Coconut-Chocolate Chip Cookies (made with chickpeas)

Hey all,

I am back..with a vengeance! I went to the gym again today, and I’ve been eating well. In fact, every day I’ve been eating different variations of the healthy oatmeal-smoothie breakfast! (This morning I made a cantaloupe smoothie, mmmmm.) I’m also loving having coleslaw with protein (like chicken) at lunch. Isn’t it funny how just a day or two of good eating and sleeping can make you feel like a million bucks?Anyway, I am excited to keep going with these changes, because in two months I visit California. And I want to be ready for beach days! In fact, I will post pictures (maybe) when I’ve gotten pin-up ready!

from the pinupartblogspot.com

Some of my lifestyle changes involve eating more fruits and vegetables at every meal and making healthy choices and substitutions. No, Colleen, don’t eat that bread with a ton of butter! Don’t drink full-sugar lemonade! This is why (on my blog) I’ve begun swapping some of my favorite guilty pleasures for healthier options: light butter instead of real butter, low-carb, thin crust wheat pizza with slaw instead of frozen pizza, orange applesauce as a snack instead of chips. Having healthy food on hand, planning my meals, and exercising is key for me. That way, I can feel good when I experiment in the kitchen, lie around with Ron, and read…

One of my favorite pin ups, Betty Brosmer! So cute, right?

Speaking of planning and healthy food, I perused more of RFFMBT’s site (Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth) for inspiration. I saw she had a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was intrigued! Her cookies are flourless with no refined sugar. And she made the dough from…wait for it….chick peas and dates! Considering I love dates, I had to make these cookies. I was really curious as to how a flourless and no added sugar cookie would taste. However, I looked at her standard chocolate chip cookie recipe and knew I wanted to change the flavors. I used less water and added a bit of honey, a packet of stevia, reduced fat, unsweetened shredded coconut, cinnamon, and a little more chocolate chips.  (I got the reduced fat, unsweetened shredded coconut at Whole Foods!!) Next time, I might even add some instant decaf coffee to these little lovelies to make them taste more like coconut mocha. I want more complex flavors to spruce up my cookie.

The results of my endeavors? Um, hell YES. A delish, almost replica of a chocolate chip cookie with no flour or added sugar and made from heart healthy chickpeas and dates? Bring me more of those cookies, ASAP!

This is a GREAT base recipe. These cookies (with my changes, at least) come out crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside, and naturally sweet because of the dates. Honestly, there is a long process to make these cookies: you have to let the dates sit overnight in water, rinse and dry chick peas, and then process them together. And I may or may not have soaked my dates for only an hour (which is why the cookies look less “smooth” and more chunky). But, even so, this is by far the BEST “healthy” or “light” chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever eaten. They are 70 calories each! And let’s just say you binge on 4-5 of these cookies in one day (who would do that, cough cough)… you wake up with a flat stomach! You’re binging on mainly dates and chickpeas! This is also a great base recipe for other sweets, too, like bars or dip.  I’m so impressed! I never, in a million years, would have imagined chick peas making a tasty cookie. But they totally did. And, by the way, they are great refrigerated. (It keeps them harder.) I put mine in a tupperware in the fridge and just had one at lunch. YUM! And after trying these cookies over a couple of days, I’ve decided I will ALWAYS have these around, whether in the fridge or freezer. They are a great, healthy alternative to satisfy my sweets craving. Thanks RFFMBT for another great recipe! Enjoy!

Peanut butter Oatmeal with an Apple-Almond Milk Smoothie

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

~George Eliot

Quite the inspiring quote, isn’t it? Today is a day of new beginnings. I haven’t been taking care of myself lately– missing the gym, eating poorly, and not sleeping enough. I know better than this, but sometimes it’s hard not to slip into old habits, right? Especially when you’re in the midst of a big event, like moving?  Well, I had trouble sleeping last night, partially because of stress and partially because of not feeling great. You know that feeling you get when you know you’re not taking care of your body? You’re tired, you experience anxiety about mundane things, and you just feel….blah? I experienced that last night, and I woke up early. TOO early. I was tired and feeling a little anxious, and mad at myself for it!

I decided in that drowsy moment that today I would clean up my act. No more staying up late to watch a show! No more extra dessert! Eat more vegetables! Drink more water! Get to work! (And look, I’m already at work!)

When left to my own devices, I am quite the hedonist, but it never makes me feel good in the end. I know this! But sometimes we forget. Or need reminding. I actually found more  inspiration this morning from a new fitness/health blog I found called, “Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth.” This woman lost 80 pounds, and she now chronicles her daily adventures in cooking, baking, fitness, and weight loss. Admittedly, I think she is more self-disciplined than I ever want/plan to be, but I think she is adorable, and I really like her balanced eating plan–specifically, her “rabbit food pyramid.”

Rabbit Food Pyramid:

Produce: fruits and vegetables.
Whole Grains: brown rice, quinoa, couscous, whole grain pasta, whole grain breads, whole oats, and whole corn.
Protein: tofu, tempeh, Greek yogurt, cheese, beans, chickpeas, lentils, milk, eggs, turkey, and chicken.
Plant Based Fat: avocado, olives, nuts, and seeds.

She recommends for lunch and dinner, for example, that you eat 2 servings of vegetables, 1 serving of whole grain, 1 serving of protein, 1 serving of plant based fat. For breakfast and a snack, you should eat 1 serving of fruit, 1 serving of whole grain, 1 serving of protein, 1 serving of plant based fat. This makes sense! Structuring when you eat your fruit and veggies (to make sure you eat enough!) seems like a great idea. I even decided to base my simple breakfast—Peanut butter Oatmeal with an Apple Almond Milk smoothie– after a sample breakfast she provided. (Her recipe requires cashew butter and soy milk, and I swapped the cashew butter for peanut butter, the soy milk for almond milk, and added cinnamon and vanilla extract.)

I’m going to the gym again today. Considering I still feel sore from Sunday’s workout, I figure I need to start taking care of my body and fueling up! And this breakfast was perfect. Super healthy and fresh with both hearty (oatmeal) and refreshing, sweet elements (Apple-Almond Milk smoothie). I never thought of blending an apple for a smoothie, but it definitely worked! Such a simple idea. And I feel full! Thanks, RFFMBT! You’re my new favorite.

Hey Girl!

Hey girl,

You probably should know that the Feminist Ryan Gosling book is available for sale. Pages of glossy Ryan Gosling pics, all affirming how wonderful you are (and confirming the ridiculousness of misogyny) with cheeky humor. This is always a yes. And by the way, friends: I need a house-warming gift.

Homemade Light Butter (whipped with honey and yogurt)

Hey Burlesquers,

Wow, I am excited. (I know, I get excited alot, but it’s for real this time!) Not only do I have a fabulous recipe to share with you, but I also found some great arts and crafts deals at Michael’s (a major fabric and craft store in the US). I bought a spool of cute orange decorative ribbon and two packages of decorative cupcake liners….all for $3. Fun! I foresee this ribbon on jars, and these cupcake liners being given away as part of gifts. I’ve recently gotten in the habit of browsing at stores next to our local Target and grocery store (like Michael’s), and it seems to be paying off!

Aren’t the peach and circus cupcake liners cute?

And for the delicious recipe: I made Homemade Light Butter!

As you know, I am trying to lose weight (aka Operation Hot Bod), and I am always looking for DIY home products and healthy substitutions for my favorite foods. In the end, I’m trying to eat healthy on a budget, and I like making my own products. Honestly though, I’m also trying to limit processed food products. Processed foods are usually much more costly than if you made them yourself, and they also (usually) contain a ton of chemicals. It’s frustrating, when you think about it! Food companies seem to rarely look out for the consumer, and it’s usually because of money. Think about how corporate capital accumulation works: large companies strive for lower production costs in the making of their food or product. Lower means of production and lower labor costs equates to higher profit margins. This means companies will inevitably find the cheapest labor force (possibly outsourcing) and use the cheapest, and not always the healthiest, ingredients possible in the making of their food.

from Wix.com

 Corporate consumer awareness and sympathy for public health is always the exception, never the rule. I hate sounding cynical, but as a student of history and the daughter of an ad man, it’s true. Read history books on consumerism. Look at current public health articles. Look at deceptive advertising. Large corporations are more notorious for making people sick than for keeping our populations and communities healthy. This doesn’t apply to all corporations, of course, but to many. Remember, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906? And how many times have pharmaceutical companies released drugs too early with little information on its ingredients and without decades of research (for their long term effects)? Honestly, I’ve found it’s better to be an active, critical consumer than a passive, uncritical consumer. What AM I eating? What is really “natural” about this product? Who are they trying to fool?

The Jungle, one of the many muck-raking novels of the early twentieth century that exposed corporate corruption. From wikipedia.org.

Anyway, back to my healthy DIY recipe! I wondered: could I make a homemade light butter with healthy, natural ingredients that isn’t chock full of chemicals (like margarine)? It would have to be spreadable, because I hate how cold butter is impossible to spread (on wheat bread). To make my own light butter, I decided to try and whip unsalted butter with greek yogurt, salt, and honey. Could it work?!

Yay! It worked!

Well, it worked all right. I ended up eating my entire experiment. All of it. I basically ate my calories for lunch and dinner because this spread/light butter was so dang good. (Now I’m having vegetable soup for dinner to make up for it.) Simply whip together your ingredients with a hand-held mixer or standing mixer, and your end product is a light spread that’s sweet, yet salty, and spreadable. I replaced a quarter of the butter with greek yogurt, which made this soft and lower in fat. If you have children, I’m sure they will love this! LOVE. You could even add cinnamon to this or a pinch of Cayenne! I am storing my light butter in one of my pint jars in the fridge, and I plan on spreading it on some nine-grain bread I purchased at the grocery store. Throw out that margarine! Toss out that unspreadable butter! And dig into this. Yummy!

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Oh heeeey, Burlesquers! 

I had a blast this weekend. First, I met my good friend for drinks and appetizers at a local Irish pub--we needed to catch up! She has been gone (for what seemed like forever), visiting friends and attending a conference for former Mellon scholars. (Yes, most of my friends seem to be “kick butt” women, like my bestie, the kick butt state lawyer!) During our gossip sesh, I found out that my friend’s birthday is July 3rd! Bah! Another baking event! She wants to a have a “tacos and sangria” party, so I might need to coordinate something sweet for that. I also went to the gym for the first time in what seemed like forever. Because I broke out in some sort of terrible heat rash a week ago, I’ve avoided heavy activity to let my skin calm down. Now that my skin is better, I am eager to get back to my big summer plans of working out and eating healthy, aka “Operation Hot Bod.”  (Speaking of hot bods…)

Marilyn Monroe having fun on the beach

Finally, I shopped with Ron this weekend. We are FINALLY gearing up for our move. We move in next weekend!!! Yay! Yay! Of all of the things I bought, guess what I’m loving the most right now?

Pint-sized Ball jars

I bought a dozen pint-sized Ball jars because they only came in a pack of 12. (They are the sturdy, high temperature kind!) I thought I would only be using half of the jars and the rest would sit in my cupboard. Lo and behold, though, we are using all the jars! These little guys are so versatile! I use a jar to make homemade dressing, to store homemade cocoa mix, chai tea mix, and whipped honey butter, to bake with (bake a cake in a jar!), to gift (make a mix for friends and gift it), and to use as a drinking glass. I don’t think I have ever gotten so much out of a $9 dollar purchase!

Anyway, during the rush of our numerous shopping trips, we wanted to make a quick and healthy snack to munch on. How about Sweet and Spicy Roasted Chick Peas? Mmmmm!

Roasted Chickpeas!

These little chickpeas pack quite the punch! I used olive oil, cinnamon, salt, cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, brown sugar, and chili powder to make these roasted chickpeas spicy and sweet. Such a fun healthy snack, right? Ron and I were full after just a couple handfuls because of all the fiber! Yum! Enjoy!

DIY Home: Lemons and Citrus Fruit to freshen your kitchen sink

Kitchen Tip for households with a garbage disposal:

When cooking with lemons or citrus fruit, use the leftover peel and fruit to freshen your sink! Cut your juiced lemon or fruit into quarters, and throw down your kitchen drain. Then run the disposal with running water to freshen.

Using my lemons to freshen my sink!

Music to Write Home About: “Good Time”, the new Carly Rae Jepsen single!

And just when you thought you’ve had enough of Carly Rae Jepsen…..you hear this. And then you can’t stop listening! I know, I know—she is a slightly overproduced teen pop star, but her voice is fitting for pop music, isn’t it? Entertainment Weekly gave this new single positive reviews, saying, “‘Good Time’ goes down easier than a frozen margarita at a beachfront tiki bar.” And I’m going to have to agree. This is pop gold, as far as I am concerned. And you KNOW I will be listening to this at the gym!

from Ryanseacrest.com. The single’s Album art!

I also like her musical partner on this single: Owl City. If you all don’t remember your celebrity gossip, Owl City is the Myspace phenomenon-turned-electronica-pop-star, Adam Young. He is also the adorable young man who released a love song for Taylor Swift on Valentine’s Day. Young found out Swift’s song “Enchanted” was, in fact, about her first meeting with him, and he released a lovely adaptation of her song for her, because he was “enchanted” to meet her, too. (Swift didn’t respond to the chivalrous act, most likely because she is young with still terrible taste in men….like John Mayer.) So, anyway, an adorably geeky, tech pop star singing with a cheeky Canadian pop starlet about “good times”? Yes, please!

Chocolate Kahlua Cake in a Jar (with Almond Whipped Cream)

Hey Burlesquers!

I woke up to humid weather and a weather forecast of almost triple digits. It’s going to be a hot one today, folks! Try and stay cool out there!

Cocoa Cola art, from Pop and Roll.com

Nothing new around my neck of the woods, although I’ve noticed something…..The 90s are back! You may not know, but I love 90s and turn-of-the-millenium culture in the US. Give me Britney Spears, boy bands, and other sappy, cliched pop songs! Give me Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Brian Setzer, and other bands of the Swing Revival in the 90s! Give me all the great Ska punk bands, like No Doubt and Save Ferris! I want to see Greasers, swing kids, hepcats, 2-tone shoes, and Ska lovers out there with their adapted 50 styles!

Honestly, when Emo and the rise of the Hipster started taking over culture—you know, the supposed ironic display of working man’s culture with skinny jeans, flannel, full beards and mustaches, and the consumption of cheap, lower to middle class products, like Pabst Blue Ribbon—I immediately became sad.

(Image from SkinnyDip blog!)

I cannot identify with this trend… at all. Half the population doesn’t even understand that they’re ironically assuming and fetishizing the look of the working class (factory-worker, etc.) as part of the trend. People credit this irony as brilliant, but when most of the hipster populations don’t even know that they’re doing that (or even understand what class consciousness is), I can’t agree.

Anyway, you can imagine my delight when, in a week’s span, I learned that No Doubt, Fiona Apple, and Smashing Pumpkins are out with new albums (if not now, soon), and I spotted students wearing Doc Martins (remember those?) and a ska t-shirt. Then I heard the Aquabats had returned and are on tour, AND Goldfinger and Reel Big Fish announced the “Summer of Ska” tour!  Wooohoo, the 90s are back, folks!  I am so excited!

from Children of the 90s blogspot!

“American Skathic” album art by Jump Up Records

Anyway, in celebration of these fun changes in pop culture (and because of the HOT weather), I decided to debut my cool cakes in a jar. Behold, burlesquers, my BBQ treat: Kahlua Cake with Sweet Almond Whipped Cream.

Sweet to see you!

Barbecuties! Two Kahlua Cakes in Jars for our BBQ dinner with the happy couple.

Ok, these cakes were relatively easy, but there’s definitely a learning curve to this process. For example, I used a bundt-type cake recipe, which actually needs the bundt pan to cook correctly because of its numerous wet ingredients (sour cream, oil, eggs).  (The “hole” in the bundt cake pan allows for an even, overall bake.) However, I cooked the  bundt cake batter right in the jars, and the cakes ended up baking unevenly. My original cooking time was off! Next time, I’m going to limit some of the “wet” ingredients or simply cook a normal “cake” recipe in my jars (nothing too thick or moist). I also quickly figured out that it is damn near impossible NOT to drip cake batter or topping on the sides of the jar. I ended up cooking the cakes in jars and transferring the cakes to new, clean jars for the final prep. I recommend reading the cake-in-a-jar tutorial at the  Beehive and Birds Nest blog. Very helpful!

Overall, the presentation of these cakes was so fun for a BBQ, and I am happy I finally gave this dessert a whirl! Enjoy!

Sausage Pizza with Caramelized Onion Spread and Honey Slaw

Good morning, Burlesquers!

I’m feeling pretty fabulous today. Ron and I are house-sitting one of our favorite professor’s homes (awesome), and we are loving the AC and cable tv. In fact, yesterday we were able to watch the latest episode of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!!! We were also able to catch some of his repeat episodes. In fact, his repeat episode on the Golden Bear restaurant inspired our favorite semi-homemade dinner of all time: Sausage Pizza with Caramelized Onion Spread and Honey Slaw. Our dinner is an adaptation of the Sausage and Smoked Slaw Pizzette at the Golden Bear restaurant in sunny Sacramento, CA.

the BEST quick and healthy pizza!

the naked pizza (the Honey Slaw is the best addition!)

I’ve mentioned I spent alot of time in northern California, right? While I was born in southern California, my heart belongs to northern California. (And it’s where my parents currently live.) I loved my graduate education at one of the NorCal state schools, and I love the feel and atittude of NorCal. People are friendlier in NorCal. In fact, I most noticed this when I had been on the east coast for my first year of my PhD program and came back to NorCal to visit my parents. I felt like EVERYONE was talking to me. I’d be standing in line in a coffee shop in SF, and people would make conversation with me. Sometimes people would even join my conversation with friends without invitation. Even when Ron came to visit NorCal (yes, he visited my parents with me and now my parents LOVE him), he noticed the friendliness. NorCal is best described as a big area with a small town feel.

from 50states.com

Anyway, our pizza reminds me of northern California–fresh tasting and light with spicy/sweet flavors! We didn’t want to try and make our own dough or “smoke” the slaw like in the original restaurant’s recipe (who has that kind of time?), so we changed the recipe a bit and it’s perfect for a quick and healthy dinner! We took a pre-made thin pizza crust and topped it with a caramelized onion spread (onions caramelized with balsamic vinegar), a bit of grated Parmesan, and then sliced hot Italian sausage. We then baked it, and when it was done, we topped it with a fresh honey vinaigrette coleslaw (made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey).

This is one of our favorite semi-homemade pizzas! We put a scant amount of cheese on it, no sauce, and tons of light coleslaw, which makes this a heart-healthy pizza. The only richer ingredient of the pizza is the hot Italian sausages, but that could be easily swapped with BBQ chicken and it would be delicious! I’ve been eating the leftovers at lunch with a bowl of slaw. So fresh! Enjoy!

Happy Father’s Day!

I couldn’t skip writing a post on Father’s Day. You know that saying, good leaders are not born, they are made? Well, that’s how I feel about families. Families are not born, they are made. We make our own families–biological or not–and while I happen to have a biological relation to my dad, this post goes out to all those men out there who are out supporting others and “fathering” children, friendships, and communities. We owe you one! And, of course, dad, you’re the best father, VA volunteer, and veteran a girl could ask for. I can’t wait to see you and mom! (And California again.)

My dad during Vietnam.