Cooking Matters

Cooking Matters

            I recently turned my focus toward making cooking a priority in my life. I have never been a great cook nor thought I had the patience for it. I can be very detailed, organized, planned and regimented in just about every aspect of my life, except for cooking. When I am hungry, I want it now, I don’t want to take the time to make a gourmet meal. If you couldn’t tell by that statement, I struggle with an “all or nothing mindset” as some of you may be able to relate. I have to remind myself regularly that cooking at home and controlling my health doesn’t have to end up like a chef’s gourmet meal. Cooking at home is cooking at home, no matter how fancy it ends up and it is important in a healthy lifestyle so now I am on my own journey of finding my rhythm with cooking.

            I had the opportunity to attend a lecture last week titled “Cooking Matters”. It was a motivation to dig deeper into this journey I already set myself on. Cooking matters because we can control what goes in our bodies, we can create memories with our family by cooking together, we can be rewarded with a great tasting meal when we are done with our efforts, and we can share our love of food with others such as our family and friends.

            Although I haven’t ventured very far into the cooking world yet, I did attempt a new recipe the other day that I thought sounded healthy and tasty. They turned out “interesting” but they grew on me quickly and believe it may be a regular healthier option for cookies that I enjoy so much. Today, I thought I’d share that recipe with you.

From www.getfitnowpt.com

           

Dark Chocolate Chip Protein Cookie Recipe

            Ingredients

Flax seeds, Chia seeds, Banana, Dark    

Chocolate Chips, PB2, Protein Powder

            Directions

            Preheat oven to 350

            In a large mixing bowl add 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (you can use vegan protein powder to make these cookies vegan) and 1 scoop of PB2.

            If you don’t have PB2 available, you can use all natural peanut butter.

            Mash the banana, PB2 and protein powder until creamy.

            Mix in: ¼ cup of ground flax seeds and 2 tsp of chia seeds.

            Mix in: 2 tbps of dark chocolate chips

            Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.

            Drop 1 ½ tbsp sized drops onto the baking pan. The cookies will not rise, so spread them out into a circular shape.

            Bake 7-9 minutes or until cookies are firm.

            Edges should be golden brown.

           

Nutrition (per cookie):

Calories:          90

Fat:                  3.5g

Potassium:       123g

Carbs:              10g

Fiber:               3g

Sugar:              5.5g

Protein:            8g

What is your favorite recipe right now? Or a new one you want to try? I would love to hear from everyone about their recipes and love for cooking! Please tell me on Facebook or feel free to email me!

Stay tuned for more adventures in my world of cooking!

Until next time!

Hayley Earley, BS, CSCS, Pn1

hearley@mvhospital.net