Friday Finds

At the end of each week there are usually several things that I my little brain can't stop thinking about. 

These are my obsessions for THIS week. ;) 

 try / splurge / baby buy / taste / laugh / diy

P.S. Did I actually blog three times this week!?!?! whoa!

Enjoy your weekend!

jenni

Cream cheese chocolate chip cookies

Yep, you heard right! CREAM CHEESE just might be the best thing that has happened to my chocolate chip cookie in a long time. I was in charge of dessert for our family night this past weekend, so I looked through my "sweets"board on Pinterest, and decided to try a new recipe.

 via

You guys....... these are the absolute best chocolate cookies I have had to date. No offense to anyone who has ever given me one of their homemade chocolate cookies. They were a hit with the fam, and there were NONE left when the night was over.

Original recipe found on Averie cooks blog, however, I only did 1 cup of chocolate chips and I sprinkled a flaky sea salt on top, which just takes it to the next level by bringing out the flavor of the chocolate. You can try Maldon, or any other brand.

Enjoy!

Healthy PB, Chocolate and Oatmeal cookies

 I have no words to describe how yummy these things are! I found them on my bestie's Pinterest board, and decided to give them a try. My newly found sweet tooth has been going crazy lately, so I need something that takes care of that AND doesn't make me feel extremely guilty.

 I am pretty skeptical of all of these "healthy, no butter, no sugar cookies", but I am so glad I gave these a whirl. They are so delicious and perfect for your little one to munch on as well! I can't wait for Amara to get up from her nap to try them!! I must say that I made a smaller batch for A with NO PEANUTS. We are giving this whole PB thing a try, and I didn't want to overload her. That is the only thing I excluded from hers.

I gave myself a manicure while I waited for each batch to cook.... seriously, such a relaxing part of my day! Much needed after my child embarrassed the crap out of me on our Target run this morning. All because she couldn't have her vanilla milk at Starbucks ( she had already had one this morning), but instead she had to drink apple juice. Oh...the injustice!!!


Recipe: via The Skinny Fork

Servings: 18 • Size: 1 Cookie • Calories: 99.3 • Fat: 5.1 g • Carb: 12.3 g • Fiber: 1.6 g • Protein: 2.9 g • Sugar: 4.4 g • Sodium: 91.1 mg

Ingredients:2 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
1/3 C. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
2/3 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Cloves
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
1 1/2 C. Quick or Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 C. Nuts (I used dry unsalted peanuts.)
1/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla, and spices. Add in the oats, nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut; stir until well combined.

Spoon a rounded 2 tbsp. of the cookie mixture onto the lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each and flatten slightly. I placed a few more chocolate chips on top of each cookie. Bake for 20-30 minutes and allow to cool slightly.

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Quick Salad Recipe

I really love salads, but I never take the time to fix them for myself. I am the worst about actually eating the amount of greens that I should because, honestly, I don't enjoy making food for myself. I am home alone so often that I hate to make a mess of any sort because I have to clean it up. So spoiled, right?

One night, we went to dinner at a friends' house and they served arugula with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, and salt and pepper. It was sooo delicious to me for some reason. For my own little version, I have added avocado and edamame to the mix. There is nothing to this salad, which makes it perfect for a quick fix, but it definitely doesn't lack in flavor.

What I use:

Arugula ( about 2 handfuls)
EEOV ( just enough to slightly coat the arugula so that the salt and pepper sticks)
1/4 of a lemon ( feel free to use more, but I am not a huge fan of a strong lemon taste)
avocado
edamame ( chilled)
salt and pepper ( to taste)

I make it in a large bowl so that everything gets nice and tossed together, then put it in a cereal bowl :)
Enjoy!

This little lady quite enjoyed edamame! Yay for new snacks!! :)