Almost-S’more Banana Cookies [3 Ingredients!]

After a nice light workout, and a delicious post-workout dinner at Mediterranean Market (one of our favorites), I wanted some dessert. I had eaten pretty light at dinner (it’s so easy to stuff yourself there with delicious falafel), so I was ready for a little dessert. Our favorite Mexican bakery was closed, and we’re both too congested for Glacier (best ice cream in town). We didn’t have much dessert food in the house (besides some squares of dark dark chocolate), so I decided to just make some! I remember seeing this recipe, and it was so simple and easy–the perfect cookies for tonight. And they have good macros to boot (aka pretty healthy)!

I’ll take three, please

Why almost-s’more? Because I’m not using any marshmallows. A) Because they have gelatin in them and sometimes horse hooves are used for that, but let’s be honest and turn to B) Didn’t have any in the house. Alright, let’s get to the recipe!

Prep Time: 3-5 minutes
Bake Time: 13 minutes
Makes: 6 cookies

Macros (per cookie)

Calories: 116
Fat: 3.5g
Carbs: 20g
Protein: 1g

Ingredients

3/4 cup ground graham crackers (I had the cinnamon kind–yum!)
1 banana
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F
So I tried lining up my baking sheet with parchment paper and it didn’t turn out so well for my cookies. Try just buttering or oiling your baking sheet instead
Crush up your graham crackers. Put them in a ziplock and roll a rolling pin over them to get ’em nice and grounded
Mash your banana well in a mixing bowl
Mix the rest of the ingredients in the bowl

Yum mixture

The original recipe made 8 cookies, but I think perhaps I made mine a bit bigger than her. So plop your cookie dough on the baking sheet any way you would like. They don’t really expand, so style them how you want them to turn out! Remember this isn’t a normal cookie dough texture

Ready to bake!

Bake for 13-15 minutes. Mine were promptly ready at 13. Take out and let cool for a few minutes (I know, that’s hard).

Begging to be eaten

Oops didn’t wait long enough

How easy was that?! It took no time at all…well, it took some time for me because we got caught in the middle of a Monk marathon (best show ever). These are guilt-free cookies that don’t break the money bank or time bank. I know I’ll be using this recipe frequently when I need a dessert fix or a last-minute needed dish for friends. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

Enjoy with milk!

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BONUS KITTY PIC

Sajah selfie

Aug222013

No-Bake, No-Sugar Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Woah, what a title. Are you out of breath? Well you should be, because these are delicious. I took the recipe from this blog (which I think will be a new favorite of mine) and took out the sugar and reduced the butter. The other day, I was simply craving to bake something, but we didn’t have many ingredients in the house. We did, however, have these ingredients. This is such an easy recipe to make such decadent cookies. And you don’t even have to turn on the oven! Amen to that for hot summer nights.

Piled up, ready for eatage

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Baking Time: …0 minutes
Makes: 9 (I cut the recipe in half, if you want to double it, the way OMFG So Good did it, go for it!)

Ingredients

2 cups oats
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)
3/4 stick butter
1/4 cup agave or honey

Directions

Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, cocoa powder, butter, and honey.

I just thought it looked pretty

Mix and stir until butter is melted.
Bring to a boil for a little over a minute and then take off heat

Boiling boiling boiling

Once off the heat, stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Stir it real well, getting it as smooth as you can with such ingredients.

All stirred up!

Use an ice cream scooper (this is the perfect way to do it!) and scoop a ball of each and plop it on your baking sheet.
Once they’re all lined up, let them cool for a bit and then put them in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Once nice and cool, go ahead and serve! It’s delicious with a glass of milk (almond or regular, your choice)

Ready to be gobbled up

And that’s it! Pretty simple, huh? I give thanks again to OMFG So Good (brilliant blog title too) for bringing this to my attention. And by bringing, I mean I hunted the recipe down. These are very decadent cookies, rich with the mixed combination of chocolate and peanut butter (Reese’s, anyone?). That is a combination I can near never refuse. This recipe has plenty of protein, fiber, and unsaturated fat to keep you satisfied in the afternoon! Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

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BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria exploring the shower…

Apr212013

Ridiculously Easy and Healthy Oat Chocolate Chip Raisin Drops

This one has no sugar or flour…OR EGGS. Wait, what? How is this possible? You got me, but it worked and here they are…delicious, warm, and gooey. I got it from this awesome blog, and added a little bit to it. I’m amazed at A) How healthy these are (just choc chips + raisins for sweetness), B) How easy it is (took me 5 minutes to assemble), and C) How good they are! You can play around with the recipe, add or subtract, have fun with it! And you don’t have to feel guilty eating them. A healthy, nutritious (delicious) snack awaiting your baking:

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 12-16 minutes

Ingredients

2 large bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup oats
handful of raisins
small handful chocolate chips [optional]

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Mash up the bananas til they’re smooth and gooey

Mix bananas with oats in a medium-sized bowl
Pour in the cinnamon and then fold in raisins and chocolate chips

Place little rounds on a greased cookie sheet and place in oven for 12-16 minutes

Deeeeelicious!

And that’s it. What’s an easier baked good than that? PLUS with it being so healthy! I’m very happy I found this recipe and I have a feeling I will be frequenting it. Cheers! And stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleepy Sajah

Jan192013

Mary Kate’s Easy Delicious Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Who is Mary Kate? Good question. Mary Kate is one of my best friends from college. We were put randomly as roommates together freshman year and since then, it’s history. Shout out to my baby girl. Anyways…we both share a passion for cooking and baking. Nearly every night, when we were both RAs and no longer living together, I would trek over to her apartment no matter the weather. She would always have something cooking or baking, or simply in the works so that we got the chance to cook/bake together, which we loved.

Mary Kate, Chris and I on MK’s and my graduation

Talking about it makes me miss it way too much so let’s get on to the food. Besides the many amazing things she’s created, one of my favorite and easiest recipes was her peanut butter cookie recipe. On any given night while watching X Factor or Family Guy, Katie and I (Katie was her roommate at the time) demanded peanut butter cookies and wouldn’t shut up until she made them for us. Luckily for her, it was quick and easy. So here it is, I take no credit for it, except maybe the chunky peanut butter because I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be creamy.

Prep Time: 5 minutes?
Bake Time: 9-12 minutes (took mine 11 minutes)
Set Oven to: 350 degrees

Ingredients

1 egg
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
handful of chocolate chips (optional)

And that’s it…I kid you not. Just talking about them makes me want to run to my kitchen and eat more. SO SIMPLE YET SO GOOD.

Directions

Butter up or grease your baking sheet
Drop that egg in a mixing bowl and slowly whisk in the cup of sugar

Using a wooden spoon (or whatever you’ve got), stir in the cup of peanut butter into the egg-sugar mixture
Now, you don’t have to use chocolate chips, but she suggested I did, so I went for it and it added an amazing counter-taste to the peanut butter. Classic combo, right? So I just grabbed a handful of the chocolate chips and folded them in the peanut buttery mixture.

And that’s it! That’s all the prep time! Now use a spoon or your fingers to place them on the baking sheet, spaced apart enough.

Waiting to bake

Now pop em in the oven for 9-12 minutes. Mine took 11 minutes. Take out, leave them a bit to stiffen up…THEN EAT THEM!!

They turned out lovely, and it brought me back to baking with her which was probably the biggest plus of this recipe. I hope you enjoy how easy and delicious this recipe is. Give thanks to Mary Kate!

Nov012012

Halloween Feast: Open WIDE

We live in an apartment complex where kids wouldn’t exactly walk up to. There’s plenty of college kids living here and some other sketchy folk, so we decided to not give out here. We decided that we (Chris, cousins, & co.) would go to my aunt’s house in a very much-more family-friendly area. It’s also big, spacious and lovely. The perfect spot for some Halloween fun.

As soon as I was out of work, I raced home with a huge list of things to bring on my mind. First, I made some of my guacamole (which I ended up having to make a second batch because people [CHRIS] ate all of it before the main dish was out). Then, I put the pumpkins in the car, the Halloween cookies, the laundry (yes we brought our laundry over), CANDY, red wine, and apple cider. Was that it? Oh yes, and the kittens! It was the first time they’ve been over to my aunt’s house since they’ve finally gotten their Rabies shots (yay!). So I shoved both of them in the cat carrier and headed over to my aunt’s house.

Once there, I found Megan (my cousin) already preparing her wild-caught fish tacos. It was a big project, but she used top-notch ingredients, even made her own aioli chipotle sauce. She battered them in panko breadcrumbs, turned out absolutely fabulous. Fred, her boyfriend, and his brother made a top notch cole-slaw that would go on top. And then my guacamole on top of that. It was amazing. Seriously. Better than any taco place can give out. Just LOOK at it.

Main show of the feast, everyone put a little something in and it turned out to be excellent

We had a lovely appetizer of bread and baked brie with a chipotle cranberry sauce (might have been pomegranate, never get it right). Again, delicious.

We put on Monsters Inc. (the most Halloween-y movie we could find) and enjoyed our dinner immensely. As soon as we were done, Chris immediately wanted to put the cookies in the oven. They’re his favorite kind of cookies. Basic sugar cookies with Halloween deco on them.

And they didn’t last too long….

By the time these were done with, we really couldn’t move. All on the couch, kitties laying peacefully across us (why didn’t I get pics of that?!), blissfully enjoying our full bellies.

And of course, the mess in the kitchen was as usual (and as should be!) after any well-prepared feast. And Ben (my other cousin) cleaned everything up, thanks Ben!

Overall, it was a great Halloween, full of food, friends, and family (what else matters, really?). The only bummer was that we only got three batches of trick or treaters. We would get so excited when the doorbell rings I think we kind of scared them off. Anyways, it was a great time.

Nymeria didn’t like her outfit as much as we did.

Happy Halloween!

Sep302012

Whole-Wheat Oat Banana Cookies: Get a Padlock Ready

I’m pretty upset I didn’t take a picture of the banana I used. It was bad. Like really really bad. Like not even brown and black, but a gray-black color, desperately begging to be used. So instead of the normal banana bread route, I wanted to make cookies (Chris was all in favor of this, for some reason, I think he might like cookies?). And I definitely ~~wanted~~ needed to use that banana. So I found a recipe from another blog and always…altered it! And for the padlock comment? Let’s just say…Chris may have substituted one of his meals with these, but…more on that later.

There is no reason to feel guilty about eating these cookies, barely any butter or sugar, with lots of oats to keep your fiber count happy! Let’s take a look at the ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup regular sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 banana
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup chocolate chips

It may seem like a long list, but it goes by very quickly. I think this whole process (including cooking) maybe took 20 minutes max. Pretty nice, and I find cooking/baking relaxing and cheerful anyhow. Okay, let’s get started! Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter up baking pan.

Instructions:

First, in a medium bowl (please note: this will not be your final mixing bowl, I don’t know how many times I’ve short-sightedly followed a recipe thinking it was going to be the main mixing bowl), get your dry ingredients ready. Mix together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Next, in your large mixing bowl (this is it, folks! This is the bowl that everything will end up in!), we will combine the butter and the two sugars. Whisk that puppy up.
Then, we’ll put the egg, vanilla extract, and (MASHED) banana into the mixture. Good to use a whisk.
In comes the dry ingredients, rudely interrupting the wet-ingredient get-together. Slowly pour in the medium bowl ingredients into the large bowl (flour, etc. –> sugar, egg, butter, etc.). Mix that up.

Now, for the (almost) final step! Fold the chocolate chips into your mixture, make sure they’re evenly spread out so one cookie doesn’t greedily get them all.

Take gobs of the beautiful cookie dough (again, I ate too much of it and afterwards could not eat enough of my Mexican dinner twenty minutes later) and place upon your greased up baking sheet.

Set timer for 10-12 minutes. Mine took 12 minutes because I always make HUGE cookies. And voila! You’re done.

So for the padlock comment expanded…while I was working at the assisted living home yesterday, Chris ate five cookies (and they are BIG). Choosing to eat cookies instead of a real lunch. So, baker, wherever you are, keep a close eye on these cookies, they are sure to disappear rather quickly…

Aug272012

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies [GUILT-FREE!]

So I’m craving some Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Good thing we have a huge thing of Quaker Oatmeal (a five pound jar and at least ten more pounds packed away in bags in the pantry). Baking always brings me back to college years (also back to days at home) when I would walk up to my best friend’s apartment almost every night (rain or snow) to bake or cook something, drink some tea, and watch a great series like Modern Family or Beyonce Concerts.

If you’ve baked oatmeal raisin cookies, you know it’s pretty simple. It’s basically measure, pour, mix, and heat. And we only have whole wheat flour in the kitchen, so we’re making Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. There’s no crap in these, so you don’t have to worry about that. I pulled the recipe off of here and altered it slightly. So, my fellow bakers, get your ingredients ready!

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter (I use whipped)
3/4 cup of sugar (I used white because we don’t have any brown at the moment)
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup of oatmeal (I use Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats, yumm)
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of raisins
a splash of vanilla extract

Pretty basic. I have faith you can all do it. Remember to always grease your baking sheet first so that you don’t have to scramble at the last minute. I like to use wax paper and butter to grease up the sheet, just dip the wax paper in and rub around, a tip my mum taught me. If you don’t have either, then you can just use PAM or whatever you’ve got. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Alright, so pour in the butter, sugar, and egg in before anything else. Mix that up real well. You’d think it’d be hard to bake things without a mixer, or even a whisk, but we have neither and everything comes out just fine. I simply use a wooden spoon. And high-powered arms. 😉 After you beat those first three ingredients, pour in the rest and stir it up. If it’s too dry to stir everything in, pour a little milk in (that’s what I did).

Now if anyone here knows me, then you know I have to literally be dragged away from the cookie dough in order to not eat it all. It was tough, but I held myself back (slightly). So after everything is mixed up, use a spoon (or your hands) and plop ’em down on your already greased up baking sheet in nice rows like below.

And now we wait 10-15 minutes, depending on how thick you made the cookies and what your oven is like. And now you get to see what my kitchen looks like when I cook/bake! (yikes)

Ding! (just kidding I don’t have an oven timer) Cookies are ready! Pull them cookies out (with an oven mitt, of course) and let sit for a little bit and then DIG IN!

Voila. Here we have a healthy guilt-free batch of cookies, easily stored in tupperware if you can’t eat them all in one night (shame). Enjoy!