Lee Hersh

gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

March 2, 2023 by Lee Hersh Leave a Comment

gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

I love you.

Sincerely, Lee

PS: I also think that the recipe you provide on the oatmeal box is GENIUS.

These cookies turned out soft and chewy on the inside, with the most amazing crunch on the outside. I did however, make a few changes to the recipe in order to make these guys Gluten Free! This girl needs to be able to make her cookies and eat them too!

gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

*Adapted from Quaker’s Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies*

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
~~2 eggs~~ I didn’t have eggs so I used a chia replacement: 2Tchia + 2T water
1 teaspoon vanilla
~~1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour~~ 1-1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups quick or old fashioned, uncooked (for g/f recipe, use a brand of oatmeal that is certified gluten free)
1 cup ~~raisins~~ semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs (or chia replacement) and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins (or chocolate ; mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Normally when I try and make gluten free baked goods, it turns out funny; either too dense or with a weird texture. This is the first time I have ever tried Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. Bob, god bless your soul.

Numskis is right…The Roommate Ashley even approved…she’s the baker in this household; so getting the thumbs up from her means I did something right. #successSpeaking of Ashley…I am one lucky girl to live with such a talented photographer. Check out a sneak peek photo she took of me for FitFluential….

That’s right! I am a 2012 FitFluential Ambassador….Stay tuned for more pictures and information on what that entails! I AM SO EXCITED

Happy Weekend!

-L

What is your all time favorite cookie?

Do you ever alter recipes for specific dietary needs?

PS: Don’t forget to keep up with my 20 Day Holiday Workout Challenge!

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Sneaky Beet Brownies

March 2, 2023 by Lee Hersh Leave a Comment

Sneaky Beet Brownies

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Love Beets for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Tuesday calls for something sweet.

It calls for some SNEAKY BEET BROWNIES!

I call them sneaky beet brownies becuase you’d never actually know you could sneak a vegetable into an ooey-gooey batch of brownies. Plus, beets are loaded with potassium, which can help decrease the risk of CVD and help lower blood pressure, making this recipe a gold star for American Heart Month, which just so happens to be Februrary!

I am really excited to introduce you to a product called Love Beets. Love Beets specializes in all-natural freshley cooked and flavor-infused beets. All of Love Beets produts contain no artificial coloring or preservatives, are gluten free, and kosher! What I love about this product the beets come fully cooked and vacumed sealed. This makes life so much easier when all you want to do is puree and use it inside different recipes Definitely saves you the hassle of having to peel, steam, and clean up a big mess of pink beet juice.

Seriously how cute is their product packaging and branding? So cute you could win free beets for a year just by entering their Beet the Odds Sweepstakes on facebook (more info on this at the end of the post).

Ingredients for Sneaky Beet Brownies

gluten free flour
cocoa powder
Organic Love Beets’ beet puree
sugar
eggs
coconut oil
baking powder
vanilla
chocolate chips

You read my secret. I pureed the beets to “sneak” them into my brownies. It was easier than ever to do. I cut the seal, popped of the beets into my magic bullet, and voila- you’ve got the most beautiful looking beet puree around!

Oh,my love for brownie batter.

Do I wish you weren’t made with raw eggs

I used gluten free all-purpose flour, but normal all purpose flour would work, too if you’re not gluten-sensative. I also used coconut-oil, but you coud sub canola oil or butter.

Check out Love Beets’ facebook page for their Beet the Odds Sweepstakes and a chance to win free beets for a year! All you have to do is share one of the four recipes shared onto your facebook page and you are automatically entered. Everytime you share the sweepstakes with a friend, you get an additional entry into the content. It’s almost as easy as sneaking beet puree into your brownies

The grand prize is a year’s supply of Love Beets and a free nutrition/healthy living consultation with a noted nutritionist and cookbook author Ellie Krieger! #mykindofprize

Good luck!

PIN FOR LATER

Sneaky Beet Brownies #glutenfree | fitfoodiefinds.com

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Sneaky Beet Brownies

Author: Sandra
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 9 brownies 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

First, preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9×9 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Next, in a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Then, add in wet ingredients: eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, and beet puree, and mix until smooth.
Transfer batter into pan and cook at 350 for about 20 minutes or until you do the toothpick test and it comes out clean.
Serve warm and gooey.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

28 Healthy Holiday Cookie Recipes

March 2, 2023 by Lee Hersh Leave a Comment

Is it too soon to start planning holiday cookie recipes? I think not! I’ve already turned my car radio to the Christmas station and I can no longer see the grass outside due to the snow. I might as well make the best of this wintery weather, right!?

Last year I did a full week of healthy holiday treat recipes. Side note: It’s crazy how much my photography has improved in just a year! I definitely plan on making Vegan Peppermint Patties and Grain-Free Sugar Cookies again this year. Those were my two favs from the series!

Below you will find the ultimate round-up of healthy holiday cookie recipes from some of my favorite food bloggers. I had a blast putting this together and am already brewing tons of ideas for December. Mwahahahaaaa. Cookies for days.

Enjoy!

1. Maple Chocolate Chip Grain-Free Biscotti from 1st phorm protein

2. Vegan Peppermint Patties from Fit Foodie Finds

3. Grain-Free Sugar Cookie Cut Outs from Fit Foodie Finds

4. No-Bake Gingerbread Pumpkin Snowballs from Fit Foodie Finds

5. White Chocolate Protein Thumbprints from Fit Foodie Finds

6. Easy Gluten Free Almond Biscotti from Fit Foodie Finds

7. Healthy Chocolate Chunk Gingerbread Molasses Cookies from Running to the Kitchen

8. Dark Chocolate Dipped Orange Macaroons from Running to the Kitchen

9. Gluten-Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

10. Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies from The Healthy Maven

11. Raw Gingerbread Cookies from The Healthy Maven

12. Coconut Macaroons from Kailey’s Kitchen

13. 50 Calorie Sugar Twists from Food Faith Fitness

14. Sugar Cookies with Cherries and Pistachio from Food Faith Fitness

15. White Chocolate Biscotti with Crushed Candy Cane from Food Faith Fitness

16. Whole Wheat Gingerbread Biscotti from Every Day Maven

17. Triple Coconut Chocolate Chips from Every Day Maven

18. Grain Free Butter Cookies from Every Day Maven

19. Gluten-Free Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies from Jeanette’s Healthy Living

20. Cranberry Coconut Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies from Jeanette’s Healthy Living

21. Double Chocolate Avocado Cookies from Yummy Healthy Easy

22. Low Fat Cool Whip Cookies from Yummy Healthy Easy

23. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from Amy’s Healthy Baking

24. Fruitcake Cookies from Amy’s Healthy Baking

25. No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter Bars from Two Healthy Kitchens

26. White Chocolate Pecan Oatmeal Cookies from Taste Love and Nourish

27. Double Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

Help me brainstorm- what kind of healthy holiday cookies should I make this year?!

Homemade [Clean Eating] Roasted Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce

March 2, 2023 by Lee Hersh Leave a Comment

I know using pre-made spaghetti sauce (and any kind of sauce for that matter) is extremely convenient, inexpensive and most of the time delicious. BUT the fact that you can make your own sauce, use whole ingredients, and have it taste just as good is a no brainer!

All you need to do is get some simple ingredients and follow a few simple steps and you have pure bliss! A little bit of salt, pepper, and garlic will take you a long way! Add some fresh basil, EVOO, and you are SOLD to the clean eater in red!

Isn’t this just the most gawgeous way to spend a lunch date with a friend? Hi BROOKE! She is a fellow photographer (but of people) and we met at my yoga studio. Insta-connection. Love her and her sissy Carly.

And thanks for being my lovely model and handy helper during this shoot

I actually looked at a jar of store bought marinara sauce before making this recipe. The ingredient list was pretty lengthy and included sugar and about 5 ingredients I couldn’t pronounce.

This recipe. 100% CLEAN!

By the way- I used brown rice noodles MY FAV which you can get at Target #whoooop

Pin for later!

PS: Here is a behind the scene look at this shoot. Thank you brook and your iphone for capturing these!

Homemade [Clean Eating] Roasted Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce

Author: Sandra
Total Time: 1 hours 15 minutes

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Instructions

First, preheat oven to 400F and lightly spray a cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Next, prep tomatoes by cutting them in half and placing them in backing sheet facing up. Drizzle with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.
Place fresh basil leaves and garlic in same pan.
Roast at 400F for about an hour or until the tomatoes begin to brown.
Once cooled a bit, place everything into a food processor (basil and garlic included!) and process until smooth. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Grill Me Up + Reebok Bose Headphones

March 2, 2023 by Lee Hersh Leave a Comment

3 cheers for warm weather! Gotta love crazy MN weather. Last week we got 8 inches of snow, and today we had a fire/heat warning. It reach 100 degrees. Hot, but definitely better than snow.

Warm weather = Grill time. One reason why I like grilling is because Blake does the grilling 😉 I prepare the sides and he does the meat….so it is a joint effort I made sure to pick up some gorgeous cuts of meat in anticipation of the warm weather. I got a salmon filet, along with some giant chicken breast. First up was Monday night (post yoga sculpt) Salmon.

We seasoned it with lemon pepper and basil and paired it with brown rice and broccoli.

Gotta love the His and Hers portions. I had about 4 oz salmon topped with a dollop of Greek yog, 1C of brown rice (cooked) and about a cup of broccoli. I like to leave room for dessert Blake on the other hand, isn’t a big dessert fan (Yah…idk why I like him either.), so he doubles up his portions and adds a baked potato…plus he’s a guy and needs more calories than me!

Yesterday night, Blake grilled up the chicken breasts. I had him do all 6 so I could have some grilled chicken breast for lunch the rest of the week. Along with the chicken we had steamed green beans and chicken flavored rice (which probably isn’t the greatest for you, but it reminds me of my childhood). I mixed the chicken rice with some leftover brown rice from the night before. Win-win.

Again, His and Her portions.

I’d take dessert any day over another serving of chicken I think that’s why Blake and I are so perfect for each other…he finishes my chicken and i finish his ice cream

Changing direction a little bit. I got these bad boys in the mail the other day: Reebok Bose SIE2i Sport Headphones.

While I was in college, I took a little headphone hiatus. I did this because I lived in the city and ran in the city. I think all runners need to have 100% awareness of their surroundings, especially when city running. I’ve gotten really used to working out with no music and finally got back into headphone wearing when I got these in the mail.

Before I stopped wearing headphones…I just used the normal Apple headphones that came with my ipod…nothing special. These Reebok Bose Headphones are a HUGE upgrade. I am actually obsessed with both the fit and the fact that they ar sweat resistant. I’m always worried that I am going to ruin my Fitness Tech when my sweat drips all over it.

As for the fit, because they have such a secure tip with the StayHear Tips…you can basically do any sort of plyometric movement and they won’t budge. Jump squats, burpees, star jumps, you name it. They are so secure to your ear, it’s insane! Also- these headphones are 100% compatibile with the iphone5, which makes me VERY happy. It also came with a Reebok armband specifically sized for the iphone5. YES PLEASE.

It’s funny, when Blake saw that I got these in the mail, it was a fight. He was SO JEALOUS. He is a big headphone wearer, so I tol him we could share them Good thing they come with extra ear buds (different sizes).

Banana Soft-Serve Recipes

March 2, 2023 by Lee Hersh Leave a Comment

I’ve been counting down the days until Summer because all I want in life is sunshine and tank tops.

For real though, Summertime is the best time in Minnesota! We get a solid 8 months of winter and 4 months of summer with barely any in between! After the parka-wearing cold, we deserve the most beautiful weather in the country! Things are finally green and I haven’t killed my potted plants yet. That was a huge struggle last year. I’m excited for this summer because I don’t have much planned. We have a few weddings, including my sister’s, but other than that, this girl is staying put in good ol’ Minnesota! I’m excited to…

Take my workouts outdoors.
Buy (finally) a bike and hit up the trails.
Have more than a 2 hour window to photograph things.
Shop at the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market.
Wear tank tops and high-wasted skirts.
Wake up after the sun has already risen.
Eat berries and not spend $4.99 per carton.
Be a maid of honor (yeah sister!).
Go to The Pizza Farm in Wisconsin.
Eat as much banana ice cream as possible.

Really though banana soft serve is the most perfect, guilt-free dessert! I love it because it’s a base of frozen bananas and then any kind of add in you could ever imagine. I can even get Blake to eat banana soft-serve and enjoy every single bite of it even though it’s “vegan.” If I can get my meat loving boyfriend to love it, I’m sure you can even get away with telling your kids it’s real live ice cream 😀