T he floors in our living room are like, fake wooden floors. Linoleum, I think. Right? Maybe not. I dunno.
Anyway, I usually do aerobics DVD's to work out every day. The TV and DVD player are in the living room, so I'm forced to work out in the living room, and I sound like an elephant. I am SO loud when I'm trampling and jumping around in there. We have neighbors on both sides of our house, so I know they can hear me, too.
It's embarrassing. I don't want to disturb the neighbors, but I need to work out!
So the other day I was driving down the street we live on and there was a fitness center just five minutes away from our house! I couldn't believe it; I've never, ever seen it there before. You get to try it out for a week for free, and then you pay by the month. It's $38 a month. I've done a little research, and I know that's not terribly high, but I know it's not low, either.
I think I might try it for a month to see if I like it. I didn't really know what I was doing today when I went in there to work out, so I tried a few different machines - treadmill, a stairmaster, elliptical, and some other things I don't know the names of. They even offer aerobics classes like zumba and pilates, but I'm nervous to try those. I want to...
I've decided to run a 5K on Saturday, April 24th. Or an 8K. An 8K is only five miles and I think I can do that. My new year's goal was to run a race this year, so I think this is the one. I've never ran any sort of race before. And I don't want to just run to run - I want to do well and get a good time. I'm way too competitive. I need to relax.
Other healthy activities lately have included making my own juice! My sister gave me a hand-me-down juicer.
I used pineapple, strawberry, and orange.
And banana.
Look! Juice! It was an amazing time.
Homemade juice tastes wonderful. I absolutely loved it - it's fresh and delicious. I wanted to make more the other day, I pulled out the juicer to make some, and the juicer was broken. So that's the end of juice-making. Damn you, Jack Lalanne. Damn you. Your power juicer isn't powerful at all.
I also made kale chips. Have you ever heard of kale chips? You wash and tear up kale, then dry it in a salad spinner.
Then you lightly coat the kale with olive oil, salt, pepper, and your desired seasoning. I used some dried herbs and garlic powder. Bake at 400 degrees for F or until the kale is light golden and crunchy.
That's right - the kale get nice and crispy and delicious. Seriously! You must believe me.
I also revamped traditional chocolate chip cookies and made them a tad healthier. Date-In-Disguise Chocolate Chunk Cookies are made with browned butter, toasted pecans, brown and white sugar, and chopped semisweet chocolate.
The secret ingredient is date puree -(dates soaked in hot water & pureed) it makes the cookies moist and flavorful without adding a lot of fat. There's still butter in these, so they're not exactly healthy, but they're healthier than the usual chocolate chip cookie.
That's all for today! Have a great weekend!
**I'd love your vote in a contest for my Avocado & Mango Lime-Grilled Shrimp Tacos. No registration required. You can vote every day! Thank you!**
Date-In-Disguise Chocolate Chunk Cookies (By Me)
Printable Recipe
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup date puree (softened dates pureed with water to form a paste)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat cookie sheets with cooking spray.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook 2-3 minutes, whisking frequently, until butter starts to brown and foam. Remove pan from heat.
In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt, whisk in pecans until combined. In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together browned butter, date puree, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy - about 1-2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and egg until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined; beat in chocolate until combined. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Drop heaping teaspoons of dough on to cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.
Makes 20 cookies
You're so smart. Definitely try to stay (and get) as healthy as you can while you're young,'cause it sure doesn't get any easier. You don't have much time to prepare for your race. I hope you have good training weather.
ReplyDeleteDon't EVER pay what the gym asks. Make a deal. For example, if you REALLY think you'll be going, tell them you'll pay 6 months in advance if they give you a $25/month deal...or whatever.
One more thing - my favorite thing in a juicer is 1 Granny Smith apple, 2 carrots and a big slice of ginger. It's TO DIE FOR! Add a beet for pure luxurious deliciousness.
Great cookie recipe, but if I were you, I'd TELL people they have dates in them. Who wouldn't want a date with/from you?
YAY, you're going to run a 5k!!!! I'm more than excited on your behalf. Or a possible 8k. Whichever, you'll still have a blast! Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteI don't use the juicer I have often enough. It's hidden under the counter and a pain to get out. Sigh. It needs a home ON the counter.
Maybe you have laminate flooring? My parents installed that in their house and the kind they got still is a bit plasticy, though when the cats run on it it's hilarious, like that scene in Jurassic Park where the claws of the dinosaurs are clicking on the floor.
I really like this cookie recipe. I've developed a bad habit of eating cookies post run, and it's not really bad, but I like to refuel with non-refined foods most of the time.
Good luck on your race! I wish I was a motivated runner.
ReplyDeleteToo bad your juicer broke! Homemade juice is divine!
I love cookies that have healthy things disguised in them, it makes them so much more interesting!
Great last paragraph in previous comment..agree totally!!
ReplyDeleteWell done, you are on a very good streak here, keep it up!!!
slipping them in cookies is probably the only way you'll ever get me to eat pureed dates. :)
ReplyDeletekeep up the healthful habits, emily, and good luck training for that run!
I'd recommend the 5K for your first race. Just go out there and have a blast... and then make yourself a nice juice when you're done. Can't wait to hear your race report!
ReplyDeleteSue - didn't know you can do that...hmm...I'm deliberating doing a 3K and I am not a runner! Great cookie recipe. Kale chips are awesome - dinosaur kale works really well because they're hardier and wider leaves. Best on the race!!
ReplyDeleteYou have the same juicer as me! ...too bad your broke though huh!?
ReplyDeleteI looove kale chips, seriously I couldn't believe it the first time I made them!
Your cookies look so delicious and beautiful :)
Sounds great! I bet the dates add a nice sweetness too. so it might be possible to make them even healthier by cutting the sugar a bit. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of dates to add texture and substance to cookies. Excellent ideas, and sorry about the juicer.
ReplyDeleteI think that if those classes are free with your membership (and you end up using them) then it's a pretty good deal actually. You should give them a shot. I was always afraid of group classes, but once I went, I really had fun. Those cookies look great. Love the idea of using the dates. Definitely going to give this one a shot. Oh, I'm super competitive too and it tends to suck the fun right out of races for me so now I never even want to sign up. :-(
ReplyDeleteLove the title on this one.
ReplyDeleteRun, Emily, Run! ;)
Bummer for you about the juicer. Eat the fruit as is.
Yummy date ccc's!
And I am not kidding, I just made kale chips for dinner two nights ago. I thought the boys would hate them, and at first they thought ewww, but after they tasted them and said they are like pop rocks, they went back for more and actually liked them. I liked them, too. Great minds, I tell ya!
Love the healthy in disguise cookies, the kale chips and the juice. Looks like everything is coming together in your new home with laminate flooring...lucky you it is so easy to clean!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sue. Try to make a deal with the gym letting them knwo what YOU can afford.
ReplyDeleteGreat substitution to your cookies! Sounds delicious.
Go Em! Up here in the middle of nowhere I pay 18 dollars a month for my gym membership. But in the BIG city where I used to live it was 50...
ReplyDeleteDid you put that banana in the juicer??? According to my juice anything friend. Banana's clog up juicers and you have to puree them separately and then stir them in. I know NOTHING about this. But she's like a total juice whiz! She even juices spinach!
ok hilarious line
ReplyDelete"You must believe me."
i want to run out and try kale chips RIGHT NOW!
also, i loved watching you on the food network. you were steller. :)
AND after i moved into my house i was telling my dad how much i loved my tile floors! and he's like marla, it's fake tile.
nice. thanks dad. i probably never would've noticed until i dropped a jar of pickles or something.
and PS you can totally do a 5k!! just enjoy the treats and the weather and do one that has a tshirt so you can show off the next day.
xooox ps i voted for you again :)
A 5k is pretty easy, only about 3.3 miles. There's always plenty of those around for charity. Also, you should definitely try some of the classes at the gym. They are addicting & the time just flies by. If they have Belly dancing, you should try it, it's a different kind of workout. Pilates & yoga are great too. It keeps your workout from getting stale. Good luck with the healthy kick!
ReplyDeleteI would KILL to find a gym that's only $38 per month. I pay twice that and I get a "deal" because I've been a member so long.
ReplyDeleteYour floors are Pergo perhaps? I work out at home with DVDs too (I get sick of the machines at the gym and the classes are never at times I can take them). I have hardwood floors and I know I make a lot of ruckus. Who cares? I don't hear my neighbors doing that and I just consider myself surperiorly healthy!
You're awesome for that race. I need to live vicariously through you since my knee issues mean I can probably never run again.
Awesome, you should ask the gym nearby for a discount since you live close and you can spread the word. Great healthy kick!
ReplyDeleteI thought of you this morning. I saw on FN a contest with Philly cream cheese on pauladeen.com The prize was $25,000. Just wanting you to get to culinary school......
ReplyDeleteJust voted!
ReplyDeleteGod, I wish I had a gym class at $38 in New York... Anything here is over $80!
I used to belong to a ladies only gym and loved it!!! I like the idea of kale chips. Kale is one of my favorite veggies and I will have to try your recipe. Of course I would love to dig right in those cookies!
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting ready for your 5/8K!!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to use the softened dates in these cookies! They are right up Apolinaras' alley!
You should really try out pilates, it's great, it's hard enough and works all of your muscles but strenghtens them while using your breath and all... You should try it, really!
ReplyDeleteYep, I in the juicer directions it says to never juice a banana... I guess that's why!
ReplyDeleteI love dates, so I am sure I'd adore these. I know what you mean about the neighbours hearing - hope the fitness centre works out.
ReplyDeleteKale chips, very interesting. I wonder if you could spray them with a little cooking spray instead to cut down on some calories.
ReplyDeleteHaha oh my, I know exactly what you mean about working out and having to worry about the neighbors. I do Jillian Michael's DVDs in my apartment building 5 days a week, and always feel SO bad! What can you do, eh?
ReplyDeleteI suggest trying pilates. It's a great workout, and doing around other people will keep you focused. Good luck!
Nothing wrong with a little butter. :)
ReplyDeleteWood floors - probably laminate.
$38 a month for the fitness center is not bad at all, and you should definitely try the zumba. I'm not a dancer, but those classes are so much fun. And, so excited about your race Emily!!! You're going to kick a$$.
I really don't understand how people can drink OJ from concentrate or any juice from concentrate for that matter. Fresh is always best!
I love Zumba!! Most of the gyms around here are only $25 a month though. You should definitely try Zumba- you basically dance your ass off. I try to go with friends and it's a ton of fun. Well- as much as working out can be I guess!
ReplyDeleteooh, i'm jealous of your juicer! and kale chips are good, i need to make them again :) thanks for the reminder! that'd be an awesome price for a gym in boston... but i have no idea what it's like down there ;) also consider if it comes with classes, etc. if you might want to try them out!
ReplyDeleteI have a sort like the same juicer!! fresh juices are the best, aren't they???
ReplyDeleteI also love your kale chips! yum,..
And your latest lovely cookies are just about right!
Don't be scared to try out the classes at a gym! They may be difficult sometimes, but they are so much fun and everyone else is just focused on themselves anyways. And races are a lot of fun--can't wait to hear how yours goes!
ReplyDeleteKale chips are one of my favorite things this winter.
Thank you, everyone! Thank you for all of the advice. And thank you for the votes!
ReplyDeleteSue, that juice sounds excellent! I bet the beet would make it extra amazing.
Christina, I don't think that's a bad habit at all!
Belinda, I'd love to try dinosaur kale. You should run the 3K!
Sheila, ohhh I didn't know that! The banana was the problem!
Marla, thank you! Do try the kale chips! They are kind of like what Katrina said - pop rocks.
Tamilyn, I'll have to enter that one!
Hi, I was wondering if you think Sunsweet prune puree in a jar would work in this recipe ... or not? Thanks! Margot
ReplyDeletePuppy love, sorry for the long response! I think it would work fine.
ReplyDelete