A Cookie A Day…

November can often be a dark and dreary month. Fall is just about over, but the holidays haven’t started yet. There’s that horrible “fall back” time change too! Argh! During this time of year, what is there to do? Prep for National Cookie Day – of course.

via GIPHY

National Cookie Day is November 1, but why not make a few extra and freeze them for holiday gatherings at the end of the month. Check out this delicious and nutritious double-decker cookie recipe. Made to resemble the famous snack cake, Little Debbies, I call these my “Little Julies”! November 12 is my birthday, after all. So, I’m celebrating both Cookie Day and Julie Day. Awesome!

Little Julie Oatmeal Pies

Yield:  12 pies (24 cookies)

Total Time:  25 min

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• SO Delicious CocoWhip!™

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375˚F. In a blender, puree bananas, applesauce, raisins, almond milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Dump the mixture into a large bowl and add the oats. Stir until evenly mixed. Drop by the spoonful onto a lined baking sheet. Bake until the edges are golden, 20 minutes. Once cooled, spoon a generous amount of CocoWhip onto the center and place another cookie on tip. Store completed cookie sandwiches in the fridge for up to 3 days. Plain cookies and unused CocoWhip can be frozen.

Eating Mindfully

Some of you might be scratching your heads right now. How can cookies fit into a healthy eating plan? All foods have a place in our lives. When we practice mindful eating, we can enjoy a cookie or a carrot with equal pleasure. This is a great graphic from mindful eating guru Michelle May, owner of “Am I Hungry?” Mindful Eating Programs and Training.

The next time you sit down for a meal, ask yourself the questions in the circle. If you find yourself not able to stop eating favorite foods, like cookies, then pause and reflect on the Mindful Eating Cycle. I like to call this process self-analysis, not self-judgement. We all can eat mindlessly at times. We eat for many reasons besides hunger. If we can understand our behaviors, then we can make steps to change them.

If you’re still struggling with eating and emotions, then seeing a therapist can be a great compliment to seeing a dietitian. A licensed counselor can help you work through your feelings and build a better relationship to food. Read this article from the American Psychological Association to learn more about seeing a counselor for weight loss.