Santa will be popping down chimney’s across the world tomorrow night, greeted by plates, and plates…and plates of cookies. Want to give Santa something a little healthier this year to help battle the bulge? We’ve put together a list of a few of our healthier cookies to help keep Santa healthy and happy this Christmas eve. Enjoy… (more…)
Who doesn’t love a good Snickerdoodle? I mean come on…you can’t help but smile even when you say its name. These fluffy centered, crisp around the edge cookies are great dunked in an after-school glass of cold milk, served along side a piping hot cup of tea, or even left out on a plate on Christmas Eve for a jolly ol’ man in a red suit. (more…)
Do you hear that? Are they Santa’s bells? Is it the excited squeals of children opening gifts? No, it’s me – whooping it up at my computer as I type this. When you think of a holiday cookie bake-off do you think of health? Nutrition? The LA Times did! This year, my Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies were chosen as one of the ten winners of their Holiday Cookie Bake-Off! After LA Times readers (and I know many of you were amongst them – thank you!) narrowed down the recipes from over 200, the 50 top recipes were brought to Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School where they were baked up and judged on flavor, texture, richness, visual appearance and holiday spirit. I am thrilled to say that my Healthier Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies made with Whole Wheat flour, raw sugar and flax meal met those stringent requirements and then exceeded them! Here’s to health, nutrition…and cookies! Cheers! (more…)
Granola bars stir up quite the controversy at our house. My kids want to bring them to school for snack, but a nut-free school means no granola bars with nuts of any sort. That rules out a lot of the granola bars on the market. Then when we look at what’s left and examine what ingredients are actually in the remaining granola bars things really start to get interesting. Let’s just say we’re left with…well, not much. (more…)
Granola. What image does the word “Granola” evoke for you? I’ve always felt the word “Granola” was synonymous with “health”. For me growing up, the word Granola evoked images of health food markets where you could barely fit down the aisle but you could find things like Wheat Grass and Hemp seed. But now Granola is common, good food and chances are you can find a healthy, minimally processed granola at the average supermarket. But not all Granola is the same and this is a perfect opportunity to discuss the importance (and ease) of reading labels.
As the sun rises on Thanksgiving day, I will reflect on my life’s blessings. Above all else I am thankful for my husband and children who bring constant moments of clarity to a sometimes unclear world. I am thankful for the support of my family, the laughter and comfort of my friends, and those special moments of peace, when I can center myself, breathe, and appreciate all these gifts in my life. (more…)
A few fresh treats just for fun! Hope you all have a Happy Halloween! (more…)