto" and is a traditional Costa Rican dish.  We love this meal so much we eat it at least three times per week.

1 cup of cooked rice

1 cup of cooked black beans 

1/2 cup frozen corn or canned corn

2-3 chopped green onions

1 tspn ground cumin and 1 tspn ground coriander

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 tbsp oil

4 Tbs. Salsa Lizano  (available at online stores).  Worcestershire sauce can be used as a substitute.

Pinch of black pepper

¼ cup chopped cilantro, 1 small chopped tomato and 1 peeled/diced avocado for garnish as well as either some crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese.

I also must have some pickled jalapeños to eat with it and a few tortilla chips never hurt either!

How to prepare

1. Fry onion, and garlic in the vegetable oil, about 3 minutes.  

2. Pour in the beans and add the sauce, black pepper and seasonings (coriander and cumin).  Let it cook for a few minutes, but don’t let it dry out.

3. Pour in the cooked rice and mix it with the beans

4.  Serve in bowl garnished with chopped tomatoes, fresh cilantro, chopped avocado, and cheese.

"Provecho" as they say here, which in essence translates to "enjoy!"