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Archives for August 2012

NYC Marathon Training Week 8

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I would like to take this moment to thank the Phoenix Metropolitan Area for this warm welcome. Get it? See what I did there? Because, you know, the record breaking temperatures and all. Okay, it wasn’t funny. Not even a little bit. Sorry. Anyway, I’m back home and I made it through my first week of legit Phoenix summer training and lived to tell the tale! It hasn’t been easy. You see, I started running in October, and it was warm then with highs generally in the 90s, but that means lows in the 70s with not ideal, but not terrible morning running weather. When I left for Oregon, the highs had climbed into the triple digits, but you could still run at 5:30 or 6 and get temps in the high 70s-low 80s most days. I thought that was tough–hah!

Then, I traveled to a land far far away where there are clouds and rain and the most amazing running weather! It was a dream come true. This has been a rude awakening, and my paces have slowed considerably while my effort level feels higher than ever. The good news? I get that it’s normal, and that I will be tougher come November. I don’t mind sucking it up for then next month if I will be stronger because of it. It’s just an adjustment. And so is the schedule.

Today I feel absolutely exhausted. I haven’t woken up later than 5am since last Tuesday. I know a lot of people wake up at 5 every day, and 5 isn’t so bad, but there’s a big difference between 5 and when you see a 3 at the beginning of your alarm. I know I can’t just spend the next month in a constant state of exhaustion. The heat is enough to do that to me, so I need to help myself out. Until my alarm time changes, I’ve decided to just be 80 (or 8–you decide) and change my bed time to 8-9pm. It’s going to mean less going out, and probably a lot less of a social life, but it’s what I need to do in order to achieve everything I want right now, and when I committed to running a whole freaking marathon, I didn’t just mean the end result. The nights I work until 9 or 10 are going to be tough, but every other night I am enforcing a bed time. Yes, I’m 27 and I have a bed time. It’s earlier than your kindergartner’s.

Anyway, here’s a look at how my first week back in Phoenix went down.

Monday–Off. Traveling counts as a work out, right?

Tuesday–Linda’s spin!! 23.4 sweaty spinning miles of AWESOME! While I was away, I missed the following things in this order: Steve/Winston/Clementine, Linda’s spin my family, Linda’s spin. It was like being back in my happy place!

Wednesday–Track with Team Chances! YAY!! It was so great to be back running with my team and to get to run with Stacey again. We did a 1.2 mile warm up, then 1600 @ 1/2 marathon goal pace (8:49), 400 recovery, 1200 @ 10k pace (8:40), 400 recovery, 800 @ 5k pace (8:24), 400 recovery, 400 @ 1mi pace (7:02), followed by about .5 mile cool down for a total of 4.84 miles in 47:19. It was tough, but it went a lot better than I expected. For some reason, I am always one of the very last ones out there on the track, but when we do long runs I’m right in the middle. Weird. I actually think my body prefers long distance to short and speedy.

Thursday–5mi. Monday was supposed to be 4, but I thought it was supposed to be 5, so I did that on Thursday. Stacey and I warmed up for a mile, then did the middle miles slightly faster (not on purpose, just kinda happened that way), and cooled down for the last .5. I was actually feeling pretty good until about mile 4 when the heat started to get me and I just wanted to be done. Good thing I had company, or I probably would have ditched out early, haha.

Friday–25.75 mi bike ride. I MISSED MY BIKE!!! I missed Friday cross training and breakfast with my BBFF!!! I felt a little out of bike shape after my almost 2 month hiatus, but I finished in just under 2 hours with an average pace of 13.2 mph. Not fast by any means, but not too bad for a friendly ride, and my first one back!

Saturday–8mi run with Team Chances. I averaged 10:16 and finished in about 1:22, which I was actually pretty happy with. It’s weird because everyone already kind of knows each other, and I just showed up. Our first team run was the day I left for Ashland, and although Coach Susan had been letting me come to group runs and track sessions before then, our team hadn’t officially started, so I’d hardly met anyone. I decided I didn’t want to run by myself, so I found a group of ladies that looked like they ran about my pace and creepily followed them before just deciding to announce that I was there, and I wanted to join the group. I ended up with a lot of company along the way, and ran very little by myself. I loved getting a chance to get to know some of my awesome team mates, and running with other people definitely pushed me to keep going all the times I wanted to stop and drink a frozen margarita.

Sunday–Arizona Road Racers 5k @ South Mountain. About that. I made a last minute decision to run a 5k this morning, and it basically sucked. Okay, maybe that’s too harsh, but it wasn’t great. It started at 6:30 when the sun is already all the way up, and it is HILLY. I ran sssslllloooowwww. And by that, I mean I walked way too much of it. I “ran” it 30 seconds slower per mile than the last time I ran the same course, and slower than almost any other race I’ve done. That’s okay. I’m not upset. It was just a reality check about the heat, and how much it can affect my pace, and how I feel. I’m sure eventually I will get used to it, but this was definitely the hardest so far. Anyway, here’s a picture of my friend Nacho kicking the race and the sun right in the face!

This beez ran in like 26 minutes.

And here I am trying to pretend I don’t want to lay down on the side of the road.

This love/hate thing is totally missing the love right now.

How was your training last week??? Tell me awesome things you did!

Sunflower Butter Cocoa Crispy Treats

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You may remember me stating my recommitment to healthy eating with a focus on whole foods with a short list of understandable ingredients. If you know me even a little bit, you know that I definitely didn’t mean I’d be giving up on dessert! Some say breakfast is the most important meal of the day; I say it’s dessert. We can agree to disagree. Luckily, I returned home to Phoenix to this awesome package from Annelies at Attune Foods.

I was super excited to try both cereal, but it was the Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice that really caught my eye. They have a very small list of  natural ingredients.

And they have more protein than any rice cereal I’ve ever label stalked.

As a kid, I was obsessed with rice crispy treats. Legit obsessed. My mom didn’t make them. She doesn’t really bake. There are some things (cookies, cupcakes) that you can buy at the store, and they will do the trick, but have you tried the store bought rice crispy treats?! Gross. Even Little Kid Ari knew those were no bueno.

LOOK!!! Big Kid Ari can make her OWN rice crispy treats!! Okay, I’ll stop talking in the third person now. Sorry, that was weird. I guess I just got really excited. It’s one of my all time favorite desserts we’re talking about, and we all know I get a little crazy about food. So does Clementine. It’s like I’ve genetically transfered my food agression to my mini dachshund. I believe that’s totally possible.

Okay, okay, maybe not genetically, but parentally. Or something like that. Wait, how did we get here? Oh yeah, if you tried to steal my Sunflower Butter Cocoa Crispy Treat, I would probably growl and give you the stink eye while all of the hair on my head would stand up straight to let you know that we had crossed the line from playing to fighting.

Wow. Sometimes I say such strange things that I even weird myself out. It’s okay, though. I make awesome desserts. That’s why Steve married me. I’m convinced.

Now, I want to tell you about how ridiculously easy these are to make. I spent about 5 minutes. Maybe 6. Then they cooled for a couple of hours while I caught up on trashy reality tv. Let’s be real, I’m lazy and the less work I have to do, the better! Also, I washed a total of a pot and a spatula. I hate dishes. If I had a million dollars, I would throw away every dish I dirtied and immediately buy new ones.

I love this recipe because, not only is the cereal made from only real foods, but the bars are as well. They’re vegan (if you use agave, or if you’re one of those vegans that eats honey), gluten-free, and only require 4 ingredients. I hate to be one of those cliche healthy living bloggers that talks about how much more satisfying real food is, but these bars satisfy my sweet tooth with just a tiny 1″ square. Maybe that’s your normal dessert portion size, but I think we’ve covered the fact that, for me, dessert portion is generally as big as my head. I love sugar. It’s a problem I’m trying to curb, but until then I think I can be happy eating small satisfying treats like these.

And fro yo. Obviously.

Sunflower Butter Cocoa Crispy Treats

Inspired by Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats

yield approx 32 bars

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey or agave
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seed butter (preferably TJ’s brand–it is by far the best, in my opinion)
  • 3.5 cups Erewhon Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Cereal

Directions:

  1. Spray a square 8×8 baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a small sauce pan, whisk brown sugar and honey/agave over medium high heat until thoroughly combined and no sugar lumps remain–about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a spatula, stir in sunflower butter until well combined. Slowly add in cereal one cup at a time stirring constantly with a spatula until cereal is evenly coated.
  3. Transfer to prepared pan and press with wax paper until evenly spread. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to set and cool. Once they’ve cooled, feel free to leave them out to be stored at room temperature.
Thanks again Annelies for the awesome package!!

 

Creamy Watermelon Sorbet

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In case my countless hours spent whining about the temperatures (117* on Tuesday in case you forget), it’s, um, hot.

It’s also still watermelon season. Yummmmm.

I’d say that *almost* makes up for it. I usually prefer the super creamy, indulgent frozen yogurt flavors like birthday cake, especially when it tastes like frosting and has peanut butter sauce on top. Mmmmm. However, this sorbet is so light and refreshing–perfect for a hot summer day! It has just a little bit of yogurt to make it slightly creamy, but really tastes more like a sorbet.

I have a story. My dad makes really weird shopping lists. His logic is completely incomprehensible to anyone not living inside his head. One day, he sent me to the store for him with a list left in about 12 messages that got cut off on my voicemail. There were only a handfull of items, but many stipulations about expiration dates, and back up items just in case. Everything has to be exact, and make “the list”. I remember taking my friend Jason with me, walking up and down the aisles (the order of these items was also very specific to the inner workings of his mind), and listening to my 100 voicemails. Yes, I said 12 before. 100 may be a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe. Anyway, we got to watermelon on the list, but it had to be a very specific expiration date, and if I couldn’t find that I was supposed to buy bleu cheese instead. That one was definitely the strangest.

What I’m trying to say is, please don’t use that logic. Please do not make this sorbet with bleu cheese. I will judge you.

BUT, don’t be weirded out by my family. The sorbet is delicious. Sweet and slightly tart, filled with natural watermelon flavor, and not even a hint of cheese. Pinky promise.

Creamy Watermelon Sorbet

yield approx 2 cups

  • 4 cups seedless watermelon, diced
  • 2 tbs turbinado sugar (optional, depending on desired sweetness)
  • 1 cup nonfat lemon Greek yogurt

Directions:

  1. Puree watermelon in a blender or food processor until smooth. Strain juices into a large bowl discard pulp.
  2. Whisk in sugar and yogurt, then freeze according to ice cream maker’s instructions. For a firmer sorbet, freeze for 2-3 hours before serving.

 

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cups

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Sometimes I think that once my fundraising is over, I will never want to make an other cup for the rest of my life.

Then I take one of these out of the freezer, eat it, and head directly to the store to buy more ingredients, so that I can eat 7 more, then make more.

These were probably the most popular. Everyone loves sweet and salty.There’s also a lot of great textures between the pretzel, the chocolate, and the peanut butter. In fact, they’re almost like those chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels from Trader Joe’s. I never buy those, because I know once I opened them, they would last approximately 6 minutes. I know my weakness, ok.

Hungry yet? If you live in the Phoenix area (chocolate doesn’t ship well when it’s 117 out, and yes, that was the temperature an hour ago), you can order them @ $10 a dozen. As always, 100% of that goes directly to Chances for Children, and your purchases are tax deductable.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cups

yield 24 cups

  • 20 oz all natural dark chocolate chips
  • approx 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter
  • 1 scant tbs unrefined virgin coconut oil
  • 24 mini pretzels (gluten-free pretzels work great!), whole or lightly chopped*

Directions:

*Option 1 (for whole pretzels)

  1. Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, melt chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.
  3. Spoon enough chocolate to cover the bottom of each baking cup. Add 1-2 tsp peanut butter. Top with chocolate until peanut butter is completely covered and top is smooth.
  4. Gently, press the bottom of one pretzel about half way into each cup.
  5. Freeze to set. Keep in freezer or fridge.

*Option 2 (for chopped pretzels)

  1. Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, melt chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.
  3. Spoon enough chocolate to cover the bottom of each baking cup. Add 1-2 tsp peanut butter. Add one lightly chopped pretzel. Top with chocolate until peanut butter and pretzel are completely covered and top is smooth.
  4. Freeze to set. Keep in freezer or fridge.

*I made the cups both ways, but only photographed them with the pretzel sticking out. I love them both, and continue to make them both ways. I think the pretzel on top looks cool, but with a chopped pretzel, you get more pretzel in each bite. I like to savor my desserts and take many bites 🙂

Refocusing

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I have a confession. Normally, when I have a confession, I would then say something funny like “This summer I had a contest with my 2 awesome co-workers to see who could poop the most every day.” That’s true. Did happen. Was announced to all staff and students. We’re awesome like that. However, this may be slightly less gross for those of you who hate to talk about poop.

By the time I arrived back in Phoenix on Monday morning, I was feeling less than great about how my body looked, and physically I just felt off from not eating well. You see, I started the summer with the best of intentions. I was as careful as possible about what went into my body, tried to choose foods to fuel my training, as well as sustain me dancing for 6-7 hours a day. It was tough. The food was less than stellar, with choices for dinner sometimes being pizza, fried chicken, or the salad bar for the 6th night in a row. I bought lots of snacks to try to tide me over, which quickly transitioned into too much food too often, and way too many times thinking “Well, I ran this morning, and then danced ALL DAY. I can eat 2 desserts.” Also, there was a lot of justifying the mass quantity of vegan desserts I consumed as “healthy”. Two of my friends I spent the most time with are vegan, and we were so close to all sorts of vegan bakeries. The problem is, substituting earth balance or vegetable oil for butter and using refined carbs does not equal healthy. I know that. I get it. Mostly, I just wanted dessert.

All this being said, I was not shocked to get home, step on the scale (yeah….no scale = “I probably weigh the same. I’m dancing ALL THE TIME”), and discover that I had definitely gained weight. Not an obscene amount. Nothing any of you would probably notice. Roughly 5-6 lbs from where I generally maintain. So, no, 5-6 lbs is not a huge deal, but 2 more months of those habits, and an other 5-6 would be more lik 11-12, and you see where that leads. In no time at all, I could easily be right back where I started in 2008.

No.Thank.You.

Again, it’s not the end of the world, but I definitely feel motivated to make a change, and refocus. The truth is, if weight were merely determined by exercise, I would have a SMOKIN’ body by now. I love working out, and being active. I do it to be healthy, yes, but also because I genuinely enjoy all those cool endorphins. It’s like our bodies own cooler version of mood altering drugs. Thanks for that body! Food, on the other hand; food is tricky. I do genuinely enjoy eating good, healthy, nutritious meals that fuel my body. I really like healthy foods, and I don’t often crave things like cheeseburgers and french fries. However, part of the problem is that I do REALLY like food. I have a tough time with portion control (always have), and I also REALLY love dessert. Those of you that want to snack on potato chips: I don’t understand you. I want to snack on fro yo. Always and forever.

I’m trying to break the mentality of “I worked out this much, so I can eat this much”. It doesn’t really work like that. In fact, I feel like the more active I am, the MORE careful I need to be about my food choices. That may seem like an oxymoron, but the truth is when I significantly increase my activity, I am hungrier, and I do need to eat more, but that means more opportunities to choose less than awesome types of food, and overeat.

I’ve read a lot of blogs that said they gained weight training for their first marathon. I assured myself that wouldn’t be me, but when I started focusing more on my training, I made the decision to stop focusing on weight loss, even though the truth is, that is still the eventual goal for me. I let myself gradually slide back into eating habits that I haven’t seen in quite a while. Don’t get me wrong, I still ate moderately healthy, but not to the best I am capable of, and it shows. On the scale. In the way my body feels. It’s not “water weight”.

So, I’m refocusing. I went to TJ’s excited (although when am I not excited about grocery shopping?), and stocked up on tons of produce, and spent entirely too much time stalking ingredient lists. Steve was thrilled to sit there watching me label read for hours after our red eye, let me tell you. He’s a lucky man. It was nice for me though. I used to only look at calories, and I am actually trying to do just the opposite now. Sure, that cookie may have the same amount (or even less) of calories as a banana with almond butter, but it has no nutritional value, and an ingredient list a mile long. I promised myself I would give up the calorie counting, and other than checking it out just to be aware, I have. I check in to see if one thing may have significantly less than the alternative, but that’s it. This time, I looked at the ingredients, and the protein, fiber, and added sugars. I have a whole fridge full of awesomeness, and just yesterday I noticed a big change in the way my body felt, and my energy level.

It’s easy to forget how great healthy eating feels. Does that sound cliche enough? But, seriously, it does. It feels awesome, and I feel better about myself already, and that’s the part of this that really counts. And I have no doubt that I will fairly quickly get back to my normal weight, but until then, here are some pictures of me looking cute this summer to remind myself that I don’t look like I gained 50 lbs, even if, at moments, I kina feel that way.

Oh, nope. That’s definitely a demonstrative Poop Contest picture. Not a cute picture at all, actually. You’re so welcome friends. Now we’re out there for THE WORLD to see. Or my 6 readers. Either way.

Okay, there we are actually looking cute. This is Tali and Camille. They ran with me all summer, and then we did this pose. I love them, and this picture is my fav.

Okay, I feel better now. Something about those two (and the Poop Contest) never fails to lift my spirits. Onward.

NYC Marathon Training Week 7

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AKA

Marathon  Training: Vacation Edition

3/4 runs + 1 hike. Not too shabby for my honeymoon, right? I’m actually pretty proud of myself for getting it done. I didn’t follow my plan completely even on the 3 runs I completed (speed work, what speed work?), but I got my long run in, and that’s what I was the most concerned about. Let me tell you, it was NOT easy. First of all, I went from living with my running buddies, having a schedule, and being responsible to a group for getting up and running each day I said I would to running solo with just myself (and a weekly email to Coach Susan) to answer to. Also, running is way more fun with friends, in 65 degree temps, and in slightly hilly-flat terrain. You know what is less fun? Running alone in 70% humidity, feeling like every direction you go, you are climbing a mountain. What’s up with that, Maui? Huh??

Anyway, I definitely got discouraged my first 2 runs, but by the end, it got better. It always does. I know it will be the same thing coming back to Phoenix, and running in the 95 degree temperatures. It’s not going to be easy, and this week I might hate life a little, and feel discouraged, but it can only get better and easier from there. Here’s a look at how week 7 went down.

Tuesday–12 mile long run, 10:40 avg pace. I don’t remember the last time I wanted to give up on a run so badly. 3 miles in, I was sure I couldn’t finish. There seemed to be hills in every single direction. My body was literally dripping in sweat from every single pore; in fact, my running skirt looked like I had peed my pants because it was soaking wet. You’re welcome for that detail. I had to take a lot of “stretch” breaks. What? You don’t pause your garmin to “stretch” at the top of every hill you do? Oh. In all seriousness, that’s a bad habit I developed when I first started running, because I wanted to keep up to some imaginary “expected pace” of people who blogged about running. I was slow (well, still am), and I didn’t want to be, so I “stretched” a lot to catch my breath. I’ve been really good about breaking that habit ever since I started training for the Seattle half that never happened, but I was not good about it on this run. By the time I got back to our condo, I felt discouraged, frustrated, and totally lame. Then I plugged my garmin into my computer to see that I had climbed 1021 feet of elevation. Then I sat there and continued to drip sweat just sitting. I gave myself a little pep talk, and a mental break, and realized that, all things considered, I did pretty okay.

Friday–5 mile hike. I will write more about this when I get posts up about the trip itself, but I hiked in mud, rolled in mud, swam to a waterfall, and hiked through rainforest, and a bamboo forest to a 400 ft waterfall! It.Was.Awesome. My favorite part of the trip, hands down. I counted it as my 5 mile hilly run. Let’s just pretend it’s the same thing 😉

Saturday–3 mile run, 10:26 avg pace. There’s a reason there were 4 days between my first and second run. I may have given myself a mental break, but I was flat out discouraged by running in Napili Bay. This run, unfortunately, was no different. I felt ridiculously sluggish, tired, and just overall unhappy with it, but I did it because it needed to be done.

Sunday–3.1 mile run, 9:35 avg pace. So….there definitely was no track anywhere near me, and also no flat road for miles (is there ANY flat road on that island?!), so for “speed work”, I decided to run faster than the day before. Brilliant, right? And you know what? I DID! Not that the bar was set super high, but I ran significantly faster, and felt so much better! I don’t know if it’s that I ran the opposite (but equally hilly) direction, and maybe the inclines were less steep, or if it’s just that my body was finally getting used to it, but the run was awesome, and I almost kept going, but after 2 lame runs, I decided to just end it feeling good.

Now, I’m back to the 115 degree temps. This will be…interesting. I got back to Phoenix yesterday morning, and I haven’t run yet, but tomorrow is track day. I’m not gonna lie, I’m nervous to see how much the heat slows me down, and that I won’t be able to keep up with my teammates who’ve been running in these temps all summer, but I know all I can do is do my best to adjust, and wait for the summer to be over.

Mango Lime Yogurt Pops (Guest Post)

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Friends, I am playing on the beach, eating lots of fish and sweet Hawaiian rolls, ignoring all of my work emails, and enjoying the company of the most awesome man alive. I didn’t want to peace out for too long without giving you an awesome recipe from my BBFF (Blog Best Friend Forever. Don’t judge.) Nicole. She is an amazing cook, a creative and unique recipe creator, and all around one of the most amazing people I know. If you haven’t checked out her blog yet, DO IT!!!! Nicole says:

Hi guys! I’m Nicole and I blog over at The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie where I share my passion for food, recipes, running, photography and travel. I’m excited to be here guest-posting for Ari while she and Steve are in living it up in Maui this week! I am a huge fan of Ari’s blog and have had the pleasure of trying quite a few of her recipes first hand 🙂

 

Growing up we always had either ice cream or popsicles (or both!) in our freezer. I have lots of memories of playing outside or splashing around in the pool and coming in to enjoy a nice cold popsicle. They never failed me. They were my ultimate summer treat.

Now that I am older I can barely eat one without ending up in a sugar induced coma.  I guess you could say my tastes have matured a bit over the years 😉 Summer wouldn’t be the same without popsicles so I like to make my own at home! Not only are they easy to make, but without even trying you get a healthier end result that is still indulgent!

These yogurt pops make a great afternoon snack or dessert. Better yet, they would make a pretty excellent breakfast – they are made out of yogurt after all 😉 The sweet mangos play really well with the tartness of the yogurt and the lime juice livens it up with that extra bit of freshness. Feel free to add more or less sweetener based on your taste. I used honey, but agave or any other liquid sweetener would work well too.

 

Mango Lime Yogurt Pops

Recipe by: Nicole White

Makes 4-6 popsicles, depending on the size of your mold

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 mangos, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoon honey or agave

Directions:

  1. In the bold of a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and puree until smooth. Carefully pour the mixture into Popsicle molds, leaving space at the top to ensure room for Popsicle sticks.
  2. Freeze for 6 hours (or overnight) before serving.

Starburst Cookies

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That sounds weird, right?

But think about it. Cookies are good. Starburst are good.

You like fruit in your cookies. Starbursts are like fruit, but bad for you. But don’t worry, the cookie part if less than bad for you, so it all evens out. Trust me.

Did you know that now there are packages of Starburst that come with just the red and pink ones??? Amazing. Is there any reason to eat a fruit flavored candy that isn’t red or pink? Like gummy bears…why do they even make the other colors? Why can’t they just stick to the red ones?!

You know what I think is weird? Gummy bears in ice cream! I do not prefer that. The cold ice cream makes them hard, and not gummy at all really. But a warm cookie makes a Starburst warm and gooey, like when you put taffy in the microwave. Yummmm.

Taffy, on the other hand, should only come in yellow. But that’s neither here nor there. As it turns out, Starburst inside a cookie is actually not weird, but delicious.

Especially if the cookie gets just a little crunch on the outside. Then all the textures and flavors work out in harmony and all that crap. Yes, my cookies are freaking harmonious. What are your cookies? Just melodic? Pssshhhh. Okay, I’m sorry. I had a music nerd baker moment. Don’t give up–LOOK AT THE COOKIES!!

 

Starburst Cookies

yield 1 dozen

  • 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbs fat free cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tbs light whipped butter, softened
  • 3 tbs turbinado sugar
  • 3 tbs Splenda
  • 1 tbs egg substitute
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 12 Starburst candies

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, sugar, and Splenda until smooth. Beat in egg substitute and vanilla.  Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
  4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and stuff each dough ball with 1 Starburst. Re-roll dough around Starburst, so that it is completely covered, then place on prepared cookie sheet,
  5. Bake 8 to 10 min, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 min before serving.
  6. Serve warm, fresh out of the oven for optimal Starburst consistency. If you make them ahead of time, you may wish to rewarm before serving.

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