Windy City

My run went alright this morning. I did about 4.7 miles in 45 minutes. For the majority of the time I was running, I battled strong winds. I guess I didn't realize how windy it was before I left for my run. Chicago may be the Windy City, but the Twin Cities give it a run for its money. Half of the time I felt like I wasn't moving forward. It was frustrating because the wind raised my heart rate too fast. Oh well, you can't control the weather. 

I wasn't too hungry for lunch when I got home but I opted to eat before I showered. I loved the sandwich I made last Friday so much that I made another one for lunch today. Hummus, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, and chipotle sauce on a toasted hemp bagel. Mmm, I love these bagels. 

I was going to have something else, but I felt satisfied and jumped in the shower instead. 

Lunch: 340 cals, 12g fat, 15g fiber, 45g protein

This morning before my run, I baked a fun treat. When Tina, from Carrots & Cake, posted her Coconut-Date Cookies to Die For, I knew I wanted to try them. Seeing them on Kath's blog yesterday, reminded me about them so this morning I made Coconut-Date Balls. I followed Kath's lead and used raisins because I didn't have any dates. I made them into balls after they baked because I didn't grease the cookie sheet and they stuck pretty badly. I was able to scrape them off, but they looked deformed so I just shaped them into balls. They are more fun to eat this way!

I made 23 balls and figured each ball to be about 30 calories. These are sticky, but good! I'm excited to try them with dates next time. I had 2 of these after my shower! 

Now I'm off to study at the coffee shop. I'm craving an iced coffee so I'm sure I will have 1 (or 2!) of those and a snack while I study. 

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Confession: I am addicted to cookies. Like really, really addicted. I love to bake them, eat them, drool over pictures/recipes and fantasize about making them. I check Baking Bites and Cookie Madness on a daily basis to feed my addiction. The other day, I came across this recipe. Bobby Flay is amazing, so I had been looking forward to trying this recipe ever since.

As much as I love baking, I like having a reason to bake so that I can share the final product with others. So when the baking bug hit, I decided to bake cookies to bring into work tomorrow.

I followed the recipe exactly but added chocolate chip and peanut butter chips to the batter. I also didn't want to make gigantic cookies, so I used a regular cookie scoop.

As I finished mixing the dough I realized this was going to make a cake-like cookie. Tasting the dough confirmed this. I don't know about you, but cakey cookies are not my thing. I like my cookies to be chewy and dense. Um hello, but do Bobby Flay's cookies look thick and cakey?

Here are my cakey cookies.

I was disappointed with the resulting cookie. I was honestly expecting an outstanding cookie. The kind of cookie you can't get enough of. Don't get me wrong, the cookies are good, but nothing special.

Dark Chocolate & Peanut Dreams Cookies

Dark Chocolate Dreams: peanut butter blended with dark chocolate.

Inspired by a jar of Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams, I attempted to bake a flourless peanut butter cookie. The recipe is incredibly easy and comes together fast.

Because of the added sugar and vanilla already in the chocolate peanut butter, you don't need to add a lot of extra sugar. The salty peanuts add a nice crunch and saltiness. While I don't think this recipe is perfect and needs a bit of playing around with, I have to admit the cookies are addicting. If you make these, let me know what you think!

Dark Chocolate & Peanut Dreams Cookies

1/2 c Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter

1/2 c all-natural crunchy peanut butter

1/4 c sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 c salted peanuts, coarsely ground

Cream together the chocolate pb and crunchy pb with the sugar.

Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

Stir in the coarsely ground peanuts.

Drop tablespoons of the dough onto a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes.

Makes about 12 cookies.

These cookies taste best accompanied by a cold glass of your favorite milk.

*EDIT* For fun, I have decided to enter these cookies into the Great Peanut Butter Exhibition Cookie Contest.

Sweet Dreams

Sorry, no pictures from dinner tonight. My mom made burgers and a quick spinach salad. I like her burgers because they aren't pure beef. She chops up a bunch of veggies, adds them to the beef and then forms patties. I prefer them this way since I don't really care for beef.

I am exhausted and ready for bed. Despite the lovely weather earlier today, it is storming. I love falling asleep to the sound of a thunderstorm. There is something so soothing about listening to the rhythm of the rain against my bedroom window.

April showers bring May flowers.

Tonight I leave you with one of my favorite spring time recipes, Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze. Giada is amazing. I guarantee these cookies will brighten up your day (or night!).

Sweet dreams ;)

Chocolate Mint Melties

These cookies smell so good and look beautiful! I can't post the recipe for these cookies but you can find it on Dreena's Sample Recipes.

I had to scrub my hands before typing this post because they were covered in gooey melted mint chocolate. I haven't actually tried one of the cookies yet but I know the Dark Chocolate with Deep Forest Mint bar from Endangered Species Chocolate was delicious. This bar was more expensive than others but once I picked it up, I felt way too guilty not buying it. I can afford to pay an extra 50 cents if it means saving endangered animals.

On to the cookies. I have been dying to try one of the recipes from Dreena Burton's Eat, Drink & Be Vegan ever since I got the book. I am not vegan but I want to include more vegan dishes in my diet because I have a sensitive stomach. I've learned in the past years that natural, whole foods make me feel my best. Plus, vegan recipes are delicious so I really have no problem including them in my lifestyle.

This was my first attempt at a vegan cookie recipe and I am proud to say I was successful. The recipe is pretty simple and I actually had most of the ingredients already. I was only missing the chocolate bar and spelt flour. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to find spelt flour at my grocery store since I had never looked for it before. I am so happy because in the bulk bins I found all sorts of alternative flours. It encourages me even more to make vegan recipes now that I know how easy it is to find the ingredients. (The nearest Whole Foods is 20 minutes away from me.)


The recipe made 12 cookies. I will be surprised if they last longer than tomorrow. I am so happy with the results of this recipe. I can't wait to try out more recipes from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan.