A Culinary Experiment

 Okay, so did you know that you can make chocolate cookies that are healthy?  I read all about it on Pinterest.  They are "healthy enough to eat for breakfast."  At first I thought about the cereal aisle and figured that pretty much anything that is made of edible material is considered breakfast worthy but by then my interest was piqued so I had to delve a little further into this mystery.  The secret ingredient was black beans. Holy Smoke, I thought to myself, this could be the answer to all of my problems. 
My resolution this year was to eat more healthy foods.  I was hoping that somehow if I filled up on beans, lentils, vegetables and other good-for-you foods that I wouldn't miss the treats.  My plan has worked perfectly...except for the part about not caring about dessert.
Enter: Black Bean Cookies.  I was stoked and busted out those cookies the next day.  I watched them bake in the oven and my hopes were high.  When I tasted them they were okay.  I mean, I liked them, and the girls really liked them, but they just weren't...I'm not even sure what they weren't, but they weren't.
When it was breakfast time I didn't even want them.  Then for a minute it seemed like they might be the solution after all because there were a bunch of chocolate cookies and I wasn't even interested.  Maybe the cookies would blast my cravings to smithereens.
The next day the missionaries were coming to dinner and I just didn't feel right about giving the Lord's servants bean cookies.  Since Brandon is on a year-long cookie fast (for no particular reason except that it will help him to build self-discipline...which is another way in which the two of us differ) he suggested that I make brownies. 
In that case I figured that if I was making brownies I might as well make the triple chocolate recipe that I had also found on Pinterest.
They were.  Whatever it was that the cookies weren't these brownies totally WERE.  They've been gone for days and I'm still dreaming about the chocolate deliciousness they brought to my life.  They were definitely not healthy enough for breakfast, but they were the ONLY thing I wanted to eat the next morning.  I had to hide them behind the microwave and still they were calling my name. 

I looked a little bit more into this and found that the bean cookies have about 126 calories each.  They are also loaded with protein and fiber.  The brownies have about 334 calories each and no fiber.  But, they did have walnuts and walnuts, as you all know, are a super food.  So basically they are healthy...right? 

Being skinny just isn't ever going to be one of my skills.
To help myself out I work with a buddy system.  I try to make sure that my less healthy hobbies have a healthier buddy.  For example, I love to sit in a hot bath which is horrible for the environment and is just about the laziest thing you can do.  I pair it up with reading.  This lets me believe that while my muscles are being neglected I am working my brain out.  This would probably be true if I weren't reading The Selection, but that is another post in and of itself.
The second example is that I love to eat.  This is balanced out because I also love to run.  The problem is that it takes around a mile of running to burn about 100 calories.  (These numbers are completely accurate.) 
Basically it takes a little over 3 miles to burn off the brownie and let me tell you, IT IS WORTH IT!

This philosophy works out okay until you try to do the whole weight loss thing.  Then you've got to burn more than you eat. 

To make myself feel better I pinned this idea knowing that I would never get that crazy.

WHAT?

 In case you were wondering, the Peanut Butter Oreo Brownie Cupcake has 432 calories and 24 grams of fat.  Now the triple chocolate is suddenly looking "Lite".  In full disclosure, I myself would never make those Oreo monstrosities, but I'm pretty sure that if I was offered one I wouldn't turn it down.

I found another healthy treat which was for banana cookies.  The recipe consists of a couple of smashed bananas, a cup of oatmeal and a handful of chocolate chips.  The tag said that they were "amazing".  In pursuit of domestic peace in our home I had the idea that instead of our usual routine - me yelling at Rocky to pick up her toys while I make the cookies, we would switch jobs.  She made the cookies and I picked up all the toys.  I was surprised at how happy we both felt with the change.

 She did a great job and it was funny how seriously she took everything.  I was pretty impressed with my little pastry chef.  She narrated every step like the host of a cooking show.

 Daisy took care of the cleanup.

The cookies...well, they tasted like a pile of smashed bananas with chocolate chips.  It was fun to try, but not a recipe I'll be repeating soon.
The moral of this story, for me, is that I will eat my black beans in stews and my brownies in moderation.  In the meantime if anyone has a craving for a delicious chocolate breakfast cookie come on over, I think we've still got a few somewhere in the back of the fridge.