Child Tested, Cookie ChRUNicle Approved – Cookies

Is there anything better than this?

Nothing quite like a fresh from the oven, homemade chocolate chip cookie. Especially when made by me..

.

Sometimes  I even surprise you with my signature recipe fudge brownie baked in the center of the cookie.

So really, is there anything better than this I ask? Well, ask my son.

As much as he loves my baking, and he really really does, it seems there is a cookie these days that rivals mine. In fact, he has said that this rival cookie is now his favorite. After he made this statement, he felt a little bit bad and then said that my cookies might possibly be his favorite too, like maybe a tie. Maybe a tie? Hmm.

What cookie is it you ask that seems to be better than my decadent, secret recipe chocolate chip cookies?

This brings a tear to my eye. And I am not sure if it is because a packaged cookie tastes as good if not better than mine, or because my child has selected an organic cookie made with minimal, Cookie ChRUNicle approved ingredients as his favorite cookie of choice.

He loves the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip but enjoys all of the flavor varieties. They come individually wrapped and today’s lunchbox will feature the Oatmeal Raisin cookie.

I am more than happy to give him these good-sized cookies. I get a little excited throwing one in his lunch box knowing that for 100 calories he is eating an organic cookie with ingredients I can pronounce.

Best part – it is pretty easy to find and print out a coupon for Country Choice Organic products! I normally have a $1.00 off coupon each week.

You can sign up to receive Country Choice Organic Newsletters by clicking here.

I always recommend signing up directly on brand websites for their offers and coupons. You know this.

I also tend to locate coupons for Country Choice Organic products on the various coupon websites I listed in this past Sunday’s post.

I think the fact that my son loves these Country Choice Organic cookies is evidence enough that if we as parents seek out healthier options, our kids will not only eat them but may even really like them!

Once again, it is up to us to provide the healthy options. 

Now, on to other things. Very important things.

I received a very special delivery yesterday from Pottery Barn.

My new kitchen table! I was quite excited when it finally arrived.

You know you are getting old when furniture excites you.

I am off to the gym shortly and may hang with my friend, treadmill. It is rather sad that running outside has become an afterthought. It has been so cold, windy and icy that I don’t even dream of going outside.

Hopefully it will warm up soon! I have a few races on my mind to register for including the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half Marathon in April.

Anyone else registered to run this half marathon?

What races are on your calendar?

Soup on the Menu and a Healthified Banana Bread

Ah Monday…No one ever really likes Monday. Well, that is except for parents of school aged children that are ready to ship them off for the day. Come on, admit it. Time for routine. Time for someone else to talk all day to your kids.

So today’s school cafeteria menu is scheduled to serve the following:

Grilled cheese on whole wheat bread with minestrone soup, sweet potatoes and a piece of fruit.

Not too shabby! Sounds like a good balanced lunch, especially for a school lunch program. I typically send lunch with my son at least 2 days week if not more, depending upon the school menu.

He is a big fan of soup – tomato, minestrone, lentil, vegetable, chicken noodle etc.

I am all about soup for kids because it is an excellent way to get nutritious foods inside a bowl for them to eat.

In fact, last night for dinner I made him a big bowl of low sodium minestrone with a greek salad (all ingredients courtesy of Trader Joe’s).

He loves their minestrone soup. And I love that it packs vegetables and garbanzo beans in a light tomato type broth.

After a full weekend of activities and eating out, this was the perfect meal to satisfy his appetite and my quest for nutritious meals and healthy balanced eating.

While throwing together this completely easy dinner, I noticed 3 overripe bananas on the counter (how did I not notice they were getting so ripe?). Banana bread to the rescue.

And not just any banana bread – Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Banana Bread.

Sounds decadent, right? Well when I get a hold of the bananas, ingredients and utensils, it becomes healthified. I have a knack for creating my own recipes using a completely minimal , unprocessed list of ingredients.

In the mix:

3 overripe bananas (mashed)

Rolled Oats

Some Oat Bran

Unsweetened Applesauce

Pinch of Cinnamon

A drop of vanilla

One Egg

Big scoop of Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter

Small amount of Chopped Dark Chocolate (divided)

I simply mix all of the ingredients and dump into a greased loaf pan. I sprinkle some of the chopped dark chocolate on top and pop in the oven. Bake at 325 degrees until it looks brown on top and a fork slipped in comes out clean and bread seems firm.

I really don’t measure my ingredients. For sharing purposes, it was probably 2 cups oats and maybe a little under a cup of oat bran. I see nothing wrong with experimenting with ingredients and making the recipes your own. There is no real rule, have some fun and and see what you come out with! Look up some recipes and play around, see what you can add, substitute and adjust. You may just surprise yourself and your ability to create something delicious and your own.

My son absolutely loved the bread as dessert. And absolutely nothing wrong with a second (or third) helping.

No flour, no sugar, no butter, no oil!

Do you bake healthified recipes? Do you ever play around with the ingredients?