{Courtesy of Nap Time}

Until about a year ago, a good, solid nap from my child was something that eluded me. We struggled through that transition stage from two naps to one and Claire just didn't want to work with her tired Mama. That is until she turned 14 months and something just clicked. She gave me one, glorious 3-hour nap. And again the next day. And the next. And so it went, like clockwork magic, day after day after day. And sometimes, when she's feeling really nice, she'll sneak in a 4 or 5 hour nap here and there. But on the regular, I get about three hours during the day to catch up on housework, regain my sanity and sometimes, sneak in a nap myself. It is honestly what keeps me energized on crazy days of tantrums and potty training. 

We recently went through about two and a half weeks of a nap revolt. Yes, I wanted to pull out my hair on a few of those days, but praise the Lord all is back to normal! Toddlers, they like to keep you on your toes alright!

All that to say that earlier this week, in an attempt to celebrate restored sanity in our house (and because I realize I have no idea how much longer I will have the luxury of these marathon naps) I decided to try a new, ridiculous looking recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Little did I know that I would discover the worlds best chocolate chip cookie! But please, don't take my word for it, make them yourself and you'll see.

I'm not sure exactly how these are sooo amazing, but it seems to me that the method is key, so trust me on this and be sure to follow the recipe to the letter. Got it?  Fantastic! But be warned, these cookies are no joke! The only adequate word to describe them would be ginormous [to quote Buddy the Elf.] So get baking, my dears and enjoy!

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies (copycat recipe)
found on Brown eyed Baker

Ingredients
3 cups (13½ ounces) bread flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
¾ cup + 4 teaspoons (6 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, cold, lightly beaten in a separate bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups dark chocolate chips (I used 1 cup dark & 1/2 cup white)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (I substituted pecans)

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it comes together in one cohesive mass, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and continue to beat for another 1 to 2 minutes, until all of the sugar has been incorporated into the butter. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla and continue beating on medium speed until mixed, scraping the sides of bowl once (the batter will appear lumpy). Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the flour mixture until just a little bit of flour still remains. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts with a rubber spatula.
4. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces, just grabbing it by the handful and roughly shaping it into a ball (it should not be smooth). Place them (evenly spaced) on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, or until light golden brown on top. Let cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

{Foodie Week} Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

To conclude Foodie Week here at HWTH I have a sweet treat for ya! Of course a self-proclaimed sweet tooth like myself couldn't leave you without dessert! While not exactly healthy, I love recipes like this one because they're incredibly simple and chances are, you already have all the ingredients in your pantry. Believe me, I was pretty skeptical that a cookie containing a mere four ingredients (and no flour or butter) could be anything above sub-par. Folks, I am proven wrong.

These peanut butter cookies are superb! In fact, I will likely never touch another peanut butter cookie recipe. They are sweet, delicate and well, very peanut buttery. But I believe the magic really comes to life with the sprinkle of sea salt I added to the finish. It cuts the sweetness perfectly! But I must make one request of you - please, please make sure to use natural peanut butter! Otherwise, I fear the added sugar in other varieties would completely ruin these. Seriously, don't do it.

And finally, I just wanted to thank you all for taking part in my first ever Foodie Week! I had a lot of fun putting together some of our new favorites and I hope you get a chance to try one or two (or all!) of the recipes I shared this week! 

Without further ado, I give you these scrumptious little bites...

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup sugar (I used half regular & half brown sugar)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until well combined. 
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture about 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten the mounds with the tines of a fork, making a crosshatch pattern on the cookies. Sprinkle coarse salt on top of the cookies.
4. Bake until golden around edges, about 10 minutes.

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

If Elvis Had a Cookie...

This little combo would have been his signature! I found this recipe last week and just knew I had to try it! I mean, who can resist a good peanut butter, banana, chocolate combo? Not me-especially when it's a clean version! They were everything I hoped they would be and perfectly crisp right out of the oven (making it far too difficult to stop after just one!).

Banana & Peanut Butter Flaxseed Cookies
recipe from Clean Eating Magazine

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 medium banana, mashed
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
2 tsp pure vanilla
1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, flaxseed, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mash banana with a fork. Stir in maple syrup, peanut butter and vanilla until well combined.
Add flour mixture to banana mixture, stirring just to combine; do not over-mix. Fold in chocolate chips, if desired. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer sheet to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove cookies from sheet and let cool directly on rack.

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe has been on my "to make" list ever since I saw it in the March/April issue of Clean Eating. I finally got around to making them several weeks ago and am only now posting about them...whoops! But I should tell you, they were worth the wait!

These gluten-free, dairy free, low-sugar treats are super simple, quick and full of nutty goodness! They boast 110 calories and 1.5 grams of saturated fat per cookie, so while not exactly an everyday indulgence, definitely a healthier alternative for that pesky sweet tooth we all get every now and then! I made these with 70% espresso chocolate, which gave them a nice twist, but whichever chocolate you use, make sure it's top quality!

Cooks tip: we found they got better over a few days and were especially tasty when a little cold from being in a chilled lunch box!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe from Clean Eating

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 large egg
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t fine sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate (70%cocoa or better), broken into small pieces

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

Christmas Cookies!

Happy Friday! I'm off today for a very special reason-I'm baking Christmas cookies, peppermint bark and all sorts of festive goodies with my Mom! Only to give most of them away as tasty gifts! We've been looking forward to this for weeks, as it is one of our favorite holiday traditions. I'm going to get a quick run in this morning, you know, to pretend I work off those pesky cookie dough calories that I will inevitably consume:-)

Do you realize this is the last weekend before Christmas?! Ahh! I am so stoked! This weekend will be full of tamale making with Chris' family, gift exchanges with sweet friends and enjoying the general splendor of the season with people we love!

Hope you have a glorious weekend!

Not Your Grandma's Casserole

Happy Thursday! I hope your week has treated you well!

While the topic of this post is obvious, I should give a small preface. I hate the word casserole. It seems to bring up nasty feelings in me and for some reason I cannot remember ever saying, "Mmm, dinner was great last night. We had casserole!". I mean really, they are typically filled with unhealthy, heavily processed things like cream of mushroom soup (barf!), cheap meat and canned vegetables. Not to offend, but I have never been fond of any of those things. It just doesn't suit my personal taste. Which brings me to my fascination that I was even remotely inclined to make what I did for dinner last night. But it should come as no surprise that the recipe came from none other than Clean Eating! Now, let's get down to the good stuff, shall we!


Healthy Squash and Chicken Casserole
10 slices whole wheat bread
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzerella cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cut bread into cubes, then spread out onto a cookie sheet and let air-dry overnight. (You can also toast instead in an oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.)
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil. Add onion. Saute for about 8 minutes or until carmelized. Add squash and garlic. Add more olive oil if neccessary, and saute until cooked, about 5 more minutes. Remove vegetables from pan. Add more olive oil and cook chicken until browned on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine vegetables, chicken and bread cubes. Mix in mozzerella, seasoning, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into an 8-cup casserole dish and bake for 15minutes, until cheese is melted and casserole is lightly browned on top.

*This recipe serves 8 so I halved it since it was only the two of us. I also added some shredded cheese on top for a little extra cheesiness!

Now I can actually say there is a casserole I enjoy and to boot, I don't feel guilty afterwards because I know everything in the meal is wholesome and delicious!


And because calories taste so much better in dessert, I made chocolate chip cookies last night (from scratch, of course)! Delicious and the perfect treat while watching Julie and Julia! (Sigh) Isn't life grand!

Friday Favorites

Today is a bitter-sweet ending to the week. Mostly because it will be the last day I am working the routine 8-5 shift. That's right, starting on Monday, my time sheet will say I started at 6AM!!! It's crazy, but I am super excited! I already have my new afternoon workout schedule planned and I can't wait:) And I am almost giddy about making next weeks dinner menu, as I will actually be able to surprise my Love with what's on the dinner table! I will admit, it will be lonely driving to work by myself:( But it's okay, this morning I am getting treated to coffee!

Alright, it's time for my favorites of the week!

*Thunder Storms ~ The weather has taken a turn on the cooler side this week and even brought in a fantastic thunder storm! Chris and I are suckers for a good lightning show. This may be the biggest thing we miss about Texas! A short while after getting home Wednesday night the clouds started rolling in and lightning was visible from a distance. Chris, in all his excitement, said we were driving to our favorite park to watch the storm come in. It was beyond beautiful and, well, a little romantic;)

*Great Vintage Pieces ~ Lately, I am a fanatic for one-of-a-kind pieces! This week I stumbled upon some awesome blogs, notably The Tattered House. It's a store in Roseville that sells beautiful vintage and antique items. I plan on checking it out this Saturday. Honestly, I've been eying this gorgeous dresser I found on their website gallery:) Cant wait!!

*Taken ~ Last night we rented it and all I can say is, "Go to Red Box today!". I thought it had the perfect combination of action, emotional draw and a good ending:)


*Cookies with a Twist ~ one of my favorite go-to recipes is the Oat, Fruit and Nut Cookies from the Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook Pink Limited Edition. They are so delicious and hearty, but we actually just ran out of dried fruit, so I opted to make them with just sliced almonds and top them with a piece of Ghirardelli dark chocolate. The hint of sweet was just enough to make them the perfect after dinner treat!


*Starbucks Reusable Cold Cup ~ I am in love with this thing! See, I'm a devoted "bring my own mug" kind of gal, but when the weather turns warm and my drink switches to an iced unsweetened green tea I'm right back to the ole' plastic cups:( To my great joy, we walked in a few weeks ago and came across two Starbucks employees who were getting ready to put them out on display for the morning. Noticing our enthusiasm, the nice girls let us buy them early because they said the cups usually sell out within a few hours! Thank you nice SB employees!! We are now the envy of many (even some baristas who didn't snag one) when we bust out our cold cups:)


Have a lovely weekend!

The Feel Good Season and the Feel Good Cookie

Well my friends, today is the first official day of Spring!! I just know you are jumping for joy with me right now...you are, aren't you?? Haha! It's okay if you don't quite share my enthusiasm:)

You may, however be excited to know about a little secret I have been keeping:) Oh, it's not a big thing...really. I just realized you might have thought my "secret" was an update on a house. Unfortunately, it's not:( No worries though, in time.

Back to my secret, well, it's a sweet little bite of goodness that you must try!! We have a bakery here in Fair Oaks that makes the most delicious vegan cookies you have ever had! I'm not being sarcastic, they are wonderful! Chris even loves them. They come in the most delicious flavors like Lemony Lemon ( my personal favorite), Mocha Java, Carrot Spice... They are made by The Sunflour Baking Company. You may be thinking, "Kate, I don't live there. How am I going to try these little bites of heaven?". Don't fret, you have a few options. Wouldn't you know, they have a handy little website where you can order them AND they are now selling them at Whole Foods! Clearly, I am happy about the latter option:) Here is their website http://www.sunflourbaking.com/index.html.



Just one thing about these cookies, the regular size packs 600 calories! The thing is, they are so big and dense you can cut them into 3 or 4 pieces like I do and savor them over a few days. Or you could be like my husband and eat a whole one!Whatever your preference:) They actually come in a small size, but our Whole Foods doesn't carry them yet.

Well, I hope you enjoy the first fabulous weekend of Spring! I know I will...

Much Love!