Fresh Start

I like to think of what we are doing right now as a fresh start. We did start to eat healthier but that was before vacation. Before we were stuck indoors due to a tropical storm when we should have been out at the beach. Before we ate FAR too many potato chips, handfuls of Dirty White Trash (refer to previous blog), plates of cheesy goodness and bowls of delightful sweets. We’d both be liars if we said we didn’t gain any weight while vacationing. It’s okay, though; the weight is already starting to melt off of our bodies. Vanity is a sin but I am of sinful nature. I try to be humble and sometimes I don’t but either way, I know my vanity is wrong; I just can’t seem to shake it. I guess there are worse things to feel. At least vanity keeps me healthy.
Speaking of healthy, I just came up with a new recipe for a dairy-free protein shake. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I’m not only lactose intolerant but also allergic to whey protein. That makes commercial protein shakes a double-no for me. That’s where almonds come into play. Almonds are a nutty protein powerhouse. This shake is definitely superior in flavor to that powdery junk they sell at GNC (just because it isn’t the best thing for my body doesn’t mean I haven’t tasted it) and it has the consistency you chose since you add the ingredients (mine was like a very thick milkshake). It probably doesn’t have the amount of protein commercial shakes contain but it also wasn’t formulated in a lab.

Banana Nut Protein Shake
Recipe by Deborah Schiefer
1 1/2 bananas, frozen and cut into chunks
½ - 1 TBS almond butter
1 cup almond milk
½ TBS cocoa powder
½ tsp cinnamon
Blend it all together. Cocoa powder can be omitted. Nutmeg can be added. Only you can decide exactly how you want it to taste so have fun with it!
Due to the probable caloric content (I guestimate around 350-400 calories based on average caloric content of bananas, calories in almond butter and almond milk), I would suggest drinking it as a meal replacement instead of a supplement. That’s actually how it came into existence, anyway. I was craving a milkshake at lunch (instead of healthier options) but didn’t want to kill my digestive track with dairy. Watch the sodium content on your almond butter. The brand I bought has higher sodium content and the flavor of salt was almost overpowering. Okay, not quite, but I’m a salt-aholic and can taste the stuff in chocolate so I could definitely taste it in my shake.

Now just because we eat clean doesn’t mean we always cook and bake clean. Both of our husbands are deployed and missing out on any and all home-cooked goodness. If you’ve ever had a loved one deploy you have an idea of what a box of goodies means to our military men. Jordan and I decided that we needed to go on a baking spree and fill a few containers with goodies for our men to share with the soldiers they work with. Oh, and by a few containers, we mean five containers each. Not all of the cookies were terribly memorable, in fact, one even flopped since we didn’t have eggs and had to substitute banana. We don’t discuss that cookie. There were, however, three cookies that left a mark on our taste-buds. The first being a recipe for Oatmeal Scotchies from the back of a Nestle® brand butterscotch chips, the second being from the back of an Andes Mints® brand bag of mint chips and the last being a recipe for caramel apple cookies that was adapted from an online recipe. Of course, the boys will be happy to eat them regardless of how memorable the cookies are; they are the only home-baked goodies the boys get right now. However, we don’t think we should fill our space with cookies that are less than divine so only the best make the blog. The caramel apple cookies will need to be added at a later date since the recipe needs some perfecting but I thought I might give you a sneak peak as to what recipes are in store for future blogging.

Oatmeal Scotchies
Recipe by Nestle® Toll House
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 stop baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 (11 oz) package Butterscotch chips
½ (11 oz) package mini chocolate chips (optional; added by Deborah Schiefer)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in a larger bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 7-8 minutes for chewy cookies; 9-10 minutes for crisp cookies.

Andes® Crème de Menthe Chunk Cookies
Recipe by Andes® Candies
½ cup salted butter; softened
¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (10 oz) package Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips
2 2/3 cups sifted all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed. Stir in Andes® baking chips and then flour. Chill approximately one hour in the refrigerator. Roll dough into balls and flatten slightly. Raise oven rack one level above middle and bake on non-stick baking pans for approximately 8-10 minutes.

Pictures will be up as soon as Jo can get caught up with her photography.  With S (her hubby) deployed, she has less time to work on editing and making her photos pretty AND she's been busy snapping away with the camera to take pictures of the angel to send to S.  Don't get your panties in a knot quite yet, the pictures will be posted, you'll just have to come back and see them another day.