New Year, New Body

OK, NO!  This is NOT me.  I am just inspired to adopt this way of thinking about my health and yes, jump on the first of the year band-wagon and TRY to lose a few pounds.

About 6 months ago, I started having some pretty severe foot pain that I learned was plantar facitis.  Still hurts, but I am determined to lose some of the excess weight I have put on as a result of my not moving as much as I should.  A gimpy foot makes it hard to do that.  I am now as heavy as I was just after having kids.  Yikes!  I feel terrible and I know I have to do something about it. 

Instead of swearing I will go to the gym everyday, which I will fail at, I will start with attainable goals like those listed here.  I can do that!  So, I hope to begin a healthier life this year.  I will keep you posted as to how it is going.  

Happy New Year, happy new healthy body. :)

Grab and Go HEALTHY Cookie

Grab one or two of these delish cookies as you run out the door in the morning or for a light treat before a workout. 

Superfood Breakfast Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from The Healthy Foodie)

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup cottage cheese or canned coconut milk for vegan or dairy-free (blended tofu might work but I haven’t tried it)
2 eggs, whisked (for vegan, 1 mashed banana or blended tofu or 2 flax eggs)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil (or other oil, butter, ghee or Earth Balance)

Dry Ingredients:
1/4 cup amaranth flour (or buckwheat, oat, brown rice, sorghum or other gluten free flour)
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 Tbsp chia meal (or more flax meal or almond flour)
2 Tbsp almond flour (or your favorite gluten free flour – buckwheat, oat, teff, etc)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 to 2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger, optional
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cup rolled oats

Add-ins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or your favorite nut or seed)*
1/2 cup goji berries (or your favorite dried fruit – blueberries, apricots, cherries, raisins, dates, figs, mango, cranberries etc)
1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds (sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds or more fruit or nuts could be subbed if desired)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a blender or a food processor, mix all the wet ingredients together until smooth and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together.
4. Add blended wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix delicately to combine. Fold in hemp seeds, goji and walnuts.
5. Drop by tablepoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. *You can leave the cookies as is if you want them looking like little mounds, or you can flatten them down some with the back of your spoon.
6. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, depending on how flat (or unflat) you made your cookies, or until they look just slightly undercooked. Cool completely on a cooling rack then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator, where the cookies will keep for up to a week and enjoy!

*You can easily make these nut-free if necessary, just omit and replace with your favorite seeds or dried fruit
Recipe Notes: For a sweeter cookie, feel free to add 2-4 Tbsp of coconut sugar or use honey/agave/maple syrup and decrease the cottage cheese/coconut milk by 2 Tbsp.

Makes 12-15 cookies