Call Me "The Cookie Monster"

Helloooo friends! I'm happy to say that the skunk mess has significantly improved. The house now only slightly smells, and no unpleasant scents came out of my backpack when I opened it in class today. 

I now have a new thing to worry about: the wildfires in Minnesota are burning my eyes. That's not something you hear every day, right? When I left my class this afternoon, the sky seemed hazy and it smelled like there was a fire somewhere close to the school. On my way home, I heard on the radio that the smoke from the fires are spreading across the Midwest and are now in northern Illinois. It's bad for allergies, and it's even worse to be outside if you have issues with your lungs. My lungs are fortunately healthy, but the smoke in the air is really irritating my eyes. I may have to switch from my contacts to my glasses for a few days if they don't start to feel better. I realize that there are many worse outcomes from these fires besides my sore eyes, so I'm sorry to complain! Wildfires are so terrible, and I hope they can get it under control before it does even more damage. 

Lunch and Cookies

On my way home from school, I got a craving for a Chipotle burrito bowl. My head said no, but my heart said yes. I followed my heart. 

I got a veggie burrito bowl with brown rice, grilled veggies, mild salsa (pico de gallo), shredded cheese, guacamole and lettuce. I used to get sour cream, but I now take my food home and add a big spoonful of nonfat Greek yogurt. Maybe my thighs will thank me one day. 

Chipotle just started using brown rice (you can choose between brown or white), and it makes me feel better about eating from there. The older I get, the more I love whole grains. They taste heartier, and they are so much better for us. 

After I devoured my lunch, I wanted chocolate. I broke into the pantry and opened up a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips. After a small handful, I decided that I wanted to bake chocolate chip cookies. I swear, this has never happened to me in my life. I don't usually crave cookies unless they are in front of me, and I've never baked them by myself. That sounds crazy, but it's true. 

I wanted to make something on the healthier side, so I perused the internet for good recipes. I found a great one by Chocolate Covered Katie, who is healthy baking genius (in my own humble opinion). I made her fudge babies before, and I thought they were great. 

20 minutes later, I made some tasty cookies with this recipe. I used whole wheat flour and butter (only one tablespoon, and I used "healthy" butter...for what it's worth) instead of vegetable oil (I couldn't find it), but I followed her recipe other than that. I took her advice and pulled them from the oven when they were gooey instead of hard. 

My mom was so happy to come home to healthy cookies. 

You should really look at Chocolate Covered Katie for good healthy baking ideas. Even if you don't like baking, it's fun to click through and look at her pictures!

Have a great day!