Convert Those Cookies!
This Sunday morning, I was reminiscing about my childhood and when my parents would take us to this restaurant after church. They had an AMAZING breakfast buffet with everything you could imagine, all the normal stuff plus a Belgium waffle station and an omelet station but more importantly... it was complete with an eight foot table COVERED in donuts. I cherish that memory because it was part of my childhood... and if we finished our "healthy" part of breakfast we were allowed free reign on that doughnut table. And my siblings and I would do some serious DAMAGE on that table.
I wish I could still eat like that.
I love sweets, and who doesn't!? Well I am here to give you just a little heads up about converting some of your favorite baking recipes to make them as "clean" as possible.
We all want cookies!!!
Everyone loves a good cookie, am I right?! We all can enjoy a little cheat every once in a while, and if you are willing to make some substitutions, you can make some really great cookies.
So when you start thinking about your baking, know that there are ways you can make your sweet treats “clean” and as healthy as possible. I am going to give you a list of substitutions to make it easy to make healthier cookies this holiday season.
Let’s first talk about why you would want to change up these recipes.
Refined white sugar. It’s the devil of all foods. Stripped of all essential nutrients, refined white sugar is basically toxic to our bodies. Empty calories doesn’t even begin to describe it. Refined white sugar is addictive, the more you eat the more of it you want. It messes with our adrenal system. And guess what, if you don’t burn that sugar off immediately… your lovely body converts it RIGHT. TO. FAT. Ew.
How about refined white flour. Do you know how they make that flour so beautifully white? Benzoyl peroxide or chlorine gas. Fun right? You want to eat those chemicals right? Not to mention, that refined white flour is also devoid of nutrition.
These are basic explanations, and if you want you can Google for yourself… but lets face it, this post is supposed to be about cookies and holiday cheer! So let’s stop talking about the bad side of these ingredients and just get rid of them. Here is that baking substitution list I promised.
So if you have a favorite cookie recipe, why not give it a try and convert the recipe over to a clean eats cookie and share with us how it turned out! I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Here is one I want to share with you. These are no bake and go together super fast. I have blogged about them before, you can check that out here!! They are a huge hit with my kiddos (and me when I feel that late night sugar craving kick in). We call them protein balls in my house, but you can call them whatever you want! Either way, the are delicious!
What you will need:
1 cup organic rolled oats
1/2 cup organic nut butter (I prefer peanut butter)
1/2 cup ground flax seed (talk about a nutritional punch!)
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips, or carob chips if you really want to be good but a little antioxidant rich dark chocolate doesn’t hurt!
1/3 cup honey, local is best if you can get your hands on some
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, make into 1 inch balls, refrigerate until set and enjoy! I suggest you keep them in the fridge so they don’t become soft. Trust me, they won’t last long in your house… my kids BEG me to make these.
I wish I could still eat like that.
I love sweets, and who doesn't!? Well I am here to give you just a little heads up about converting some of your favorite baking recipes to make them as "clean" as possible.
We all want cookies!!!
Everyone loves a good cookie, am I right?! We all can enjoy a little cheat every once in a while, and if you are willing to make some substitutions, you can make some really great cookies.
So when you start thinking about your baking, know that there are ways you can make your sweet treats “clean” and as healthy as possible. I am going to give you a list of substitutions to make it easy to make healthier cookies this holiday season.
Let’s first talk about why you would want to change up these recipes.
Refined white sugar. It’s the devil of all foods. Stripped of all essential nutrients, refined white sugar is basically toxic to our bodies. Empty calories doesn’t even begin to describe it. Refined white sugar is addictive, the more you eat the more of it you want. It messes with our adrenal system. And guess what, if you don’t burn that sugar off immediately… your lovely body converts it RIGHT. TO. FAT. Ew.
How about refined white flour. Do you know how they make that flour so beautifully white? Benzoyl peroxide or chlorine gas. Fun right? You want to eat those chemicals right? Not to mention, that refined white flour is also devoid of nutrition.
These are basic explanations, and if you want you can Google for yourself… but lets face it, this post is supposed to be about cookies and holiday cheer! So let’s stop talking about the bad side of these ingredients and just get rid of them. Here is that baking substitution list I promised.
Here is one I want to share with you. These are no bake and go together super fast. I have blogged about them before, you can check that out here!! They are a huge hit with my kiddos (and me when I feel that late night sugar craving kick in). We call them protein balls in my house, but you can call them whatever you want! Either way, the are delicious!
What you will need:
1 cup organic rolled oats
1/2 cup organic nut butter (I prefer peanut butter)
1/2 cup ground flax seed (talk about a nutritional punch!)
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips, or carob chips if you really want to be good but a little antioxidant rich dark chocolate doesn’t hurt!
1/3 cup honey, local is best if you can get your hands on some
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, make into 1 inch balls, refrigerate until set and enjoy! I suggest you keep them in the fridge so they don’t become soft. Trust me, they won’t last long in your house… my kids BEG me to make these.
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