Tag Archives: joy

A balanced diet is a Christmas cookie in each hand…

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I believed I have put enough distance between myself and the cookie baking frenzy that led to intense teeth-brushings and cravings for tempeh, lettuce, and gallons of water.

It’s Christmas time after all. We must talk cookies.

This past weekend, the Christmas parties came a’calling and after a long week of finals, I was more than ready to release my baking fairy and be covered in stardust flour. Being the blogaholic, recipe hoarder that I am, choosing cookie recipes was a long and detailed process. I wanted to be sure I made just the right ones.

Thankfully, I hit on some winners:

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from Oh She Glows: Vegan, perfectly chewy and hearty — everything you want in an oatmeal raisin and so much more! I love the way this recipe incorporates ground toasted walnuts for rich flavor and added nutrition.

Gingerbread from Martha Stewart: A basic gingerbread recipe that I have found to be virtually fool-proof. Be warned that the yield is based on very large cookies; I doubled the recipe, and ended up with a whole ginger-army! I also reduced the amount of brown sugar by 3/4 with fine results. Gingerbread cutouts are so fun to decorate!

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies from Elana’s Pantry. This recipe can’t get more minimalist with six basic whole-food ingredients and almost no work involved. Elena’s Pantry is one of my favorite resources for healthy dessert recipes I can feel good about eating and serving. No one would guess these scrumptious peanut butter pillows are gluten-free and vegan!

Toasted Coconut, Toffee, and Chocolate Chip Cookies from Two Peas & Their Pod. The title alone had me falling for these cookie, hook, line, and sinker. Coconut, especially toasted, has my heart. I substituted butterscotch chips for the toffee bits, and whole wheat flour for white. These were delicious. I loved the different flavors and textures going on in these cookies. Party in my mouth. Mom, where did you hide those cookies??

I hope your Christmas season has been filled with yummy cookies and people to share them with. Platters of these cookies graced the tables of two caroling parties and one Sunday School Christmas party and were welcomed everywhere with welcome arms.. Even the “healthier” cookies were gobbled up happily. I looked on from a distance — my tummy already full of sampling the “Christmas cheer”.

My conscience simply won’t allow me to talk on about cookies without inserting my Dietetics-to-be voice (please, indulge me — I want to believe this semester of horror was not in vain!). This week, I’m sharing four helpful tips to “Eat Through the Holidays…Healthfully!” at Vibrance. Click on over and leave your cookie-eating/refraining strategies in the comments. I know I’d appreciate all the help I can get.

And so would this guy.

My inner vegetarian is seriously revolting against this.

After Christmas, it’s lettuce and tempeh for life.

Make it Better: Triple Chipper Oatmeal Cookies

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At the ripe old age of nineteen, I’ve come to the realization that life is full of inconveniences. They’re unwanted, unplanned, and unavoidable. I have spent a lot of energy and time trying to remove them, but to no avail. So I’ve also come to the realization that they must be meant to be. Part of the greater good God’s working in my life (Romans 8:28). These everyday inconveniences can be opportunities to learn lessons and challenges to find and cultivate the good in “bad” days.

When you have a three hour lab that includes a two hour wait, when you and your lab partners are yawning at each other under foggy lab classes, turn it into a conversation opportunity. You may just make some nerdy new friends

When you are “feeling a bit out of sorts,” your throat is scratchy, and your nose is sniffly, turn your downtime on the couch to read that book you haven’t gotten around to.

When the weather keeps you inside from the run you were planning, turn on cheerful Christmas music and try a new workout.

When you’ve had a long rough day at school, use your car ride home to call your sister and plan a movie-popcorn night.

When you’ve stayed up late talking to a friend and your alarm goes off at 5:15am, be sure to cash your Dunkin Donut coupon in for a tall coffee

When you go after honey with a balloon, the great thing is not to let the bees know you’re coming. (That one’s from Winnie the Pooh. Go read him)

When you want to turn unhealthy sweets into healthy treats, be sure to make them 1)edible and 2)yummy. Just so you know, almond flour + oat flour is a magic combination.

And please, when you have three kinds of baking chips, be sure to use them all.

Triple Chipper Oatmeal Cookies
~ makes 6 dozen

Ingredients

  • 2 c. rolled oats
  • 1/3 c. coconut
  • 2/3 c. Earth Balance (or butter)
  • 1 egg (or 1 T. flax seed + 2 T. water)
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 1t. vanilla
  • 1/2 c. almond flour
  • 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1 c. milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c. butterscotch chips

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350F
  • To make oat flour, process oats (1/2 c. at a time) in a blender or food processor until ground into a fine powder. It should look something like this: 
  • Process coconut in a blender or food processor until very finely chopped. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat Earth Balance with sugar and baking soda until fully combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add almond flour, coconut and oat flour and mix well.
  • Stir in chocolate and butterscotch chips.
  • Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Bake about 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown

When you make six dozen cookies that combine oats, almond flour, and coconut, and when you are going to go all crazy in the baking chips department, be sure to eat them surrounded by friends.

I promise they will taste a thousand times better. And your day will be a thousand times sweeter.

Red is the Color of Love

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Oh, Watermelon. How I love thee.
Juicy, refreshing, bright and sweet.
Red burst of summer in a great green ball.

“When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat” ~ Mark Twain

*The nutrition of watermelon*
~ Packed with Antioxidants and Phytochemicals (FitSugar)

*Watermelon-inspired link love*
~ Grilled Watermelon Salad (Peas and Thank You)
~ Chopped  Vegetable, Watermelon, and Feta Salad (Smitten Kitchen)
~ Watermelon Granita (Pioneer Woman)
~ Watermelon and Cucumber Gazpacho (Epicurious)

What will I do when summer is over?

Joy

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This is what joy looks like:

Some of the time.

But many times, life isn’t all sprinkles and chocolate glaze. When there are disappointments, pains, and inconveniences, how do we  respond to the command to “Rejoice always”?

By remembering that joy isn’t based on external circumstances, but on the secure and eternal relationship of my Savior with me. “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you” (Psalm 5:11). Because of who He is and what He has done and is doing, and will do for me, I can lift my heart in joyful praise at all times.

And when God’s blessings include sparkles and chocolate glaze, I rejoice. Not because those are the only times He is good but because His goodness overflows in such a way that I am reminded in a special way of His great love and mercy in my life all the tim “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8,9).

Yesterday, joy took this form. I was celebrating passing the Psychology CLEP, delaying the start of an online Statistics class, and craving chocolate. Perfect time to make doughnuts? I thought so too.

Cinnamon Sugar Baked Doughnuts

Slightly adapted from Prevention RD.
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
3/4 c. yogurt, flavor of your choice
2 tsp lemon juice
2 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. In another bowl stir together egg white, applesauce, yogurt, honey, and lemon juice.
Mix wet ingredients into dry, just until combined. Scoop batter (batter will be thick!) into a ziploc bag and snip a corner with scissors. Squeeze batter into a doughnut pan.
Bake until doughnuts are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.
Yields about 12 doughnuts.

Healthified Doughnut Quick Fix

1 1/2 c. boxed cake mix of your choice (I used yellow)
1/3 c. water
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 egg whites
1/2 c. dark chocolate
Sprinkles

Directions: Preheat oven to 400. Combine cake mix with water, mashed banana, and egg whites. Depending on how moist your cake mix is, you may need to add more of the mix or more water. You want batter to be thick.
Scoop batter into a ziploc bag and snip off a bottom corner. Squeeze batter evenly into doughnut pan.
Bake until doughnuts are golden brown, about 10 minutes. While they are cooling, melt chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Remove doughnuts from pan and dip tops into melted chocolate and then immediately top with sprinkles. Let chocolate cool before serving.

Make these doughnuts. If you don’t have a doughnut pan, make them cupcakes (just increase baking time). Then pour yourself a glass of milk and Rejoice, always.