3-Ingredient White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter Cookies
Posted: May 21, 2013 Filed under: desserts, recipes | Tags: desserts, recipes Leave a comment »The other day, Peanut Butter & Co retweeted my (wicked old!) recipe for healthier dark chocolate dreams cookies, and it inspired me to try another one. I bought a couple of jars of their dark chocolate dreams, cinnamon raisin swirl, and white chocolate wonderful flavors a few weeks back, so I figured cookies would be the perfect treat at the end of last week. I’d never tried the white chocolate wonderful before, and I thought it’d pair perfect with dark chocolate chunks, so the recipe was pretty much a no-brainer.
I had this recipe on the brain, but I didn’t want to add any extra sugar, so I simplified it even further, and I was hugely pleased with how it came out.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks (or chips)
(Makes about 10 cookies)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- Mix egg and peanut butter until completely blended.
- Add in chocolate and stir together.
- Spoon onto cookie sheet by rounded tablespoons. (NOTE: These cookies don’t change shape much, so flatten them down before baking if you wish.)
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, being careful not to over bake.
- Transfer to wire rack and let cool.
Even though I was hoping for chewy, these actually came out more crumbly, although they were still totally delicious. They were sweet, the peanut butter taste wasn’t overpowering, and the dark chocolate added a perfect contrast, as always.
Next up, I’m thinking about peanut butter oatmeal cookies with the PB&Co. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl. Mmmm… I’m drooling already.
Give them a try and let me know what you think!
Sunday
Posted: May 20, 2013 Filed under: daily, dinners, recipes, sides | Tags: daily, dinners, recipes, sides Leave a comment »Yesterday I was wide awake at 7am, so I figured I’d take advantage of it and get going right away on my day. First up was breakfast, which consisted of eggs, bacon, and a fruit smoothie.
While I was preparing breakfast, I also did some meal prep. I learned (the hard way) last week that making all my meals ahead of time isn’t always the way to go, so this week I only made a few. I guess it is possible for me to get bored with certain foods, as I found out last week, so by making only a few meals at a time, I don’t have to predict what I’ll feel like eating too far out into the future.
For this week, I made a batch of spinach turkey meatballs, which I can turn into a bunch of different meals over the course of the week, or even freeze for later.
I also tried my hand at making cauliflower “rice” by throwing some cauliflower chunks into the food processor.
When I’m ready to eat it, I’ll probably just steam it in the microwave with spices and maybe some other veggies to have as a side dish. I think it’s going to be good!
When all was said and done, I’d made 3-4 meals, plus cooked up a bunch of chicken and meatballs and sliced up a bunch of fruit and veggies, and it all took less than an hour.
After I cleaned up the kitchen and finished my laundry (my other Sunday morning chore), I decided to pot my new plants. I used impatiens, marigolds, and some other little white flower (I’m new to gardening…) in my window box, and I think it came out beautifully. I can’t wait to see the flowers really start to bloom!
I also potted a patio tomato plant, which I’m hoping survives without a whole ton of sun…
And rosemary and basil plants that I can’t wait to start using in my cooking.
My plants didn’t survive very long last year, and I blamed it on having to travel so much, but with that excuse gone now, let’s hope I inherited my dad’s green thumb and can make these babies last!
After I cleaned up a little bit, I decided to spend some time reading on the porch, soaking up a little sun before the clouds rolled in. A good book, a yummy snack, and some warm sun… that’s about all you need!
Even though it clouded up in the afternoon, the weather still made for the perfect day for a bike ride so of course I took advantage of it. I looped around for about 6.5 miles, exploring neighborhoods I’d never seen before, and it the temperature was just right.
When it came time for dinner, I’d had my meal planned out all day. I’m really not a burger-and-fries kind of girl, but for the past couple of days, it’s all I’ve wanted. Maybe it’s the warmer weather that’s making me crave the ultimate summer-time meal? Instead of going out to Five Guys though, I decided to make it at home, where I could control exactly what went into it.
I baked up some homemade French fries in the oven, letting them get extra crispy, and cooked the burger on the stovetop. I set it on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes, and put some sautéed red peppers on top to finish it off.
It sort of just looks like a big mess, but with some ketchup on the side, it was way better (and much healthier) than anything I could’ve gotten at a restaurant!
It’s too bad the rainy weather outside didn’t match the summer meal on my plate, but at least the rain is good for my flowers! ____________________________________________________________________________________
UPDATE:
Thanks to everyone who participated in my Bestowed giveaway last week. The winner is Erin, so she will be receiving a free box from Bestowed!
For those of you who weren’t quite as lucky, don’t forget that the company is also offering all of my readers $5 off their monthly or annual subscriptions when you use the code 5OFFBSTOWED01 at checkout.
Saturday
Posted: May 19, 2013 Filed under: cardio, crossfit, daily, strength, workouts | Tags: cardio, crossfit, daily, strength, workouts 1 Comment »I think it is physically impossible for me to sleep past 6am anymore. Granted, I go to bed pretty early, but still. Even on the weekends, I’m awake at the crack of dawn, thinking it’s at least noon. I guess my teenage sleeping years are officially over…
The good thing about never sleeping late is that you get the whole entire day to do fun stuff. For me, my fun stuff yesterday started with a workout at the Y. The Y is a completely different place on weekend mornings than on weekday mornings, with kids running around everywhere, but I get in and get out and it still works.
Here’s what yesterday’s workout looked like:
- Warm-up: 5-10 minute walk
- Bench presses:
- 15 @ 45lbs
- 12 @ 55lbs
- 10 @ 65lbs
- {8 @ 75 + 10 upright rows @ 50} x5
- Workout (21-15-9):
- Deadlifts
- HSPUs
- @55#:
- 50 Squat cleans
- 50 RDLs
- 50 Back squats
- @35#:
- 50 Reverse curls to overhead
- 50 OH squats
- 100 Swiss ball sit-ups
- 200 Weighted side bends
- Cool down: 5-10 minute walk
For breakfast, I went with the Saturday morning staple: pancakes and bacon. I made these super simple pumpkin pancakes with a half of a can of pumpkin that I pulled out from the freezer and thawed plus two eggs and cinnamon. They were much more moist than if I’d added almond flour to them, but delicious nonetheless!
The rest of yesterday was spent largely out and about, with a pit-stop at Home Depot to pick up some plants for my patio. I’d been toying with the idea of getting a plot in the community garden at my apartment complex, but ultimately I decided to keep it small for one more year and just get a few plants to spruce up my outdoor space a bit.
Last night was low-key, spent on the couch with a bucket of homemade popcorn and my main man Vin Diesel.
The Fast and Furious movies are some of my favorites, so in anticipation of the upcoming sixth installation, I’m catching up on some of the older ones. Last night it was Fast and Furious (the fourth movie), which I’d only ever seen parts of before. With all the original cast though, it was great!
As a rule, I try my best to stay away from eating things with tons of added sugars on a regular basis. (Don’t mind all that maple syrup up above there…) But I say try because we all know sugar-laden desserts are my favorite food group, so I wasn’t all that surprised when I saw this apple chart.
![017_thumb[7]](http://cookiesncrunches.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/017_thumb7.png "017_thumb[7]")
Is it any wonder that my beloved Fuji apples are at the very top of the sweetness wheel? I think not. Where do your favorites fall?
I’ve gotten so much done today and it’s not even noon. Gotta love when that happens!
Off to enjoy the rest of my weekend… hope you can do the same!
Homemade Chipotle Salad
Posted: May 18, 2013 Filed under: cardio, crossfit, dinners, recipes, strength, workouts | Tags: cardio, crossfit, dinners, recipes, strength, workouts 4 Comments »I have to be at my new job earlier than I used to go in, so I’ve had to work more quickly in the gym in order to avoid having to get up any earlier. It’s a little bit stressful, but it also makes me work harder! Here’s what yesterday’s workout looked like:
- Warm-up: 5-10 minute walk
- Strength:
- 15×4 Bent over rows
- 15×4 back extensions
- 10×4 Bent over front raises + Upright rows
- 10×4 Deadlifts @ 85#
- 5×4 Inverted rows
- Workout 1 (5 RFT):
- Sprint 1 lap
- 10 OH squats @ 35#
- Workout 2 (5 RFT):
- Sprint 1 lap
- 10 Front squats @ 35#
- 100 Med ball slams
- Cool-down: 5-10 minute walk
Most of my meals have been pretty repetitive this week, but I did have a couple interesting ones. First up: this one with fried eggs over leftover steak and sautéed green peppers. I have been eating lots of typically “lunch” or “dinner” meals for breakfast, but this was a nice combination of both. Who says you can’t have a nice, juicy piece of steak for breakfast?!
I’ve also been on a berry kick this week, eating this big container of strawberries and blackberries with my eggs and peppers for breakfast the other morning.
But the star of the show this week as far as meals go though was, by far, my homemade Chipotle salad. I love, love Chipotle, but since we don’t have one where I live, I’m not able to go very often. The other night, I didn’t know what the heck to have for dinner, but I saw a jar of salsa in the fridge, so it gave me the idea to try and recreate the restaurant’s salad myself.
First, I cooked up chicken and peppers in a pan, sprinkling the peppers with just a bit of cumin at the end.
To build the salad, I went layer by layer, just like they do at the restaurant, adding everything that I usually get when I go there.
First up, some romaine lettuce, sliced up into thin strips.
Next came the peppers, cooked up so they were nice and tender. (If you haven’t tried slightly burning your peppers, you should. It makes all the flavors really come out well.)
Next up came the chicken, which I cut up into very thin slices so it was moist and tender.
And last, but not least, a couple spoonfuls of hot salsa to top it all off. Who needs dressing when you’ve got salsa?!
I gave it all a good toss, and voila! It tasted just like I had gone out and bought it. Seriously, I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of doing this before; it was awesome and I practically licked the plate clean!
When it comes to salsa (like anything else), you have to be careful about which one you choose if you’re trying to avoid artificial ingredients. Unless you’re planning on leaving the jar on your shelf for years at a time, there really is no need for all that extra garbage to be added to something that can otherwise be very healthy. Salsa is a great garnish that you can make at home if you choose, but if you’re buying it from the store, be sure to check the ingredients list before you buy.
This brand is one of my favorites because of its taste and texture…
But also because of what’s in it (or not in it).
Just real ingredients and nothing unnecessary!
If you’re a Chipotle fan, definitely give this salad a try. You could easily add beans, cheese, or onions too, just like you’d get if you went out!
Lunch At Home & 100% Clean
Posted: May 17, 2013 Filed under: cardio, crossfit, daily, nutrition, strength, workouts | Tags: cardio, crossfit, daily, nutrition, strength, workouts 1 Comment »One of the (many) things I’ve been loving about my new job is that it’s much easier to go home for lunch. My commute is approximately two minutes now, so it takes me all of five minutes to get from my front door to my desk. I know some people like having a long commute where they can think… or be alone… or whatever… but I don’t. At all. In fact, I don’t see driving as “relaxing” in any way. I see it as time where I could be doing something more productive/fun, and so whenever I do have to drive, I end up making lists and plans in my head the whole time anyway.
I have been bringing my lunches to work just in case I can’t get home for whatever reason, and one of the things that makes packing lunches much easier for me is this little guy.
It is a salad dressing holder, and it’s perfect for taking dressing on the road with you. (Who wants to lug a whole bottle of dressing to their desk and back every time they want a salad?) My mom and my aunt each got me one, which is great because I do wonder if, after a while, they will start to smell/taste like the dressings I put in them. All of the pieces come apart and they are pretty easy to wash, so I haven’t had that problem yet, but it’s always good to have backup in case.
The other day, I made a dressing right in it by adding some olive oil, red wine vinegar, and jerk seasoning and giving it a good shake. This salad had romaine lettuce, spinach, red peppers, carrots, and cucumbers, even though you can’t really see much of it hiding beneath the chicken.
Most of my other meals have been pretty standard lately (chicken, steak, eggs, peppers, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, etc.), but yesterday it was particularly sunny and warm, so I decided it was the perfect day for a special smoothie. When I ran home for lunch, I threw a frozen banana, a few frozen strawberries, and a little bit of water into my GNC blender. After a couple minutes, it was absolutely deeee-licious. Doesn’t get much better on your lunch hour than drinking a healthy, fruity drink in the sun, does it?
For the past week, I have been eating 100% clean, and the difference has been visible. My stomach aches have reduced, and for the first time in a while, yesterday I didn’t feel like I needed a nap by the time the afternoon rolled around. I know I’ve said it before, but it really is crazy how much what you put into your body affects your daily (and long-term!) health and well-being. I generally eat pretty well, but all those “treats” add up after a while, and since I’ve committed fully, it’s been great.
Feeling better has not only given me what I need to tackle my new, more demanding job, but it’s also given me more energy in the gym.
Here’s what Wednesday’s workout looked like:
- Warm-up: 5-10 minute walk; 15 back squats @ 45
- Deadlifts:
- 15 @ 85#
- 12 @ 105#
- {8 @ 125#} x5
- Workout:
- Run .5 mile
- 25 Thrusters @ 35#
- Run .5 mile
- 25 Thrusters @ 35#
- 30 Pull-ups
- 50 Cleans @ 35#
- 50 Swiss ball sit-ups
- 100 Weighted side bends
- 50 Cleans @ 35#
- 50 Swiss ball sit-ups
- 100 Weighted side bends
- Cool-down: 5-10 minute walk
And here’s what Thursday’s looked like:
- Warm-up: 5-10 minute walk
- Front squats:
- Warm-up
- 5×5 @ 135#
- Workout (15 min AMRAP):
- Run 1 lap
- 10 Push-ups
- 15 Air squats
- @ 35#:
- 50 Hang cleans
- 50 Shoulder presses
- 50 RDLs
- 50 Back squats @ 45#
- Cool down: 5-10 minute walk
I thought that run/pushup/air squats workout was going to be a piece of cake, but I was wrong. We did it as a group, and I’m not sure how many rounds we got through (there were a lot, and I lost count after about two), but I definitely felt accomplished afterwards!
I know my posts have been a little sporadic lately, but my meals have mostly been shoved into my face between meetings, and besides my new job, everything else has just been pretty normal this week. Hopefully I will have something fun to share after the weekend.
Have a good one! 
