I saw this bumper sticker today: “How’s my driving? Shoot me a text.” HA! So my best friend Sarah announced on Facebook yesterday that she had just spent 4 hours creating the “Daniel Craig in Casino Royale 6 Week Meal Plan” as requested by her husband, and if anyone wanted a copy they could shoot her an email. (Click HERE if you want to see it! Thanks Sarah!) It is exactly what it sounds like: 40 days of meals similar to what Daniel Craig ate while training to be James Bond. Are you following a diet or any kind of meal plan this January? I had plans. But I also just ate 2 cookies, so… And he said, “You’re just wrong, Karen. Daniel Craig is legitimately hot.” Well there you go, Daniel Craig. You win today. I think my husband has a man-crush on you. But really, am I the only one?? Pierce Brosnan made a much sexier James Bond if you ask me. Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram Seriously, you can’t beat a cookie made from scratch and I’m not just talking about taste. These are no store-bought treat made of low-quality carbs and unhealthy fats stripped of nutrients during processing and preservation. No! The first ingredient alone, oats, is considered to be one of the healthiest whole grains out there, chock full of important vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants! And that brings me to a good question. “Healthy” basically boils down to two things: Bottom line, if your body isn’t getting your necessary calories somehow, you’re not eating healthy. Bottom line, eating a wide variety of foods is the only way to get all those wonderful macro and micro nutrients. So? The skinny on skinny oatmeal cookies? Are they healthy? Folks, the good news is homemade oatmeal cookies can be a part of a healthy diet! The bad news is they have to be a small part of a healthy diet. (I hate it when there’s a catch.) Like I said above, these cookies have nutrients aplenty. But with all those nutrients comes a lot of calories, all inside a little cookie. When big calories come in small packages, you don’t feel full fast and that can lead to excess eating. One of the best things about this better-option cookie recipe is that it only makes 12-15 cookies, which helps to keep portions under control. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Mix dry ingredients together: oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make sure you spoon and level your flour. I always do it with two measuring cups. Scoop with one cup, dump it in the one you need, then level off with the top of the measuring cup. In a separate bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in the vanilla, then the egg. Whisk in the honey. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until it has just come together. Don’t overdo it, over mixing makes for tough cookies. (Then wipe out the bowl you used for your dry ingredients and toss it back in your cupboard!) Save out about half of the chocolate chips. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop the remaining chocolate, then fold it into the dough. The chocolate chips are divided: half in the dough, half jammed into the warm cookies after baking for maximum showiness. If showiness isn’t your thing today, own it. Toss all the chips in the dough with reckless abandon. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, or freeze for about 15 minutes. Don’t skip this step! Yes, we’re modern humans. Yes, we’re pressed for time. Yes, Daniel Craig has multiple action scenes as James Bond available on YouTube for you to consume while waiting 30 minutes. Chilling this lower-calorie cookie dough helps mimic the higher-calorie cookie texture and shape. Shape the dough into about 12-15 cookies, depending on how much dough you ate. (What, just me?? I mean who can say no to this goodness??) Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-13 minutes, or until they have juuust started to brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies. They will melt immediately into pools of dark glory. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
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