Chocolate Chip Cookies: Happy America!

Prebaking  and all finished

Fireworks, picnics, beach days and BBQs: for however you choose to celebrate your 4th, may I suggest bringing along some cookies? 

I must first let you know that I make terrible chocolate chip cookies. Always have for some reason.  I can bake other things: cupcakes, brownies, and peanut butter cookies.  Something about chocolate chip cookies though...either to crispy or too flat...always a little burnt. No matter what I do, they always come out a little bit wrong, but I did not screw up this recipe...so there is hope for all of us.  Back in the bake sales days of my long ago daycare job there was the mom who made the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever...EVER.  These are not those, but they are tasty and they use Greek yogurt in them which I think is an interesting twist and if you happen to be on Weight Watchers they are 2 points per cookie.

Found on pinterest...came out pretty well, except first attempt yielded something more akin to cookie balls.  Note to self: maybe try flattening a little a la peanut butter cookies next time?

Chocolate Chip and Greek Yogurt Cookies
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used all all-purpose flour, it's what we had)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I just shook the shaker a time or two)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I don't like too many, I just gradually added mini chocolate chips till it felt right)

Oven to 375
Grease cookie sheets (I used parchment paper and lightly sprayed Trader Joe's Coconut Oil over it)
Cream brown sugar and butter, add in the yogurt and vanilla
Combine the dry ingredients and incorporate into the sugar/butter/yogurt/vanilla mixture
Add chocolate chips
Space 2 inches apart (they didn't spread too much, so you can probably get a few more cookies on there)
Bake 8-10 mins (Mine took the 10, and still came out chewy)
Cool for a minute and transfer to cookie rack

These stayed fresh and were gone in a few days.  They are not overly sweet, but still a treat.  I only bake about a dozen at a time and refrigerate the leftover dough in a sealed plastic container.

I got the original recipe from Shannon's Kitchen Creations here.

Have a happy and safe 4th (and don't forget to take care of your pets...my dog Mitch couldn't care less about noisy fireworks, but he doesn't always know how to dog).  Cheers all! 

WW...week 1 & some books

So apparently I picked the wrong week to start weight watchers...I came down with a sore throat on Tuesday so my tracking went: popsicle, popsicle, cup of noodles...popsicle...and jolly ranchers.  I also lacked the energy to actually log in and track the points of my popsicle parade.

(2 points a pop)

Onward and upward though right? Or would it be onward and downward if your goal is to lose weight?


I kept my Kindle busy while I was under the weather though.  I finished Orange is the new Black, by Piper Kerman and read The Island, by Victoria Hislop.  So while in the confines of my sick bed I went from Women's prison to a leprosy colony in Greece in the 1940s. Both really different and very good reads.

Points for me...or the day I joined Weight Watchers

My jeans don't fit.  Not even my stretchy pair...it's very sad.  I do not want to mourn the loss of these jeans just yet so I suppose I need to do something on my end.

My main problem area is my belly pooch...and I would also like to go back to just one chin in my pictures.  My arms could def be more toned...however I have seen pics of the ladies on both sides of my family tree and have kind of accepted my jiggly arm fate.

I signed up for Weight Watchers today.  It has been successful for a couple of my friends and also was recommended by my doctor a while back.  I had resisted the idea, thinking that I couldn't/wouldn't work on a diet. What made me all of a sudden change my mind?  I stepped on a scale at the gym and realized I was at my all time heaviest.

It's still very new to me.  I signed up online for a three month period.  I've tracked my food today but am currently finding myself guesstimating the amounts.  My big success of day 1 was choosing the vinagrette over the french dressing with my salad.  Yay me!

And so it begins...

Anyone out there been on Weight Watchers before? Any tips are appreciated.

Cheers all