Whole Wheat Oat Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar

Hola todos! Como están ustedes? Estoy muy bien. Gracias!

Yo horneé galletas el lunes pasado. Tenía una ganas para comerlas! Me gusta comer postres. Es muy mal para la salud pero los postres son muy delicioso.

Translation: Hi everyone. How are you guys. I'm very good. Thanks!

I baked cookies the past Monday. I felt like eating them. I love eating desserts. It is bad for the health but desserts are so delicious!
I wanted to bake something that was more on the healthier side so that I wouldn't feel bad eating them. I came across a recipe from eatgood4life.com and it looked very simple to make. I just had to make them. Well, I didn't have to but I wanted a healthier dessert. It ended up being really good. My mom likes it too.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups oats
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dark chocolate chips (as much as you want) 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil or parchment paper. 
3. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla extract 
4. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Mix until a dough forms. 
5. Place the dough in the pan and push the dough into the pan, so that it covers most of the pan. 
6. You can add extra chocolate chips on top if you want. 
7. Bake for 25- 30 minutes.
8. Take the bars out and let them cool completely. 
9. Cut them into bars and enjoy! 

Warning: These bars do crumble a little. However, they are delicious! I just had to make these just so that I wouldn't feel too guilty about eating sweets. 

Do you like cookie bars?

What baked goods do you "healthify"? 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Whole Wheat Cookies

Hey hey everyone! How are you guys doing? Well, I'm doing fine, thank you very much. My first year of college ended like a week or two ago. I can't believe how fast it went! Time flew by so quickly! I definitely have to say that my 2nd semester was much better than my first. I will write a reflection (or do a vlog) about my first year of college. Hopefully soon, but we'll see.

Anyway, I'm here today to share this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe with you. As you know, I love sweets. I also love cookies. Chocolate chip cookies, that is. However, I didn't want to make a full batch of cookies. So, I improvised and it resulted in 7 decent sized cookies. They taste pretty good too! They're almost all gone (whoops..). Anyway, I guess it's not all MY fault. My siblings love cookies too.

So, here's the recipe for the cookies. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup (or less) chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup white sugar*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoon peanut butter 
• 1 egg

*You can also use 2 tablespoon brown sugar and 2 tablespoon white sugar instead. 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, olive oil, peanut butter and egg. 
3. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add it to the wet ingredients. 
4. Form 2 tablespoon shape balls and place them on a baking sheet. 
5. Bake for 10-11 minutes. 
6. Take the out, let them cool and enjoy!

It's that simple to make! 

I also baked some whole wheat chocolate chip banana muffins yesterday and my brother loves them! He says I'm the best baker ever. I guess it's because I put a lot of chocolate chips in them and he loves chocolate chips. Here's a picture of the muffins and here's the link the recipe (using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour). 

Do you like chocolate chip cookies?

Do you try to "healthify" unhealthy foods? 

Greek Yogurt Cookie Cake

I love cookies. Don't you? Well, I don't like the fat and calories that come along with it. I also hate how much work it takes to make them from scratch. But, they taste so good!

So, what is a girl to do when she wants a cookie? Use cake mix of course!

Just kidding. Actually, not really. These cookies do use cake mix! But it does save a lot of time if you do use it. Plus, I used nonfat greek yogurt (the healthified part. Is that even a word?). Those are the only two ingredients I used (besides water) to make this. I also used dark chocolate chips too, but these taste good by themselves as well. 

These really did satisfy my craving without making me feel guilty. I also brought them to work today (because I'd eat them all if I hadn't) and everyone loved them. Austin said to me, "Helen. These cookies are amazing!" Nicole ate 3 (plus more) and asked for the recipe. Alex loved them and wanted to eat more but she made a New Year's Resolution to be healthier . They were surprised when I told them I used greek yogurt in them (well, yes and no. They know I'm into nutrition). Alex convinced herself to eat another one because they have greek yogurt in them. They were all gone in 4 hours! 

By the way, my sister also brought a few cookies to school and her friend Lucy loves them! Lucy is the one that introduced me to nutella, by the way. 

Now, I'm going to give you this healthified recipe. These are adapted from my Yummy Cookie Cake recipe.

Servings: 27 cookies

Calories: ~ 70 calories 

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (you can use any, but I like this kind)
• 1 cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 cup water (use less if you want a less sticky dough) 
• dark chocolate chips (optional) 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. In a bowl, pour in the cake mix. 
3. Add in the yogurt and water. Mix. 
4. Mix in the chocolate chips if you want to add them. You can also add other things if you want to. 
5. Now, make 2 tablespoon dough balls and place them on a baking sheet. 
6. Bake for about 15 minutes. 
7. Take them out and enjoy. 

Everyone loved these cookies. They are more cake-like though. So, yea. If you like cake-like cookies, you'll love these. 

And now, here are some of my eats! 

My dad bought these Dandy's  Almond Crackers at the Asian store the other day. 

They are like regular sweet crackers with slices of almonds on top. It's a nice treat. They're not the best but they were bad either. 

As you can tell, I've been obsessed with sweet potatoes and hummus:

I love eating these as snacks (and sometimes as part of a meal, along with some fruit). They're so addicting but delicious and full of nutrients. 

Also, you should try nonfat greek yogurt with honey and Kirkland's Cashew Clusters (from Costco). It's so good. 

And today at work, I brought my own lunch. I brought this:

Brown Rice California Roll and a Sprite Zero. I had already eaten 1/2 the container of sushi and the oranges I brought when I remembered to take a picture. And, yea. Soda. I gave in to my soda craving. At least it's zero calories (less than 5 calories a serving), right? 

By the way, here are some shirts my grandmother sent me from when she went to back to visit China a couple months ago. 

The material is so comfortable but these are a little big on me. I just love how the English words are spelled incorrectly in the first shirt. 

So, do you guys like cookies?

Have you tried baked goods made with greek yogurt before? 

What's your favorite snack?

The Best Healthiest Chocolate Chip Protein Cookie

I love chocolate chip cookies. Don't you? They're sinfully delicious! I can't just eat one. I have to eat 2, or maybe even 3, with a cup of milk.
The thing is, is that, I don't want all the fat and sugar that comes with it. Most cookies come with a lot of saturated or trans fat from either butter or margarine. Neither are good for the health.

So, what is a girl to do if she wants a good healthy cookie with all the goodness that comes with the fat?

Make her own recipe, of course! These cookies are sinfully delicious and yet healthy! They are soft and chewy and yet, a little crispy. My family doesn't usually like healthy baked goods I make but I have to say that these are pretty darn good. My brother even says these are one of the best cookies I've ever made (and I've made cookies many times before!) 

What's the secret to these healthy cookies? Instead of using butter or margarine, I used heart healthy olive oil. Don't worry. This cookie tastes fantastic and still come with the same texture as ones that use the unhealthy fat. I also used whole wheat flour, oats and protein powder. The chocolate is dark chocolate as well. 

I guess it's time to give you guys the recipe. Here it is. 

Servings: 37 cookies 

Calorie count: ~140 calories

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 3 scoops vanilla protein powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips 
• 1 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. In a bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients with both of the sugars. 
3. In another bowl, sift together the whole wheat flour and protein powder. Mix in the baking powder and oats. 
4. Slow combine the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients. 
5. Mix in the chocolate chips. The dough is a bit crumbly. 
6. Make 2 tablespoon sized cookie dough and drop them onto a cookie pan. It should make around 37 cookies. 
7. Bake for 14 minutes. 
8. Take them out. let them cool and enjoy. 

These cookies look delicious, huh? 

So, I'm officially on winter break and I have so much free time. It's finally nice to relax. It also gives me time to do the Elf 4 Health Challenge. Too bad I'm trying to limit myself to sweets, so I can't eat these cookies. I have to stick on the meal plan I created during the weekend. It's a challenge on top of the Elf 4 Health challenge. Me and my Elf, Arlene, had a chat last night talking about the challenges and I felt bad for not sticking to my meal plan. She encouraged me to stick to it while she goes back trying to eat lower carb.

Will it be hard to resist these cookies and other sweets? Yes! But, hopefully, it will get easier.

By the way, I created a facebook page. 

Do you guys have any plans for the upcoming holidays?

What's your favorite type of cookie? 

Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Protein Cookies and Elf 4 Health Challenge Update

Hey hey everyone. I'm sorry about being late for my Elf 4 Health Challenge update. Tomorrow is giving a health snack to a friend!

Before I tell you guys what I made for a snack for tomorrow, I have to talk about yesterday's challenge. Yesterday was counting how much fiber I consumed. I'm happy to report that I consumed 33 grams of fiber. That's above the recommended amount! It is good to get enough fiber in your diet to regulate your digestive system.

Yesterday was also my brother's birthday, so we went to Denny's to celebrate. Not a good idea for someone who wants to lose weight (aka, me). I indulged and ordered this:

It is the Sweet and Tangy BBQ chicken with broccoli and, yes, hash browns. I just had to get the hash browns. They also had garlic bread, which I ate too. I only ate one piece though. I controlled myself (kind of)! The chicken was alright but I really liked the hash browns.

Today was to eat a salad and make your own salad dressing. I actually ordered a Design Your Own Salad at a local eatery. It came with a slice of baguette. Here's a picture: 

It was delicious! It ordered spinach, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, carrots, tofu, cucumbers and cilantro. I ordered it with a sesame dressing. I was in a nutty mood. I also love sesame. 

As for tomorrow's challenge, I made these Chocolate Chip Banana Protein Cookies. They're quick and easy to make. They're also really healthy!

I hope my friend likes them. They're healthy and even my mom approves of them (and she hates the healthy stuff I make). By the way, here's the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Banana Protein Cookies. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (about 1/3 cup)
• 2 bananas (mashed)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips    

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. In a bowl, mashed the bananas (if you haven't already) and then add in the rest of the ingredients. 
3. Mix the ingredients together. 
4. Using a 2 tablespoon scooper, scoop onto a cookie sheet. It should make around 14 cookies.
5. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. 
6. Take them out, let them cool and enjoy.  

                                   
I hope you guys enjoy these cookies!

Yummy Cookie Cake!

I love cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. Who doesn't? They're sweet, soft and chewy. The buttery goodness in your mouth, the chocolate. I want some. Now!
Yes. I made chocolate chip cookies and they're amazing. I used a different recipe, since I ran out of flour. These cookies use cake mix instead. I bet you guys are thinking, "No way. Making cookies with cake mix?" Yes. Of course. They work and they're delicious. It's also a really quick recipe, and you get your cookie cravings satisfied.
Don't think that using cake mix will make your cookies taste like cake. You won't notice a difference. I used yellow cake mix, but you can also use any other type of cake mixes. I use chocolate cake mix sometimes, but the yellow cake mix works the best for me. Here's the recipe. Enjoy. :)

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (18.25 oz)
• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips (white, milk, swirl, dark, butterscotch, pb)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Empty the bag of cake mix into a mixing bowl. 
3. Cut the butter in and try to mix it in with the dry ingredients. Cream it as best as you can. 
4. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract and make a dough. 
5. Once the dough has come together, mix in the chocolate chips. 
6. Divide the dough into about 20 pieces, about the size of golf balls. 
7. Place them on a baking sheet/pan and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. 
8. Take them out, let them cool, and enjoy. :) 

Yummy White Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake! 

 

Yummy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake!!

                                        

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Hey everyone! Happy Super bowl Day! Yeah! How do you guys think the game went? Well, I admit, I don't know.  I'm not much of a football fan. But, I know that the Super bowl is really popular. I couldn't watch the game anyways, because  I sat in a cold classroom, taking a practice SAT test while my father watched the game at home. He's so lucky. I'd rather do that than take the SAT practice test. The test was so long too. Around 4 hours. I got really bored..and tired. Oh well. Hopefully, I can watch it next time.

So, after taking the test, I made some chocolate chip cookies to celebrate the Super bowl. I decided on chocolate chip cookies, because my friend wanted me to make some. He loves chocolate chip cookies. And, why wouldn't I make them for him? After all, he's the one who helped me name my blog ( I admit, I love chocolate chip cookies too).  He's also a really nice and cool guy. This recipe is for him. I hope you guys enjoy this.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup salted butter, soften ( I usually use just 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. 
3. In another bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars. 
4. After creaming together the sugars, add the 2 eggs and the vanilla extract into the rest of the wet ingredients. Mix well.  
5. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix well. Then, stir in chocolate chips. 
6. Drop golf ball sized dough onto a pan lined with parchment paper. Put it in the preheated oven, and bake for about 11-12 minutes. 
7. After the baking has been done, take them out, and wait for them to cool. Eat them with a glass of milk. Enjoy. :)