Baking Wishlist

As I've shared before, baking is one of my most favorite things to do. It doesn't help that I am a very visual person, so when I see a picture of a yumyum treat, I can "taste" (or maybe just imagine:)) the flavors, which gets me inspired to make the recipe I see!

So, this is my running baking wishlist. Most things are from blogs that I have perused after finding them on pinterest (if you aren't following me already GET ON IT! I have some super sonic finding skills. It's like I have a sonar that points me directly to the most delectable things; just click the pinterest link on the right side of the page) or on foodgawker. I apologize for what I am about to do to you, it is so very unfair. Especially when I am preaching to eat healthier and be more aware of what you are consuming on a daily basis. HOWEVER..I am in no way perfect. And this is one of the things that makes me that way..my love of baking! So, enjoy. In moderation, of course:)

Gooey White Chocolate Fluffernutter Cake Bars

Disneyland's Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Original Killer Brownie (from Dorothy Lane Market)

This is not a homemade brownie, but the recipe that follows is
the homemade attempt, and has been proclaimed as a pretty close 2nd.
Thank Goodness;)

Knock You Naked Brownies

Pumpkin Spice Magic Bars

Oreos covered in Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips 

So, I hope you enjoy this fattening post. Good thing looking doesn't add any calories, because I would be in some serious trouble!

A website that is good for calculating the nutrition in recipes that you follow is Recipe Nutrition. It allows you to type in all of the ingredients and the amounts, the step by step directions, and then it calculates the nutritional value once you finish entering everything. When you create an account, it saves all of the recipes that you enter so if you make it again but forget the nutritional value, you can go back into your account see it. Super convenient!

Coming up is a post on savory dinners that are on my wishlist, as well as some recipes that I have already tried and enjoyed.

Don't forget to go find me on Pinterest:)

Until next time...

~Allyson

Foodie Facts

In all of my research so far, I have made a few very interesting discoveries when it comes to the information on the nutrition labels. I've put together some of the top tips that I now consider when buying foods. Enjoy:)

1. Sugar Alcohols: these are something to be aware of. Not afraid of, (when consumed in moderation) but aware of. Many sugar-free products are able to say "0g" of sugar on the nutrition facts label, but right underneath it says "11g" of sugar alcohols. Sugar Alcohols are simply hydrogenated carbs. Anything hydrogenated = BADBADBAD. Stay away. So, when you are buying a snack and think you are doing good, be sure to check the nutrition label, because while there may be no sugar added, there is [almost] something even worse being added to counter the "sugar-free".

This label has both Sugar and Sugar Alcohols, while some will have 0g sugar and 'X'g sugar alcohols.

2. Natural Sugar: another thing to keep in mind is that on most nutrition fact labels, they are only including sugars that are added, not always including the natural sugars already in the product or ingredient, so you might actually be getting more sugar than you think.

3. Sodium Free: if the amount of sodium in a product is under 5 mg, the company does not have to list it on the label. Therefore, if you consume more than one serving of that item, you are consuming more sodium than you realize.

4. Fiber and Calories: when you consume dietary fiber, it does not provide energy or elevate blood sugar levels, therefore when looking at how many carbs you are consuming, you can subtract the grams of dietary fiber from the carbohydrate count. This result is "net carbs". So if it says "9 net carbs" on the front of a product, that means that the nutrition label will say "13g carbs" and "4g dietary fiber". Fiber cancels out carbs. So when trying to keep your carbs to a certain daily level, knowing that fiber reduces the actual amount of carbs effecting your body will give you a more accurate count. 

5. Nature Valley Granola Thins: in trying to avoid binge eating, it is important to not entirely cut out all sweets or other things that you like to eat. By including maybe one treat a day, every couple days, or even week into your diet, you are helping prevent the inevitable binge on whatever it is that you cut out. I enjoy sweet and salty, and I am also horrible when it comes to eating everything in sight if I have been depriving myself of it (reckless, I know..I'm working on it;)). So, in order to allow for slight give in my eating, I'll include a Nature Valley Granola Thin as a mid-morning snack. They are small enough to not put a dent in my day, but have enough flavor to satisfy a craving!

6. Nabisco 100 Calorie Snack Packs: just stay away. Don't even go there. The fat, carb and sugar counts are so ridiculous I can't stand it. While some recent research has been conducted saying that calorie counting is the only thing necessary to maintain a healthy weight, being conscious of the amounts of fats, carbs and sugars are crucial to longevity of life and overall health! Don't be fooled by those alluring "100 calorie" promises, because they are empty. Not only are the promises empty, but those calories are a waste of space in your body! You could have a big bowl of fruit with whipped cream for the same calorie count and be getting tons more nutrition, and be held over twice as long as if you were to simply consume one snack pack.

would you rather have one tiny little snack pack...

...or this bowl of beautifulness?!

I'll take the bowl of fruit, thanks:)

Hope this helps!

~Allyson

I Am...

...a lover of food. I enjoy looking at pictures of it, reading about it, and thumbing through recipes, but most of all, I love eating it. I enjoy savory, sweet & salty, and chocolate-y. 

That being said, a healthy mindset is not always easy to maintain. Especially since one of the things that I love to do most is bake. I really enjoy cooking dinners and lunches, but I LOVE baking. 

The minute I get home, I want to bake. If something is bothering me, I want to bake. It's not like I even do it so I can reap the rewards of a delicious homemade chocolate chip cookie, I just enjoy the process of baking and seeing others be delighted with the results.

While I am on this journey of creating a healthier lifestyle for myself, with everything in moderation, I am not giving up my love for baking, I am simply altering the ingredients. Finding substitutions for cravings.

Today I am going to share two recipes, one that I made, and one that is on my to-do list for this week's healthy sweet treat.

The first: 

Genius Blondies from Chocolate Covered Katie

(makes 15-20 squares)

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (1 can, drained and rinsed) (250g)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• heaping 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar*
• 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup ground flax (20g) 
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or other fat source) (see nutrition-info link below, for lower-cal options)
• optional: 1/3 cup chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients (except chips) until very smooth. Mix in chips, and scoop into a greased (or tinfoil-lined) 8×8 pan. Bake for 38-40 minutes. You want the blondies to look a little undercooked when you take them out, because they’ll firm up as they cool, and you don’t want them to get hard. (Note: you can probably sub any white bean for the chickpeas)

~

So, I made these. I don't think I'll be making them again. They were good for what they were, however I'm not so sure that I am ready to cross over into the ULTRA healthy realm of going vegan for certain things. On occasion I might, when I really need that sweet fix, but these did not satisfy me the way I was hoping. I somewhat had to force them down. Jaymes really liked them, which was surprising to me, so I might try them again. I also used ground flax meal instead of simply ground flax, but didn't see too much of a difference. It probably just added more carbs.

The next recipe I am very excited to try. I'll just post a picture of it for today and post details after I make them. 

Date, Cashew & Apricot "Brownie Bites"

Until next time...

~ Allyson

ketchup.

oops..that should be "Catch Up"! Oh well:)

It has been a while since my last post, longer than a while I suppose, so instead of recapping everything that has happened between then and now, I will stick to the basics!

Some pictures:

Layla & Gage: 

My dad and stepmom are in the process of adopting this sister and brother. We all love them to pieces!

This was at Gwynn's birthday dinner.

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving 2011

Attempted Family picture; Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011

Callaway Gardens; Christmas 2011

Callaway Gardens; Christmas 2011

Happy New Year! 2011 - bringing it in with a KISS;)

-The wedding is fast approaching! We are almost to the 3 month mark. It is crazy how much we have done already and still have to do, but even crazier that it will all be over in 3 months!

-We are in the final stages of home buying - awaiting the reports of a final inspection before setting an official closing date. It has been an incredibly long process, but it has been even more incredible to see God's hand in all of it. When it is all said and done, we will be able to say without a doubt that this is the house that God has planned for us all along. 

-I am in my last year of school. Hard to believe, but I can only think of one event more exciting than being done with school - HINT - rhymes with carriage:).

-Finnley will be 2 years old tomorrow! I can't believe that we have had her for almost two years! She is such brat, but so stinking adorable, quick, and smart. We love her to pieces:)

I have acquired an interest in healthier eating. I had always considered myself a healthy person (up until a month ago), but come to find out, I was no where near that. I could chalk it all up to genes, but could give myself no credit, which I was not pleased with. I decided that with the up-and-coming wedding, what better motivation does a girl have to get in shape? But more than that, I wanted to make sure that my health and fitness plans became a lifestyle, not just a temporary fix. I am slowly on my way to accomplishing that. I have been doing Jillian Michaels' (Trainer from Biggest Loser) "Ripped in 30"dvd workout, and so far I am seeing encouraging results. 

But those results are not coming without a price - I am sacrificing time to do these workouts, and to do them well.

Doing them well, however, requires more than just good time management, it also requires a dedication to good eating. I have been doing a lot of research: poring over blogs, health journals, and various articles to determine what things are best for the body, and instead of declaring myself on any specific type of diet, I am just: "eating healthy". That means the correct balance of fats, carbs, proteins, sugars, and vitamins. 

To help me stay on track, I use the myfitnesspal app (they also have a website that allows you to do the same thing, just not on your phone, myfitnesspal.com). This app allows me to plug in a goal weight (my goal is not to lose weight, just to lose fat and gain muscle, so I just plugged in my current weight) and gives me the exact amounts of each food group that I need to be eating a day. I track what I eat by simply plugging in every single thing that I eat.

The next facet to "eating healthy" is understanding that food is not for PLEASURE, it is for FUEL, so that we can continue to function for God's will. It is strange, you may think, that equating food with God would make any sense, but indeed it does: 

19 Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you.

Amazing, right? So with that being said, clarity is met. We are not on this earth to pollute our bodies, for they are not "ours" to pollute. We are here for God's purpose alone, nothing to do with us, therefore it is our duty to take care of ourselves. People are more worried about the rights of animals and national parks than they are their own bodies. Strange.

I will say that it is a struggle for me to always maintain that mindset, that "my body is not for me but for God so therefore I should only eat what fuels me"...because in other things that we have been called to do as Christians, God does not want us to walk around every day SUFFERING for His Glory. He wants us to enjoy life and enjoy His creation. But when food is involved, enjoy it in MODERATION.

MODERATION. That is is the key. So while I am eating healthy, I am not completely cutting out those rich and delicious treats that I so adore baking:), but I am limiting myself. As I am counting calories and monitoring everything that I put in my mouth, I can hardly imagine the amount of calories, fats, and sugars that I was consuming on a daily basis.  I never gave it any thought!!

This renewed concept of food and life in general is very exciting, and I am looking forward to where it takes me and the results that continue to show up:)

That being said, I want to use this blog as a vessel to communicate many different things:

• What I am learning about food and health, as well as sharing recipes that I come across that I enjoy and that are healthy. Not healthy for being-skinny's sake, but healthy for being-healthy's sake, and healthy so that you are able to maximize your potential as a servant of God. (Of course there will be the occasional 'treat';) how can I resist?!)
• Things I am learning in my quiet times with the Lord, and as I read through the Bible. 
• Up's and Down's of owning a home, and the fun projects that we have in store for it

So, bear with me, if you will, because I'm excited!!

~Allyson