The Perfect Snickerdoodle

The Perfect Snickerdoodle
adapted from Whole Wheat Baking cookbook and Emeril's recipe

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (I used Smart Balance Butter Blend), softened
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup WW flour (plus 2 tablespoons)
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tb. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 F. Prep all ingredients before beginning. (I do this before everything but I think it's extremely important for these cookies.) Soften butter, crack egg and measure out 3/4 cup sugar. Sift all AP flour, 1/2 cup WW flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt into a bowl. If you are patient enough, sift twice (this ensures really fluffy cookies). Combine 2 Tb. sugar and cinnamon in a small shallow bowl.

Beat butter. Slowly add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

It's hard to depict light and fluffy in a picture but it's a really pale yellow and looks like it has almost doubled in amount. Add egg and beat until fully incorporated before adding vanilla.

Blend in sifted flour mixture, slowly, not all at once. You may have to add more flour. I had to add 2 more tablespoons of WW flour to get it to the right consistancy. It should be slightly sticky but also easily rolled into balls. If you're unsure of the consistancy, bake one or two cookies and if they raise up, it's right but if they spread out wide, you need more flour.

Round out tablespoons (don't use your palms, too much heat) with your fingertips and the roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture until covered. Space on greased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. DO NOT OVERCROWD.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until the top lightly browns. Let sit for 2 minutes.

Move to cool on a wire rack. Makes 1 1/2-2 dozen.

Tilapia and Corn Stew - serves 2
from Weight Watchers in 20 minutes cookbook

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove minced (1/2 tsp pre-minced)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (I used my last one from the garden...so small! :( oh well...)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with chiles (recipe calls for half a can but we LOVE tomatoes and using the whole can only adds like 30 calories per person)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup frozen lima beans
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tilapia fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until light golden, about 1 minute. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juice, the corn, lima beans and spices; bring to a boil.

Add the tilapia, stirring gently to coat the fillets with the liquid, return to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the tilapia is just opaque in the center, about 6 minutes. Ladle the stew into bowls.

I serve with corn muffins.

Puffins, anyone?

To redeem myself from a baking disaster Friday night, I decided to make the Mini Pancake Muffins I found..."Puffins" :) I don't have a mini muffin pan so mine weren't mini but they were delicious! I cracked an egg into the bowl and look what I found...

twins! I'm not kidding...that's only one egg. Crazy, huh?

Maple Pancake Muffins
adapted from Bakerella

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tb. sugar
• 2/3 cup buttermilk*
• 1 egg
• 2 Tb. maple syrup
• 2 Tb. melted butter
• chocolate, optional

*To make 1 cup of buttermilk, put 1 Tb. lemon juice in the bottom of a measuring cup and fill with milk to the 1 cup mark. For 2/3, use 2/3 Tb. lemon juice and fill to 2/3 cup and so on.

Preheat oven to 350 F and generously grease your muffin pan. I employed Alton Brown's muffin method while making these because...well, because AB is always right. :) Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl and "sift" with a wire whisk. Basically, combine with a whisk and let the flour mixture fall through the wire whisk to create finer particles. (Using the word particles in a recipe definitely comes from watching too many episodes of Good Eats.) In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.

Nice action shot, eh? :) Always add wet ingredients on top of dry ingredients to prevent mixing messes.

Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. AB uses 10 well-rounded strokes until everything is incorporated and then just walk away. Leave the lumps...they will work themselves out.

See, now I'm quoting the Muffin Man episode. It's pathetic, really. Oh well. Divide the batter into the muffin cups. I used 1/4 cup measuring cup to ladle it in there and somehow only got 11 instead of 12...hmm.

I topped a few of mine with chocolate chips, but you can leave them out or mix them in right before ladeling. You could get creative, any manner of toppings would work...but chocolate is always a winner in my book. I baked my muffins for 12-13 minutes and she baked her mini muffins for 8-9 minutes. Just keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to check. Serve with maple syrup for dipping.

These were seriously good. Definitely will be repeated. I'm not sure if I would put the chocolate chips in the actual batter because mine sunk to the middle anyways and I don't think I could handle more chips than this...

Tortellini Soup

I had alot of fun making last night's Tuscan Tortellini soup and I have some free time so I figured I'd share! Keep in mind, I was cooking for two and made some adjustments for preference so it's not exactly like the linked recipe but it's dangerously close. ;)

Tuscan Soup with Tortellini
from Food Network's "Sandra's Money Saving Meals"

• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup reduced sodium beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 can diced tomatoes (supposed to be half  a can but we LOVE tomatoes!)
• 1/2 bag (8 oz) frozen Italian mixed vegetables
• 1/2 cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 Tb. Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder (supposed to be a chopped onion but I forgot and I was out)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 bag (8 oz) frozen tortellini

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for about 2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn.

Add the beef broth followed by the water. Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the tortellini. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the tortellini and let simmer until the tortellini is cooked, another 5 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and serve with Herbed Focaccia.

S'mores Cookies!!

Let's see if you can guess what I made from the following ingredients:

S'mores Cookies
recipe from make and bake

3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup graham crackers
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, chopped up (baking size)

Preheat oven to 350. Process graham crackers in a food processor until they become crumbs. They do not need to be super fine crumbs but there shouldn't chunks either.

In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy.

Mix in the egg and vanilla until no longer visible. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add the flour mixture and graham crackers to the wet mixture. (The seperate bowl isn't entirely necessary...it's just a habit I've picked up from Alton Brown while watching Good Eats lol)

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until mostly done and remove from the oven. Push 3-4 marshmallows and a few pieces of Hershey bar into each cookie.

Return to oven and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

YUM!!! These cookies were phenomenal. I had trouble keeping my hands off of them and had to take the extras into work. The original recipe said it made 3 dozen...but I halved the recipe and only got 1 dozen. Maybe I just make my cookies too large! lol

Nutrition, Exercise and Weight Loss

**Sorry: I deleted and reposted in an effort to get the layout back to normal...I didn't mean to delete anyone's comment! :(

I haven't mentioned anything about my weight loss (other than that I've been doing it lol) on here because, honestly, I've been kinda embarassed by it because of how big I let myself get. But, then, out of nowhere, I realized that should make me even more proud of how far I've come. So, I would like to share my story. (haha that sounds so corny) Even still, I'm nervous as I type this; as I post it out there for the whole world wide web to see. Oh well, here goes.

I woke up mid-July of 2008 and realized that my size 13 work pants were too tight. I then proceeded to cry in the shower for at least 15 minutes. How could I have let myself get this far?? I checked myself on the scale that I never used...180 lbs. SCARY. I'd never been that heavy in my life. Which then proceeded to make me cry again. All day, I just sat wondering how it happened. 2 years from that point I weighed probably around 135-140 lbs. I'm not really sure since I never used scales. But, I know this: I was a size 6. Size 7 in shorts because I've been blessed with a booty. haha I was an avid runner. I had no problems with the way I looked and could walk around in a bikini with the only thought that I was too pale. Then two years of not exercising and eating whatever I wanted happened.

It wasn't that bad pre-marriage. I had a job at a daycare so I was pretty active. But, we did eat at all the cool restaurants and always picked up fast food to eat. I was bigger than I wanted to be on my wedding day but I didn't think it was that bad. It was after the marriage that things got bad. I got a job as a receptionist. I sat on my ass all day long and did nothing to change my diet or activity level. I started making meals at home that were convienent since our first kitchen was terribly small and convienence foods are rarely good for you.

Something snapped later that day, and I'm glad it did. I started an exercise program and started eating better. I even got my husband involved. I was very dilligent about exercising 6 or 7 days a week. By November, I was exhausted. I was completely burnt out. I took a week hiatus...which turned into two...and then three. All through the holidays, I just didn't do it. I wasn't eating near as bad as before so I didn't gain all the weight back but I'm not sure how much I lost to begin with because I wasn't very good about recording my weight. By February, when I was fed up and wanting to get back on track, I was back at 170. So, I started eating healthier and I taught myself how to cook healthier (which has been a HUGE help). I can now look at a recipe and automatically fix it in my head to make it healthier. In March, I had to buy a new pair of jeans because my 14s wouldn't fit, so I went down to 12s. In April, I started exercising again. Two weeks ago, I had to stop wearing my 12s because they were literally falling down. I did a happy dance in my bedroom when my OLD pair of 10s fit.



As of today, I am down 24.8 pounds since last July, 14.8 since April. The picture shows my 90-day weight history and although I had a blip where I got sick and it was hard to jump back on track, the general direction is down. According to the CDC, I am 3.2 pounds away from being a healthy weight for my height! This makes me so happy, I can't even explain. How did I do it, you ask? Plain old diet and exercise. I'm an avid believer of just eating right and being active. If you read my post on that Time article a couple weeks ago, you know how avid I am about this. I think support groups are fine. But, apples to apples, it comes down to eating right and being more active. No cutting carbs or eating only protein. They're all essential parts of a human diet. It's just about eating the right amounts of each. And, I eat treats all the time. It's just about portions. Knowing that if you don't eat it today, you can always eat it tomorrow really helps.

I read constanlty about exercise, diet and overall Fitness. I subscribe to Shape and Self but am always careful to not believe everything I read. I've grown accustomed and trusting to these magazines but at the same time, I know that every body is different. It's all about finding what works for you. Read all you can but read with your brain, not just your eyes. Don't believe it just because it says so. But, for the most part, these magazines have a great outlook on diet and exercise and articles like this one that I received in my inbox today help keep my perspective.

I still somewhat cringe when I think that I'm excited to weigh 150 pounds and be a size 10. But...I just have to remind myself that I'm not done. That was just my first goal: to be healthy again. I'm not exactly sure of my final goals. My body has changed since high school and I'm not positive that I'll even be able to get back down to my high school weight. I just want to get to the point where I feel good about myself. I want to be at a weight that can enjoy treats every now and then and not have to exercise like a madman. I don't have the time to run 3 hours a day like I used to. I'm not even sure how I did then!!

And it's days like today when I look back at all that I've written, just for the heck of it, that I really believe I could have a career in nutrition. :)

Until next time, have a fabulous day!!

Why Exercise Still Matters

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I was livid Tuesday while reading an article in TIME magazine titled "The Myth about Exercise" by John Cloud. I know that not many people probably care as much as I do about this but I would like to post a rebuttal to this article which I will also be sending to TIME magazine as a formal complaint. If you would like to read the full article to see that I'm not exaggerating its faults, you may do so here.




I've always considered TIME to be a reputable magazine and was truly shocked that they published such irresponsible journalism. I heard about this article through Healthy Tipping Point, a blog I read regularly, while I was on vacation. I was actually quite happy when I returned to work to find that someone had left the issue on my desk with the article in question as the cover story. I was automatically annoyed and intrigued by this cover.

It only took me one glance to understand what this article was really about. Next to a picture of a woman using a sugared donut as a stability ball, the caption read: "Pain - and then gain Whether because exercise makes us hungry or because we want to reward ourselves, many people eat more (and eat worse) after going to the gym." So...this article is about finding something else to blame other than a person’s own eating choices for their unhappiness with their weight. But, still, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and read the entire article. I had to take several breaks to make it all the way to the end, but I did.

This is not a tirade without facts or reason. This isn't a personal vendetta or grudge that I am holding. There are several statements in this article that are very misleading and some that are completely untrue. Even the way it is titled and described is misleading. Americans will see the title, be excited that they can blame exercise for their weight and go on without reading between the lines.

Many people will not be able to see the inconsistency in the studies Cloud used for his research. He used two studies that dealt with how the amount of time one exercises affected their weight. One study was done with women and the other was conducted with children. How are those studies even comparable?? Within the woman's study, they were only given 6 months! 6 months is not enough time to study healthy, attainable and maintainable weight loss! Not to mention that exercise and diet affects each and every person differently; this is why every diet and/or exercise program should be tailored to each person. And I'm curious as to whether these 464 women were all the same height and weight with the same amount of body fat and no diseases or conditions that may affect weight or metabolism, which is the only way this study could be credible.

Another point Cloud makes in the article is that "self control is like a muscle: it weakens each day after you use it." I don't know how else to say it other than this: he is wrong. That is not true. A muscle does not weaken after each use. It grows tired but then grows stronger. Cloud made a completely incorrect analogy no matter which way you spin it. This makes Cloud even less credible.

Cloud defines exercise as time spent in the gym and nothing else. Taking the stairs, going for a short walk on a lunch break or even carrying in the groceries are all forms of exercise. When trying to lose weight, these things are actually recommended and fitting these and similar physical activities wherever possible can really help. I don't know where Cloud acquired the idea that exercise only happens in the gym, but that simply is not true. "Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health." (Wikipedia) Cloud’s definition of exercise skews the entire article because every time he refers to "exercise" he is referring to weight lifting, running 5 miles or killing yourself on the elliptical. It is quite possible to lose pounds and maintain a healthy weight without ever doing any of these things. A stay-at-home mom (or dad!) who spends all day chasing their children around gets plenty of exercise without ever joining a gym or doing a push-up. These different forms of physical activity should be considered. Cloud’s narrow definition of exercise leads to the inaccuracy of his argument.

Another problem with the suggestion that "exercise won't make you thin" is that exercise is vastly recommended for a healthy lifestyle, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT OVERWEIGHT. Losing weight is about becoming a healthier person and making a lifestyle change, not just about those 30 pounds. Exercise has numerous health benefits, including, but not at all limited to, long- and short- term disease prevention, less likely to suffer injuries from minor accidents, extended life span, younger and tighter looking skin and even stronger bones. Cloud alludes that exercise is at fault for the extra pounds, silently suggesting that those trying to lose weight should cut exercise out. Instead of learning to channel cravings into something healthier, these people will loose out on all of the great benefits that come from exercise.

Cloud explains his exercise regimen as something he has "done for years." The body's muscles have memory. They get used to doing activities. If Cloud runs 5.5 miles every week, his body will learn how to run these 5.5 miles. These miles will still be beneficial becuase Cloud is raising his heartrate but he will not burn as many calories because he doesn't have to put as much effort into it. Cloud's muscles are running on auto-pilot. In order to keep all the muscles in engaged, one needs to switch up a routine, surprising the different muscle groups with activity, to always challenge the body. This could be a reason Cloud has found himself in a rut.

Cloud, and probably more people than I realize, have a skewed vision of a normal and healthy diet. A reward system where you "reward" yourself with food every time you do something good is setting yourself up to fail. The rewards will more than foil the efforts of the good deeds. Patting yourself on the back for burning 300 calories on the treadmill by eating a 360 calorie muffin, as is featured in the article, is not a logical thing to do. You become 60 calories worse off. Instead of just taking the exercise away from this equation, the muffin should be the thing to go.

Cloud’s description of “compensation” is one of the main problems with this article. “Whether because exercise makes them hungry or because they wanted to reward themselves (or both), most of the women who exercised ate more than they did before they started [exercising].” Compensation is blaming exercise for what a person eats afterward. A "post-exercise reward" Cloud calls it. Yes, exercise can make you hungry, but that doesn't mean you have to you have to eat "perfectly salted, golden brown french fries after a hard trip to the gym." Or go "stopping at Starbucks for muffins afterward." How is this exercises' fault?? Cloud is blame-throwing. Being healthy isn't something you do part-time. You have to make good decisions every, single day. And yes, no one is perfect - an occasional treat or slip-up will not ruin everything. But eating a “reward” after every workout is not occasional. How can exercise even be considered beneficial if this is the approach? I get hungry after a workout as well...but I grab baby carrots or a glass of milk. Almonds or an apple. It's YOUR choice to eat whatever you like after working out. But it's not the exercise that made you gain a pound. It's the act of choosing french fries instead of something healthier.

"But while physical activity is crucial for good health, it doesn't melt away the pounds - in fact, it can add them." The negative outlook Cloud is placing on exercise does not go away just because he says one good thing about it. It's like saying "no offense", and then saying something offensive. Saying "no offense" beforehand doesn't make the offensive statement any less offensive. Saying that exercise is crucial for a healthy lifestyle and then bashing it and blaming all your weight woes on it for 5 pages does not make it look better. It simply creates the outlook that Americans would be better off only watching what they ate without any exercise. Which is definitely not the message the "overweight Americans" Cloud is speaking to need to hear.

Zucchini Muffins

I LOVE creating recipes. I love it. Because when they turn out good or even great, I feel so proud. So, when I came to not find a single zucchini muffin recipe I liked...I made up my own. Now, I did use Good Housekeeping's very simple flour, eggs, zucchini recipe as a guide so that I would at least end up with the right proportions. But I added the flavor and spices and...chocolate chips. Yes, I know, it's a stretch but they really are fabulous! And if people can put raisins in their zucchini muffins, I can put chocolate chips in mine! haha So here is a picture documentary of my recipe since I was that excited ;)

Spiced Zucchini-Chocolate Chip Muffins 
(makes 24 muffins)

3 cups shredded zucchini (approx. 2 very large squash)
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
3 cups All-Purpose flour (I used half white and half wheat but any combo of either (or just one type) will do - wheat adds a nice depth)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chocolate chips, roughly chopped (optional)
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Shred zucchini in a food processor. This can be done by a hand grater but a food processor is safer and much quicker.



2. In a large bowl, mix eggs and sugar. Add zucchini followed by the melted butter and vanilla. In a seperate, smaller bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add dry mix to zucchini mix. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.



3. Grease or spray 2 muffin tins. Fill cups completely (almost to lip) NOT 2/3 full like most muffins. Bake in a 350 F oven for 25-30 minutes (20-25 if tin is dark) or until muffins bounce back when lightly pressed and toothpick inserted comes out clean (except for maybe some melted chocolate).


4. Let muffins sit in tins for 5 minutes. Then turn out onto a clean towels and let cool for 15 more minutes. Enjoy!


Until next time, have a fabulous day!