Cookies: Literally.

I know Christmas is in full swing when this twentysomething year old goes completely domestic!  I want to decorate everything in sight, I listen to KOST 103.5's month-long Christmas music, I drink as many gingerbread lattes I can possibly afford (Coupons post to follow on SBUX holiday drinks), I donate to as many gift drives as I can, and best of all... I bake.  I absolutely LOVE Christmas time.  So much that I actually spend an entire day (or two) in the kitchen baking.  Plus, the boyfriend gave me a Kitchen Aid stand mixer last year for Christmas, and you know that makes baking soooo much better!

Every year, I give a batch of homemade cookies as gifts.  Everyone enjoys loves Christmas cookies.  Well, except for my boyfriend with chocolate allergies... BOOOOOO!  It's time consuming, but it's an inexpensive way to give a gift.  Wrap them up nicely, and BAM!  You've got a great gift.  Plus, I'm not going to lie... people think very highly of you when you're a good baker ;)  I live for those compliments, haha!  I'm so vain.  Whatever.  It's my holiday too!

I never go crazy with trying to make the cookies holiday-themed.  Why?  It's too much work.  I stick to the classics and recipes that don't take too much time.  As long as they taste great, people will be thankful (and again, think highly of you).  Here's my list of the usual suspects:

• Snickerdoodles
• Oatmeal chocolate chip
• Mini red velvet cupcakes with green cream cheese frosting
• Sugar cookies
• Peppermint dark and white chocolate bark

This year, I'm thinking of adding another cookie to the list, and maybe slices of my famous banana nut bread.  Ok, it's not famous, but to my friends and family, it is.  I'm also considering adding these... http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/chewy-chocolate-gingerbread-cookies/

Maybe I'm biased, but my recipe for Snickerdoodles is the best I've found.  It's from an old white lady who used to reside in Montana (my mom's boyfriend's mom, if that's not confusing), so I consider it vintage.  The oatmeal chocolate chip cookies sound gross, but they are always the most popular.  The secret?  I add in maple syrup.  The red velvet cupcakes are always cute, festive, and yummy.  The secret?  Box mix ;)  There's nothing special about my sugar cookies or chocolate bark, but they're holiday staples and always tasty.

See?  Simple, but effective.  It's all about presentation.  I'll post the recipes to my Snickerdoodles and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies once I pull them out.  

What is everyone else planning on baking for the holidays?

Cookies: A Healthy Disguise

Remember I mentioned that my boyfriend has the appetite and metabolism of a child?  Well, he takes full advantage of his crazy metabolism and eats extremely unhealthy things.  For instance, just yesterday his meals consisted of pizza, fried mozzarella, chips and guacamole, and four cheese pasta.  Being a normal person, my metabolism just cannot keep up.  Trust me, I try, since all those things are so delicious, but I need some greens, whole grains, and fruits thrown in there too.

Shockingly, the bf claims to not like anything green (aside from guacamole, obviously) except peas (major EW).  So, I've tried to disguise healthy (well, healthier) items in our dinners.

Orzo.  My new friend.  My pasta-loving bf claims rice as a side dish is not filling enough.  Since I grew up eating rice daily, it is more than filling for me.  Our middle ground?  Orzo.  Technically a pasta, but resembles large grains of rice.  Disguise #1.  AND you can find it made from white flour or whole-grain flour.  Although you may think carbs are our enemy, orzo is actually low in fat and contains protein and fiber.

As much as I'd love to take credit for this one, I found a great orzo recipe on this cooking blog that I am obsessed with.  It's a 3 cheese orzo and spinach recipe.  Yes, spinach.  Disguise #2.  The bf actually loves this dish... the cheese obviously helps, but I put in less cheese than the recipe actually calls for.  Remember, I have a dress to fit into! ;)

Here's the link to the recipe.  You can serve it as a side dish, or throw in some sort of protein (chicken would probably be best) and serve it as a main dish.  I think asparagus would be great in this as well, but I'll have to work up to that one.  Can't be overly confident in my healthy disguises just yet!
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/02/three-cheese-orzo-and-spinach/

Welcome to Cookies, Coupons, and Crunches!

If you are like me, your days are consumed with thoughts of what to make/eat for dinner, when and how you're going to exercise, and how you're going to afford it all.  I am a girl who eats well.  Not right, WELL.  I try to be health conscious every now and then, but let's be honest... it's usually not worth it.  I exercise to stay in shape, not for health reasons.  Duh.  And I'm Asian... so I love coupons, sales, and deals.  Hence, Cookies, Coupons, and Crunches.

Here, I'll share with you tried and true recipes, restaurant suggestions in the Orange County area, great workouts that actually work, and any sales or coupons worth mentioning.

Happy reading....