Saturday, April 17, 2010

Wha?!? Cookies for Breakfast?!?


Yep, cookies for breakfast. I recently found this recipe for "Breakfast Cookies" from Ellie Krieger of the Food Network (I told you I had an obsession, right??) I tried them, and they are so.damn.good. And they are perfect for those of you who are like me.... waiting until you have 27 seconds left in your morning routine to decide on breakfast. Plus, they are portable, so I can eat one in one hand, hold my coffee in the other, and pray for the other drivers on the roadways with me each morning. Double plus! Oh, and since I hate raisins, I subbed Craisins.
Ingredients

3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped

Directions

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Couch to 5K Plan

I have toyed with the idea of taking up running for a long time now. I just either can't get motivated, or I start too big and get discouraged. I have had this plan recommended to me numerous times, so I think I am going to start it. I like the interval training idea, so that I can pace myself. And I plan to post some "before" "after" and "in progress" pictures as well, to help with the motivation to keep going. If anyone has any tips on the program, or any running words of wisdom, please share! Wish me luck!