Caramel Pretzel Cookies Whom do you thank during the holidays

When best friend CY began teaching, I pulled her aside, and told her, "When the holidays come, every single year, make sure you remember the custodian as well as the secretaries of your school. Your remembering them during the holidays is important.  Show them your appreciation."

This was a lesson I learned when I was teaching - the importance of appreciation those who help you all year long. And when the holidays come now, as I am a mother of three children, lets just say that the list of people to whom I have to present some sort of thank you to is an insane list and one that doesnt get smaller.   Perhaps next year it may shrink a little as Son and Daughters will hopefully be at the same school, but one can never be completely sure.

But with the lists so long, and money only able to go so far, I have to be economical while covering a wide base of gift recipients.  This year I opted to go with small boxes of homemade cookies and a $5 Starbucks card to all the teachers (more than 30 of them) who work with Son and Daughters in any sort of capacity.  I also thank the secretaries and office staff at both schools and I also remember the wonderful woman who is the office manager at the music school.  People dont forget your appreciation for their efforts.  I guarantee it.  In fact, when I handed the music school office manager my small token of appreciation this year, she said, "I wondered this morning, who might give me a present and I knew that you would."  She remembers that I appreciate her.

And I do.  To all the teachers who have touched my childs life, thank you.  Thank you to all those who serve them in the classroom, as their tutors, teachers, mentors, models - all the wonderful things you give to my children, from the bottom of my heart I truly thank you for your kind service and your work for them.  Even though my gift is not big, nor extravagant, nor expensive, know that I give it to you because I know, and appreciate all that you do.

This is my cookie of choice to give this year.  Im a little bit addicted to them.  I love the combination of salty and sweet and chewy and crispy.  Everyone that Ive given them to thus far say that they are delicious, and yes, I will be entering them in a contest in hopes that I WIN!  But winning aside, these are a deliciously scrumptious cookie and one, if you present them to the people who deserve it, will go very much appreciated.

Happy Holidays all!

Caramel Pretzel Cookies
Makes 5 dozen

Ingredients
2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1 ? cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup old-fashioned oats
1 ½ cups caramel bits (or regular caramels, unwrapped and cut into bits)
2 cups mini pretzel twists, left whole

Method
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl  (either in a stand mixer or in a bowl where you can use a hand mixer) and cream on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes.   Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla and beat until all ingredients are mixed together, another 3 to 4 minutes.

Reduce speed to low, and add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Beat until just mixed, about 1 minute.

Add oats and caramel, and mix until just blended.  Finally, add pretzels and allow them to be mixed in.  Do not over mix, or you will completely crush the pretzels.  (A few large chunks are rather nice.)

You can wrap the dough up, refrigerate and bake another day or bake immediately..

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Scoop tablespoon scoops and lay them about 2 inches apart on your baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are golden and firmed up.

Allow cookies to cool in pan for 5 minutes, before removing them to a cooling rack.  Enjoy.

Printable recipe

I bought my package for $2.54 and this is a set of 12 is cheaper than what I bought.  But youll be using these all up if you make these cookies several times.

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Vegan Blueberry Banana Muffins with Carazuc The things we do for love

With Husband now home, there has been a lot of adjustment.  Ill be truthful - the first days of adjustments have been hard for me.  The wakeups happen much earlier, there are additional lunches and breakfasts to pack and prepare, and I need to be much more alert and on the ball.  Im helping manage and orchestrate the lives of five people, not four, and Tuesday - lets just say Tuesday was extra special.

In an effort to help Husband adjust to the commuting life back in the US, Ive found myself doing things I never thought I would.  Ive analyzed bus routes, compared alternative modes of transportation, looked at carpooling possibilities and hunted down a bus line in order to see how his commuter life could improve.  On Tuesday, I got out the map that charts the bus that travels around our city and takes its passengers to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station.  I wanted to find every single stop near our house - ones that could be reached by foot, others that could be driven to.  I wanted to check ease of parking, ease of access, and the best scheduling in terms of his early morning commute.  As I drove the route, I began planning in my head, my future as a bus driver.  Just kidding.  As I drove, I had a moment of wondering - WHY AM I DOING THIS?

Let me be clear.  Husband didnt ask me to do it.  I wanted to do it. I wanted to find the best way for him to get to work.  I wanted to help him negotiate a tough commute and give him lots of options.  I wanted to get him to work faster, easier, with less stress.  And so I took an hour out of my day to figure it out.  Turns out there is a bus stop right near our house, a quick 4 minute walk away, that he doesnt have to drive to, and he can catch the bus there.  When I found the stop and measured and calculated time and scheduling efficacy, I did a huge fist pump in the air as I felt it was pretty darn awesome.

Why do all of this nuttiness?  Because Im crazy?  Maybe, but not likely.  Because I love driving around aimlessly up and down streets, as if Im on a treasure hunt for bus stops? Not quite.  Because I have time to spend and gas to burn?  No way.  I do it, because I love Husband.  I find myself wanting to do something lovely for him, even if that loveliness is something as mundane as working out his morning commute.  I dont want to go into a full sappy speech about why he is so wonderful and how much I love him.  I know it.  Because there is no one else on earth that would get a personalized bus route and parking analysis except for Husband.

After driving like a bus driver all over my city, I came home and whipped up some of these muffins.  Im continually experimenting with Stephen James Organics Carazuc, because I love the flavor and the sweetness it adds while being a healthier choice than refined sugar.  You can use maple sugar or brown sugar in place of the carazuc if you cant get your hands on carazuc.    The muffins turned out to be something that Children loved, so it turned out to be a pretty darn good day after all, with the bus routes, yummy muffins, and a lot of love.

Vegan Blueberry Banana Muffins (with Carazuc)
Makes 12 to 14 regular sized muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
? cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
?  cup unsweetened coconut milk (from a carton - Trader Joes or So Delicious)
½ cup carazuc (or brown sugar)
3 large ripe bananas
1 cup fresh blueberries, or frozen unthawed

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cupcake/muffin pan with liners. In a medium bowl, measure out and mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash and squish bananas and carazuc (or sugar) together.  Add vanilla, oil, and coconut milk..  Mix well.

Add blueberries to the dry mixture. Toss until blueberries are well coated with flour mixture. Add dry blueberry mixture to the wet mixture. Use a VERY light hand to mix at this point. The more mixing you do the tougher the muffin so try not to over mix. You want everything well mixed together but not over mixed.

Divide batter equally in liners. Bake until golden brown, about 22-30 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then enjoy.

Printable recipe

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Why I Decided To Do This

Today I began Day 1 of the fast-track meal plan to slim down QUICK.  I am not a promoter of the book, I am just a 24 year-old girl who desperately cant wait to wear a bikini and feel beautiful jumping off a boat into the middle of the blue summer ocean.  Also, my cousins wedding is happening on April 26th in California and I would really like to wear a dress (I havent worn a dress without sleeves since prom).  I am very active (I work out 4-6 times a week), but still considered overweight and dont binge eat, so I thought I would give this a shot and find out if it works.

So what is the Super Shred Diet?  According to USA Today: 

In Super Shred: The Big Results Diet, Ian Smith outlines a short-term, rapid weight-loss plan that he says can result in losing 20 pounds in four weeks. He has dieters follow a specific four-week eating plan, including some days where the calorie count is about 1,600, and other days where it is 900. (The average caloric intake for women is about 1,800 a day; for men, 2,500, according to government statistics). Smiths plan includes specific grocery lists and meal plans. He recommends doing about 40 minutes or more of high-intensity interval aerobic exercise a day.

It is very strict - you must eat at specific times and have specific foods with specific amounts of calories.  Any minor slip up and you will have to repeat that day over again.  I am determined to win - to be on point the entire four weeks, and to discipline myself.

The entire point of doing this is not only to lose weight, but to relearn discipline and change and challenge my body.  I realized today that the entire days meal plan amounts to how much I eat in one or two sittings.  This 4 weeks will be a long lesson in portion control and strong mental will power.

So here are my Stats:

Age: 24 years old

Sex: Female

Weight: 171

Height: 56

BMI: 27%

Body Fat: 30%

Medical History: Hypothyroidism (Low Thyroid Disease), Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis

Low thyroids are contributed to weight gain and difficulty in losing weight, so I want to see how this works in combination with the diet.  I am given medicine to regulate my disease.

On to todays meals.

Woke up- 11am

Meal 1- 11:30; 2 egg whites and a half cup of cantaloupe.

Snack 1 - 1pm; half cup of cherry tomatos

Snack 2- 2:30; Fiber one 90 calorie lemon bar [book suggested blueberries w a tsp of whipped cream or a 100 calorie snack)

Meal 2- 3:30; vanilla protein shake at 200 calories

Meal 3- 6:30; 4 cups of garden salad with carrots

8pm- 45 minutes of cardio

Meal 4 -9:30; 5oz of salmon (the size of a deck of cards) and 2 servings spinach

Around Meal 2 I began to get a bit dizzy.  My body isnt adjusted to the decrease yet.  After some water and time, the dizziness passed.  The Fiber One bar was great because it had a soft and crunchy texture and a bit of sugar.  I can tell texture is going to be a big deal over the next four weeks; with less food going in my mouth, its the little things about each bite that will matter.

Let me know if you are doing this diet too and your thoughts, questions, and advice!  

Looking forward to our transformations!  Pictures and measurements to come.

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