Cookie Week - Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today it's the year round favorite - Chocolate Chip Cookies.  In fact, when we had the Cookie Walk last week, those were the ones that ran out first.

Today's recipe is from Eating Well and goes healthier with whole wheat flour and canola oil instead of shortening.  The are called Bev's Chocolate Chip Cookies and I picture Bev as being as smart as her cookies.

Yours in Health,
Kate

Cookie Week - What Can I Substitute to Make Cookies Healthier?

So far this week I have shared two recipes, that have been made a bit healthier by others, to help fill your holiday cookie jar.  But today I am going to give you the tools to slim down your favorite family recipes without taking away the taste that makes them a holiday staple.

This list of substitutions has been put together by my friends at the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center.  It covers the baking of sweets, one of the hardest things to transform, but it also offers tips for the savory dishes in your arsenal.  Some of these are common sense, others are downright creative.

Instead of using:                                                    Try:

Whole milk ............................................................ Skim milk

Sweetened condensed milk .................................... Non-fat sweetened condensed milk

Cream ................................................................... Evaporated milk or fat-free half & half

Whipped cream ..................................................... Light or fat-free whipped topping

Cream cheese......................................................... Light or fat-free cream cheese.

*Note: fat-free cream cheese may change the consistency of finished product

Butter, margarine or oil ........................................... Fruit puree (unsweetened applesauce)

Whole egg .............................................................. 2 egg whites or a ¼ c. egg substitute

White or brown sugar ............................................. Splenda® or decrease the total amount by 1/3 to a 1/2

1 oz. baking chocolate ............................................ Three Tbsp. of cocoa powder and 1 Tbsp. oil

Sour cream ............................................................. Low-fat or fat-free sour cream

                *Note: fat-free sour cream may change the consistency of finished product

Mild Cheddar Cheese ............................................. Reduced-fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese

White rice ............................................................... Brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat couscous

1 c. chocolate chips ................................................. ½ c. mini chocolate chips

Hopefully this helps you create magic in your kitchen and your family never misses the calories.

Yours in Health,

Kate

Cookie Week Begins

Ah, the holiday cookie.  It doesn't matter what you are celebrating, it calls to you.  And because it's often snazzily dressed, it's hard to turn it down.  So this week I am going to share the recipes I have hunted down to create slimmer cookies.

To be clear - no cookie is "healthy".  Yet, most can be healthier.  Some recipes cut the fat, some sugar and some substitute ingredients that are a healthier option. 

Today it's the basic sugar cookie.  This gem can stand on its own or it can be the foundation to dozens of other cookies.  Taste of Home Magazine has lightened it up and even has ways to use it with other recipes.

Yours in Health,
Kate

A Bucket of Cookies and An Ounce of Growth

Yesterday was the Cookie Walk to benefit "Shoes That Fit", an organization that helps get warm clothes for underprivileged kids in the metro.  Des Moines' Holiday Music Station LITE 104.1 (my station), Mediacom and West Glen Town Center put on the event with donated cookies from a long list of generous businesses.  For a first time fundraiser, it went very well.  A lot of fans of the station came out and it was really fun.

Since it was for a good cause, I had to buy a bucket of cookies.  I bought a bucket for Monica, one of our part-timers, as well and with my gloves on she braved the chilly wind and went business to business collecting the cookies.  She also later donated money herself, good kid!  She brought them back and I looked inside, yum, they looked fabulous, but I didn't eat any - yep, you read that right.

I realized I hadn't had real food to eat in a few hours, so I needed lunch before I put sugar in my tummy.  After the event was over, I grabbed a healthy lunch and then got back in the car with the open bucket of cookies.  Oddly, though I was fully aware they were there, lunch was satisfying and I wasn't even tempted.

Long story short, the open bucket of cookies was in my presence for at least 45 minutes of driving from location to location and I never ate one.  They made it all the way home, except the one I 'tipped' my hairdresser with during my up-do for the Christmas party.

I walked in the door to change for the party, put the bucket on the counter and walked straight upstairs.  By the time I was ready I had forgotten about them.  When I came down the stairs Lori drooled, "A bucket of cookies..." and I said, "Oh yea, I forgot."  I explained where they were from, told her she could have as many as she wanted and asked if she could please bag them up because I was running late.

The common thread here is that my old behavior would have had me stuffing those suckers back one or two at a time, especially when no one was around to witness it.  Even as I am typing, they aren't really tempting me.  I am kind of feeling like the Grinch's heart right now - I have grown.

Yet, I will admit, at some point I will savor the gourmet goodies.  But I don't feel rushed to do so, I don't have that fervor that has taken over so many times - 'I better eat it or somebody else will'.  If they do that's okay, I know the name of each store that donated and they will happily make more.

Yours in Health,
Kate

Inspiration as We Head Into the Holidays

The holidays can be incredibly overwhelming when you are trying to lose weight and get healthy.  Cookies everywhere, pressure to indulge and the assurance from everyone that you can 'start again in the new year'.  Well, you and I both know that's how we got here in the first place.

So today I am sharing some inspirational stories from Ladies' Home Journal.  These five women found their inspiration and then set forth on their journey.  You may relate and even get tips, a reminder that you are not alone.  Think of these stories I will share over the next few weeks as your 'mental cookies' that may help you bypass the ones in the break room.

Yours in Health,
Kate