About Moi

About Moi
My Name is Brittany, and I'm 23yrs old. I was diagnosed with Lupus when I was 15, and then diagnosed with RA, when I was 18. I also got married when I was 18, and I'm enjoying my happily ever after with my hubby! When I got married, I was slim and trim...But not for long. After getting married, I started to gain a LOT of weight! In 1yr, I gained 50lbs! Finally, I went to the Doctor, where I discovered I have low thyroid. After being put on medicine, my weight gain slowed down, although over the next 3yrs, I gained an additional 26lbs. When I was 20yrs old, I got yet another diagnoses of Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. That's 4 diagnoses in a 5yr period, if you lost count. They all effect my weight, in one way or another. Add on top of that, my love affair with food, and every 1 of those 76lbs gained was accounted for. Being 76lbs over weight is unhealthy for anyone, but it was especially unhealthy for me, and my health issues. Since starting this blog, in Jan-2010, I have lost 40lbs! I'm a new, slimmer, and healthier me! Before losing weight, I was told I needed knee replacements. Losing weight was the ONLY tool I had to help me hold off on that life changing surgery. Since losing 40lbs, my knees have never felt better! My husband and I are also trying to start a family, but my PCOS was not going to make it as easy as 1,2,3, as I didn't have periods on my own. My doctor had told me if I wanted a baby, I HAD to lose weight. Since losing 40lbs, I've had regular cycles for the first time in my life! Which is very important when trying to have a baby ;) This journey of mine is more than me simply wanting to wear skinny jeans. It has been a quest to becoming :Deliciously Healthy, so ALL of my dreams can come true! I'm almost half way there! With each new day, I get closer and closer to my goal of 120lbs, and becoming :Deliciously Healthy!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookie Showdown!

My friend and I got together, to come up with the ultimate, Deliciously Healthy, peanut butter cookies!

After some trial and error, a lot of math, and creative thinking, we got it!

Naturally Peanut Butter Cookies!If you can believe it, I've never actually had peanut butter cookies...or at least not that I can remember. I was loyal to the classic, chocolate chip cookie.

So, after we had made the winning batch of low-fat peanut butter cookies, my friend told me that I couldn't really know if our recipe compared to the original, until I actually tried the original (fattening) version.

Now, what you have to know about my friend, is that she is like, the peanut butter cookie queen! She LOVES them!

Her point made sense, so with a nod of my head, she went into her kitchen, and pulled out all the ingredients to make HER recipe. The recipe that she loved (That's key to remember;)

She got kinda giddy as she pulled out the ingredients. I could tell she was excited to make/dig into her favorite peanut butter cookies!

Her recipe, called for 1/2 a cup of butter, and 1/2 a cup of peanut butter. Along with some other changes.

When they were done baking, we sat down to do our taste test.

My friend went back and forth, between the original peanut butter cookie, and our naturally PB cookie. Finally she looked up, with an almost confused look on her face, and said "You know, there really isn't that big of a difference"
The fact that the naturally PB cookie, satisfied her just as much as her favorite peanut butter cookie recipe, was a sweet victory for me!

Another thing she said, that was music to my ears, was that she felt she could serve these cookies to guests, and they totally wouldn't know that they were low-fat!

After our taste test, we put a naturally peanut butter cookie, and her original peanut butter cookie, on a napkin, and let them sit for a little while:Can you see the difference between the grease mark left by the original peanut butter cookie, and our naturally peanut butter cookie?
That's insane. And kinda gross.

When I came home, I had my husband do a taste test, not telling him that one was healthy, and one wasn't. He took a bite of the the original, took a sip of milk, and then took a bite of the healthy peanut butter cookie. No joke, he lifted up the hand with the unhealthy cookie in it, and said, "This one's gross!" He then proceeded to eat almost all the naturally peanut butter cookies! I only have one left!
Guess I'm going to have to make another batch!

So the verdict? Our recipe has 75% less peanut butter, and 50% less butter, and it's pretty much the same yummy, peanut buttery cookie!!
And in mine, and my husband's opinion, it's the better cookie!

Don't believe me?
Try it for yourself!

Naturally Peanut Butter Cookies:

This is What you Need:

  • 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup oatmeal flour (Pour oatmeal into a blender, and pulse until it's a fine consistency)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of Skippy Natural peanut butter. (My friend introduced me to this PB, and it's seriously good! The only ingredients are: Roasted peanuts, sugar, palm oil, and salt!)
  • 1/4 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts chopped coarse
**Note: I think the natural PB is what makes this recipe taste so... good! I definitely recommend using an all natural PB.

This is What You Do:

  • Pre-heat to 350.
  • Whisk flour, oatmeal flour, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl and set aside.
  • Whisk butter, egg, and vanilla extract into large bowl. Then stir in brown sugar, peanut butter, and chopped peanuts. Stir until smooth.
  • Stir in flour mixture and combine.
  • Roll level tablespoons of dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 1/2 inches apart on sheet.
  • Bake cookies one cookie sheet at a time for 11-13 minutes or until edges are golden brown and centers are set.
  • Cool for 5 minutes
Enjoy!!

Here's what I'm thinking:
Calories: 90
for 1 yummy cookie

***

On a side note, My weigh in was yesterday. My lack of a post yesterday, pretty much explains how I feel about it. I was 180, which means I didn't lose any weight this week.

When I've gone on a diet in the past, I always stopped at the 180 mark. For some reason, whenever I'd get to this point, I'd choose the cheese pizza, over the salad....

So, this leads me to believe that I've hit a plateau. My body is used to me giving up at this point, and it hasn't been past this point in a while.

The nice thing about this is, I know that this is going to be the time I get past the 180 mark!! I'm going to make a few changes to shake things up a bit, and I will get into the 170's! I just have to get past this little plateau first ;D

14 comments:

Jessica - cbgblog said...

mmmmm peanut butter cookies. scrumptiously delicious! I can't believe you haven't had one before... oh Brittany.. you poor thing.

I am going to have to try out that recipe. Super funny about the husbands reaction.

Hey, at least it was a no gain week. I would always take a 0 over a gain. You are going to make it into 170's and then the 160's.... I know you can. I am cheering for you!

Christi said...

wow, those cookies sound good, although I always add more than 1/2 cup pb to the original recipe, so I am kinda afraid 2 tbsp pb wouldn't satisfy my pb needs.. but I will try them sometime!

Melissa said...

HAHA! That is awesome! I am gonna have to try those cookies! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm a big believer in the principle that you have to know when it's worth it to splurge -- and it's awesome to know pb cookies aren't one of those things! For me, at least lately, it's regular shredded chs on homemade pizzas -- the fat-free just doesn't seem to melt right and I don't enjoy eating it as much. But I'm perfectly happy to eat fat-free yogurt, drink skim milk, and I can use about half low-fat ingredients on homemade cheesecake -- but it's not worth going all low-fat for me in that area.

Meg said...

I heart peanut butter cookies -- they are my absolute fav! I'll have to give your recipe a try. Great idea!

You are doing amazing, so don't worry too much about the weight maintenance this week. You will get past the hump! :)

Bella said...

Those natural pb cookies sound delish - I'm going to have to try those, although I have to make sure I give most of them away, otherwise it could be a disaster.

Don't get too worried about the plateau. Do something to push past it. I know exercising isn't easy for you, so maybe you can drink 2 more glasses of water a day, or try to fit in a few more veggies. Some small change may be all it takes to push you over the edge (and down the scale). Hang in there.

Corletta said...

Girl...every time I read your posts...I want to give you a big hug!! I am so WEIRD...I know! Thanks a ton for the healthy cookie recipe...also thank you for the encouragement about charging forward through a plateau...this is JUST what I needed!!! Thank you, thank you!!!! We may be twins...I, too, choose pizza (or something of that nature) when I get near a comfy exciting weight. NO MORE!

Andrea @ CanYouStayForDinner.com said...

Absolutely delicious cookies! I'm so impressed that you successfully created such a lighter version that still tastes as good, if not better!!

I think it's a great sign that you didn't gain and that you know what you need to do from here on out with weight loss! You've get the best state of mind about it!

Anonymous said...

Peanut butter is my FAVORITE yummy thing ever....what a great little experiment. I will have to try out your version. That napkin thing is crazy!!

Tammy said...

Cookies look great!!! Just stay on track girl and that weight will come off in no time...also, I'm not sure what your sodium levels are, but make sure you drink plenty of water....I drink (4) 32 oz glasses a day at the least...it is IMPERATIVE to weight loss. Trust me on this. :)

Unknown said...

looks so good! im gunna have to make those!

my blog: mollymariegetshealthy.com

XOXO MOLLY MARIE

Betsy said...

WOW! These cookies are seriously so good. I personally hate "diet" food. I'm like Anonymous; only Peanut butter cookies are my weakness, they are supposed to be super fatty and bad for you. But I tried these and couldn't believe they had 50% less fat and calories. I tried them next to my favorite recipe that I've haven't been able to top for years and they were better! Softer and more flavor. CRAZY! Then my husband tried a blind taste test, he said these cookies had to be the fattening cookie. ha ha!

Plus they seriously were so satisfying for me I could stop at 2 instead of a dozen of my old cookies. SO really they are more like 90% less fat and calories for me.

Perfect Recipe Brittany!

Now...what should I do with the entire fattening batch no one will eat...?

Unknown said...

Great job!
I wonder if your recipe would work with powdered PB? There's a company called Bell Plantation that sells powdered PB, it has like almost 60% less fat than regular PB! Might be worth trying...
I don't think you've hit a plateau, Brittany. Plateaus last for weeks...you're body just has a "memory" for 180, you know? You'll get past it - just keep doing what you're doing!

Tiff said...

Wow! That is so cool - I couldn't believe that paper towel- Daaanng! Keep doing what you know is right and you will be past 180 in NO time!