Wednesday 23 March 2011

Sweat Session and a Sweet Treat


Last night Darius was begging me for “Rainbow Cookies.” Anyone close to this little man-o of mine knows that he calls all multi-colored candies rainbows, and it takes some smarts to figure out which ones hes requesting. When it comes to cookies though, it’s a safe bet that hes asking for M&M to be in them and not jelly beans. So, right after breakfast, with Eli strapped to my chest (all you mamas out there, this is a great 'hidden' gem of babies - resistance training ALL-DAY-LONG), Darius and I set about making his cookies. My mom raised my siblings and I on amazing cookies, no they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  Naturally, I’m a bit of a cookie snob because of these sweet treats, but it also means, you’re getting a great recipe today!
Here it is:
Chocolate Chunk Cookies


2 cups butter - softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups oatmeal
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
chopped chocolate


Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients, then the chocolate.
Bake these at 375F for approximately 10 minutes.


Now, after years of making these delectable cookies, this is what I've learned. Let the butter sit in your mixing bowl, on the counter, over night to soften before making these. This time allows the butter to be the perfect balance between solid and melted - it is the epitome of soft.  Second, the darker the brown sugar, the richer (is that a word, richer?) the taste. I LOVE demerara, and it just adds that extra something, something. Third, the higher quality the chocolate, the better the cookies will be. I favor Bernard Callaubaut Milk Chocolate, and roughly two cups of it at that. Ha! But, M&M's hit the spot for Darius - true self sacrifice.


You'll notice this recipe doesn't have a 'yeild'. This is because no one makes the same size balls. I favor the rounded teaspoon, which yields roughly 8 dozen. Yeah, its a lot, but that just means I give some to friends, freeze some, and enjoy some fresh! This 'smaller' size is more kid friendly, and portion controlled for adults - then I can have one  two without feeling an ounce of guilt. So, whip some up with your little cuties, and enjoy!



Since my half marathon training plan officially kicks off on Monday, I am finishing off my current fitness plan, which can be found in the March 2011 issue of Oxygen magazine (a magazine I love!!!) Today was legs and glutes, which I followed up with Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. I do Level II, which is roughly 26 minutes. This routine stretches out my muscles nicely (something I needed after yesterday's reintroduction to running - read more here) while challenging them. At the end I always the the "ahhh" calm that yoga brings.


          The workout room at home - the big bright windows are a real plus!


         My patient little workout partner - Eli is seriously sooo calm!

Darius (or Buzz Lightyear as he is known today) is right in the thick of things through every workout. Today he was crawling through the 'tunnels' I was making while doing yoga. He adds extra resistance to even simple moves!

Do you have a favorite workout dvd?

1 comment:

  1. Katie, you have figured the blog thing out fast! you know how to do more things on it than i do anyway, haha, i like it! and i will try your cookie recipe next time i make cookies, except i need to go get good choc. chips, all i have are the good 'ol chipits

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