A few years ago I lost over 100 pounds using an app on my phone to count calories and track exercise. I was one of “those” people, that snuck in a walk wherever I could, got up at 4:45 in the morning to head to the gym, and religiously tracked the food that went into my mouth. I felt great and I was in the best shape of my life, even if I wasn’t quite to my ideal weight.
Then I met my husband. He too had just lost a bunch of weight, and apparently we liked what we saw because we got married shortly after. Instead of encouraging each other in a healthy lifestyle, we enabled each other to eat a lot of pizza, drink a lot of wine, and watch a lot of TV.
Almost 4 years and a lot of pounds later, I am ready to get back on the wagon and live a healthier, more active life. I have wanted to make this change for quite a while, but the body was willing and the willpower was … well, nonexistent. To make a major lifestyle change your mind is the first thing you have to work on! Well, I am finally ready to stop making excuses and start making changes.
This week I have gotten myself back in the habit of logging my food into my app, and have been tracking my water and supplement intake. We don’t own a scale, so I can’t say if I have lost any weight, but I know that I am sleeping better, I’m not as achey and creaky, and the wine section at the grocery store is starting to get lonely and dusty.
One of my problem areas is sweets and snacks. Especially after meals, I just want something a little sweet. Since Starbursts and Kit Kats are no longer an option, I whipped up a batch of Oatmeal Cranberry cookies, except these aren’t any ordinary cookie.
I remember the no-bake cookies my mom made when I was a kid – ooey, gooey, and full of unhealthy ingredients. While these Clean Eating Oatmeal Cranberry cookies are just as easy to make, they are 100% organic and healthy.
The best part about these cookies is that you can substitute any of the ingredients to tailor these to your personal taste. In lieu of cashews you could use almonds or walnuts, and instead of cranberries you could sub any dry fruit.
Be very ginger when adding water, because one splash too many and your cookies will be sticky. Still tasty, but sticky. I made these fairly large and the recipe yielded 12 cookies, but you could almost halve them and wind up closer to 24 depending on your calorie needs. Enjoy!
- 1 Cup old fashioned oats
- 1 Cup raw cashews
- 10 Medjool Dates, pitted, halved
- 1/4 Cup water
- 1/4 Cup dried cranberries
- In food processor or high-powered blender mix oats and cashews until ground into a fine meal (about a minute). Add dates and half of the water and blend, then gradually add the rest of the water until it is the consistency desired. Mix cranberries in by hand. Remove from blender, form into balls and flatten. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet or cutting board and put in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove and eat. Store in refrigerator.
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