Lunch

Chocolate Overload!

Cookie making was a success!

Too much of a success because I have in my kitchen right now about 4 dozen cookies….I have peanut butter chocolate chip, chocolate chip drizzled with dark chocolate and a variety of these fancy butter tea cookies…some of which are sandwiched with raspberry jam and some drizzled with chocolate!!I plan to bring some to the maintenance man of my apartment complex because I promised I would and bring half home with me tomorrow to the family and boyfriend, who LOVES chocolate chip peanut butter! I’m also going to freeze some right now to keep on hand for emergency sugar situations (I need a big walk-in freezer for all the pastry going into this thing!!)

I am very proud of myself because I didn’t eat any cookies after they came out of the oven at school today. I of course tasted some dough, but nothing really major. No spoon licking is allowed there! When I got home I made a light lunch of an egg sandwich (2 eggs + 1 slice of provolone on whole wheat bagel bread) and apple slices. It was light yet filling at the same time. And then…I had a small bite of a little butter cookie dipped in chocolate for dessert. Sorry no photo, it was a spur of the moment decision! 😉 I think I’m going to try to work out in a little bit…I’m feeling up to a nice easy treadmill run–nothing extreme since I’m still on heavy duty antibiotics but I feel the need to exercise after baking all those cookies! This morning as a snack I ate the half cup of grapes I had brought with me to school!

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Today’s lunch was about 457 calories…give and take 15 more for that tiny tiny bit of cookie I had!

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  • Heather
    January 11, 2008 at 5:48 pm

    It’s official – you are my favorite healthy food blogger! All those cookies look so pretty and delicious. Best of all, I know you will eat a cookie or two if and when you want to and not freak out about it or try to over compensate by excessive exercise or food deprivation. I love it! Thanks.

  • Claire
    January 11, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    O mi gosh…..those cookies look so good and professional!

    What bagel bread do you use? I use to eat thomas’ but they have high fructose corn syrup.

    Also, do you (or any of your readers) have ideas of how to use laughing cow cheese wedges as a sauce? I am afraid it will become a weird consistency when heated. Thanks!

  • arimcg
    January 11, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    I love it too! You really know how to eat in moderation without obsessing.

  • azelma
    January 11, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    Those cookies are amazing! I’ll come to your bakery as soon as it opens, as those are just the sort of thing I see selling all the time out there. Nice job!

  • jenna
    January 11, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    Hi claire!

    I do use thomas’ whole wheat bagel breads….and yes, they do contain hfcs, which isn’t the best thing for you as we all know. But…I don’t eat these every day and a little won’t kill you.

    I’m going to retype what “eat, drink and be healthy” by the harvard med. school wrote on this subject because I think its very interesting. Now, you can choose whether you follow this approach or not…it’s a personal decision!

    “table sugar contains glucose and fructose in equal proportions, since sucrose is made of one glucose molecule joined to one fructose molecule. High fructose corn syrup is pure glucose mixed with pure fructose in almost equal proportions. So, its likely that table sugar and corn sweeteners have much the same physiological impact on one’s blood sugar levels, insulin, and metabolism. Some people claim that they’ve lost weight by cutting high fructose corn syrup from their diets. That may be so, but it probably isnt because they eliminated corn sweeteners, but by doing so they took in fewer added sugars and thus fewer calories…….so, HFCS doesnt seem to be a greater dietary disaster than any other kind of sugar.” Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Dr. Willet, MD

    So…moral of the story is to reduce your sugar intake…of any kind of sugar! high fructose, table sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, honey…it’s all the same really. Most products we eat do contain a little sugar in their ingredient list so I don’t really think its that big of deal that these bagel squares contain hfcs.

    Okay…now that i’m off my soapbox about the cheese! I would def. just melt that right into your sauce. Pull the sauce off of the heat source and stir in some laughing cow. That would be delicious!!!

  • Krista
    January 11, 2008 at 6:38 pm

    Wow! Those cookies look amazing….I know what you mean about figuring out what to do with all of them…I had 2 large pink cake boxes in my freezer the whole 3 weeks of Baking 1 and everyday I got home I would put all the goodies in!! I allowed my self a butter croissant or pain au chocolat every weekend for breakfast and of course gave some away as well…I am going to talk to the executive pastry chef at my school to see about the baking and pastry program and have him tell me the best decision to make…your big change has motivated me to seek out some outside advice…

    Krista

  • jenna
    January 11, 2008 at 6:40 pm

    Good!!! Do what you know is right inside…..there was just something not perfect about culinary for me and I knew, deep down, what I really wanted. Go for it!

  • Claire
    January 11, 2008 at 6:49 pm

    Thanks Jenna! I actually have another question. Your grilled cheeses always look so good. My cheese always looks so thin and not thick and melty. How/how much cheese do you use? I typically just buy a package of cheddar or moz. cheese. Thanks!

  • hk
    January 11, 2008 at 7:08 pm

    are these the thomas’ mini bagel squares or just regular? I’m still in search of them..let me know:) thanks! yummy looking cookies, too–it’s a gross and rainy day, so I was thinking I could turn it into a nice stay-at-home baking day, myself! enjoy!

  • jenna
    January 11, 2008 at 7:40 pm

    Claire,

    I use provolone slices, not grated cheese for my grilled cheeses. I suspect that’s the answer. I also weigh them down with my heavy cast iron skillet while they cook to make it more “panini-style”. Tasty 🙂

    hk,

    that’s wonderful! I love stay at home bake days 🙂 Those are thomas’ whole wheat mini bagel squares. I actually bought these months ago and froze them then just stumbled across them a couple days ago. They are a very good portion size and make a tasty egg sandwich! Might be good with grilled cheese too….hmmmm

  • Trina
    January 11, 2008 at 7:46 pm

    Hi Jenna,

    I just yesterday discovered your blog for the first time and I really enjoy it! I have seen some of the other similar blogs and I find it neat that there is a whole community of people online who enjoy living healthy and sharing about it!

    I have a couple basic questions and was wondering what you thought….I have been reading about this topic of sugar on your blog and I was wondering if you have a pretty general number on the amount of sugar to have in a day. I know that a lot of foods that we eat contain sugar and I am sure most are nominal but what about the foods with a little more? For example, I have been eating the Stoneyfield farms low fat vanilla yogurt thinking that was a good option and just recently realized how much sugar was in them! 24 grams for a single serving.

    Secondly, do you have a suggestion or sample on what types of foods should be eaten together in a meal. I have heard that you should always have protein and fiber (or whatever it is) together with each meal. Is there something you follow or suggest along those lines?

    I am glad that I found this blog-it seems that it is a nice, friendly community and I am excited to continue following it! The baking looks like a lot of fun too! Thanks!! Trina

  • jenna
    January 11, 2008 at 8:12 pm

    Hi Trina,

    Those low fat all natural yogurts really get ya don’t they?! I was always under the impression they were better too…not really reading the nutrition facts! While I was in france though I became addicted to plain yogurt, which europeans eat a lot of it seems. Coming back to the states I found FAGE which seems to be the closet to what I ate in France. You just have to learn to get a taste for plain yogurt because that’s the yogurt that’s best for you. My advice is to wean your way into it by putting a small bit of honey on top…or jam…then weaning yourself off that until you like the taste of it plain! Really, in terms of sugar in food, read the ingredients. If you see words like “sugar” or “corn syrup” or “high fructose corn syrup” in the first 3 ingredients listed, then chances are, this food is not the best option. Fruit contains a lot of sugar but that sugar is good because it’s natural fruit sugar, as opposed to the sugar in most granola bars that is processed white sugar or corn syrup. A little sugar is not bad for you of course, but its good to be mindful of taking in too much…which can eventually lead to diabetes! I don’t have an actual “number” to give you regarding sugar because everyone is different. I would say you should try to steer clear of flavored yogurts (one is fine for a treat!) and things we normally think of healthy but really arent….aka normal grocery store granola bars. The single best thing you can do is read and understand the nutritional labels!

    For a meal, I like to combine grains, protein and fat. Dairy as well, but I don’t make it a real point to stick a glass of milk with a meal that is already pretty much balanced. A good example of a “balanced” meal, nutritionally, would be rice and beans, a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread with some fruit, fish (or chicken) with brown rice and veggies…..try to think of ways you can make combos with all the important macro nutrients. When I say I like to have fat in my meals I mean I like to include healthy monounsaturated fats and omega 3’s. Salmon is a good one that gives you plenty healthy fat…or nuts. I find that if I make a meal that is too “fat-free” it just doesnt satisfy me for very long. The dinners I cook and that i feature on this blog are all good examples, in my opinion, of healthy balanced meals that aim to keep you satisfied for 3-4 hours, which is about how long we should go without eating. 🙂

  • Trina
    January 11, 2008 at 8:47 pm

    Hi Jenna, Thanks so much for the quick response! I appreciate all the detail in your answers too. I do try to be very aware of food labels and nutritional info but for some reason let it slip with the yogurts. I guess I will definitely have to switch over to plain!

    I will also keep in mind that combining grains, protein and fat are key. Thanks for the help!!

  • VeggieGirl
    January 12, 2008 at 3:02 am

    Jenna, those cookies are simply stunning – they’re like a work of art!!

  • jenna
    January 12, 2008 at 4:26 am

    Thanks!! 🙂 They taste pretty good too if I can say so myself!