The Tail Of Failed Cookies & A Post About Coleslaw

I've had little to no desire to blog on here for so many reasons, but mostly because I have no good recipes to post.  Well, I have plenty of recipes that I myself like, but nothing that would really interest YOU.  You see, back in February, I decided to use my tax refund not for a fun trip, new clothing, or now gadget, but for self-improvement.  I hired a personal trainer, Taylor.  Together we have transformed my life, body, eating habits, and future.  Gone are the days of 10 lb butter laden croissants.  Hello to the days of double fiber whole wheat English muffins (seriously SO tasty and 32% of your daily fiber!) with egg whites, spinach, and tomato.  Gone are the days of cakes, brownies, bars, and pies.  Hello to the days of grilled chicken breast smothered with buffalo sauce (both fat and calorie free!!) lettuce wraps and protein shakes.  You see, when Taylor first did a body fat assessment on me, I felt like I finally had the facts to tell people that although I appeared "skinny" I was in fact not healthy.  My body fat was unhealthy.  I was unhealthy.  I was what a friend of mine likes to call "skinny fat".  I've lost nearly 8% body fat, can run for longer than 3 minutes without feeling like dying, can actually do a push-up, and recently had a moment where a man told me that I could lift more than he could. So why is there a picture of a cookie up there, you ask? 

There's a picture of a cookie up there because I miss strapping on my apron, pulling out my cute Anthro measuring cups, and whipping up something that used to go straight to my meaty thighs.  I haven't sworn off sugar or flour, but in an effort to be as successful as possible, I've definitely cut back but have also tried to find modified recipes so I can still enjoy baked goods.  Greek yogurt and applesauce have ALWAYS been my go-to baking swaps when it comes to oil (seriously, compare the fat/calories in 1/2 cup of oil used in a boxed cake mix to those of no sugar added applesauce or fat free yogurt....barf, it makes me sick thinking of it), so I thought I'd try it in these cookies posted above (can also be substituted for sour cream, which the recipe calls for but I'm not posting because they're so horrible).

The original recipes promised melt in your mouth cookies, and they truly do.  But not because of the flavor.  There is no flavor, besides flour.  The baking soda and baking powder help make these cookies ethereally cake-like.  They bake up so light and fluffy and I was so excited to bite into these "Warm Brown Sugar Cookies" and just as quickly spat it out.  I figured all the cookie needed was the frosting to make it better, and how could it go wrong with a browned butter frosting?!?  Oh, it can.  The recipe developer calls for minimal browned butter and optimum amounts of powdered sugar.  So you ultimately wind up tasting powdered sugar on top of flour.  Yeah, that's exactly what I feel like using my calories on. 

Blogging for a cooking blog is hard when you're eating whole wheat pasta, lean meat, fruits and veggies, protein shakes, and water.  I was excited to bake these cookies for you.  I was thinking of creative ways to describe them so you could smell them through the screen.  I thought to myself, if they turned out as great as the recipe sounded, that I might have found a way to put the smell of the warm vanilla sugar Bath & Body Works line into edible form.  Sorry, everyone (everyone=my mom, since she's pretty much the only one who reads my blogs), until/unless I can draft up some healthy recipes that don't consist of protein powder, water, and a shaker cup, this blog will continue to be unposted on.

That being said, I need to find a way to make my favorite coleslaw recipe "healthy".  Any recipe help/commentary would be appreciated:

Coleslaw

1/2 cup mayonnaise (any suggestions on alternatives for mayo?)

2 Tbsp sugar (obviously I'll use stevia instead)

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp honey (agave will swap out nicely)

16 oz bag of coleslaw mix

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the coleslaw mix. (This can be done in advance, simply cover and refrigerate until ready to use).Place the coleslaw mix in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the coleslaw mix. Stir to combine and serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 8-10.

Anyway, it's a darn good coleslaw recipe, and if you're fine with the ingredients as they are, try it out.  We're breaching that time of year where BBQ grills are uncovered and families gather around picnic tables.  This is a GREAT coleslaw to bring to that table.  Make it the night before and give the dressing some time to break down and saturate the cabbage.  It's even better if you throw it on a crisply grilled hot dog turkey dog.