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cleanchefmessymom

clean food for my messy life

Desserts

Honey Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Can I get a big ole FRI-YAYYYY?

Seriously, you know how some weeks just seem to drag on and on and on? That was this week. I woke up wondering if I was dreaming because it’s finally Friday.

But you know what? I’m gonna make it.

Because cookies. So many cookies.

Sometimes you just need a Friday a morning dance party and a perfect plate of cookies to lift your spirits and put you in a good mood.

And these aren’t just any cookies. These are the oatmeal raisin cookies my best friend has been requesting for months. These are the cookies I have made and remade SEVEN times trying to get the perfect balance of healthy, chewy, gluten free, and delicious. These are the cookies that made the cut after seven batches went straight to the trash. (I know you think I’m crazy but #fitnessgoals)….

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Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Y’all wanna know how I make it through a Monday?

Cookies. So many cookies.

Okay, not every Monday.  But this Monday I swear they are calling my name and won’t leave me alone.  I have tried everything.  I have gone all the way to the laundry room in the basement and put a pillow over my head, but I can still hear them calling from the stovetop.  It’s torture.  And there’s no way to ever get out.

It’s like Hotel California.

Am I the only person that feels like that?  Like you can’t escape the calling of the delicious desserts on your counter?  There has to be a support group for that.  If you’re a part of one, could you let me know?  Anonymously, of course.

But seriously, cookies.  These cookies are part two of my “You Asked For It” series and I am in love….

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Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

So… the last few weeks have just been draining for us.  Between family stuff, post-pregnancy medical issues, and a baby that violently throws up 15-20 times a day, we’ve just been super exhausted.

I’ve tried to gain strength in a variety of ways, and none of them have really worked, so I finally realized I just needed to eat my sorrows away with chocolate chip cookies.

But then I realized I would be even more miserable because I would gain a million pounds, so……

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Easy Banana Bread

Okay, I have to admit that I am not really a banana lover. 

Actually, I hated bananas before I got pregnant.  One of the first clues I had as to the fact that I was pregnant was that I said to my husband, “babe, I need a banana.” We both just stared at each other for a second and we knew.

But, even though I am not a banana lover, I do think they serve a purpose in the right place at the right time.  Like, in banana bread.  Because banana bread without bananas is just… bread.

And we all know I am not bread crazy either.

So, if I am going to eat banana bread, I need it to meet a few requirements. I need it to be moist but not mushy- that grosses me out.  I also need it to be sweet but not too sweet- because that grosses me out as well.  I feel like bananas that are too sweet on just on the cusp of fermentation and that’s nasty. I also need it to be a bit dense, because banana bread wasn’t meant to be super airy….

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Strawberry Coconut Cream Cake

You have heard me say it a million times and here I am saying it again…  I LOVE CAKE.

In my opinion, it is the dessert of all desserts.  Send me to a dessert table with cookies, pies, truffles, pastries, muffins and cake, and I’ll come back with all cake on my plate. It’s just a part of me… mostly on my back side.

Over the last couple of years, I have been in the process of finding a balance with cake.  I want to eat clean 95% of the time (because the other 5% of the time is reserved for living on the edge), but at the same time, I want to really enjoy the things that I love.  I was talking to a friend recently about how disappointing it is when a super healthy friend asks you if you want a piece of cake and you discover she’s referring to a piece of chocolate looking bread. No icing, no moisture, and no guilt… and absolutely no fun.

If I am going to eat a piece of cake, I really want it to taste like… CAKE….

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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

double chocolate chip cookies

Here it is, y’all.  The cookie extravaganza you have all been waiting for.

Cookies on cookies on cookies.

This new series, known as my “you asked for it” series, is probably my favorite thing yet.  I love input from people, and I especially love when people request things.  It is so satisfying to come up with recipes that people not only love, but also feel good about.

First up in my “you asked for it” series is cookies!  I just absolutely love a good cookie- almost as much as I love a good cake.  This portion of the series has been so fun because so many people joined in making requests!  I feel like I developed a little cookie community and I’m pretty okay with that….

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Blueberry Oat Muffins

Blueberry.  Oat.  Muffins.

Three of my favorite things got married and became one.  Something about that is wrong, but let’s just move on.

If am going to eat grains, it is almost always oats. And if I am going to eat baked goods, it’s almost always muffins. And blueberries are like little balls of blue candy full of nutrients.

When my friend Bridgett asked me for a gluten free blueberry muffin recipe, I instantly said yes.  I always look for excuses to make muffins.  And then when my husband comes home and sees more muffins, I’m like, “sorry babe, Bridgett made me do it.”…

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Banana Berry Popsicles

Banana Berry Popsicles

Any other popsicle lovers out there?

Confession… When I was a kid I LOVED push-pops.  Bonus points if they were the orange Flinstone push-pops.  Gosh, those were good.

Someday I will make those, but I think it will demand a lot of self control on my part to not eat twenty of them, so I’m holding off on that one for now….

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Peanut Butter Honey Oat Bars

Peanut Butter Honey Oat Bars
Peace, love, peanut butter and chocolate.

That’s pretty much it.. the worldly cure to many problems.

I have been wanting to work on ratios for honey, so I felt like this was a great opportunity to figure out what works and what doesn’t.  I don’t personally feel the need to use honey instead of sugar in baked goods because, well, it just doesn’t make a difference to me if the “sugar substitute” will raise my blood sugar just as much as the sugar itself.

…

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