Get Fit: Week 1.1

I've debated posting about my exercise/weight loss progress (or lack of) for a while, but just didn't think it was anything pertinent to the blog or anything anyone would want to read. Now I've decided that blogging about my progress will force me to step it up! Mexico is only 8 weeks away and this body is nowhere near beach-ready! So, I'll be posting my daily progress. Feel free to not read these posts.

Exercise: 25 minutes (Strength training - Biggest Loser DVD) (-75)

Cokes: 0

Water (8oz glasses): 4

Breakfast: Cheerios (160), coffee (170)

Morning Snack: True Delights granola bar (140)

Lunch: Chili (350), 2 cresent rolls (220)

Afternoon Snack: 3 choc chip cookies (270), coffee (170)

Dinner: Slumgullion (300), beets (30)

Nighttime Snack: none

Total: 1735

Staring weight: 131 (evening weigh-in)

Broadway Breck

Pajama Day Cookie Baking!

From top left:
* Breck taste-testing the cookie dough before the chocolate chips
* Breck taste-testing the chocolate chips
* Breck and Rowan waiting patiently for the cookies to bake
* Tasting a fresh warm cookie
* Deciding he doesn't want it after all
* The nibble Breck took
* Rowan enjoying her half cookie
* Breck pretending to eat a cookie
* Our final product

Chocolate Chip Cookies (when you're out of brown sugar!)

Today I promised Breck that we would make cookies. (ok, it was more a promise to myself, since he only eats the dough!) As we were getting our ingredients out, I realized we were out of brown sugar. So, I figured the "all-knowing" internet would be able to give me a substitution. Sure enough, it did! (1 cup white sugar plus 1 1/2 Tbsp molasses = 1 cup brown sugar) but, I don't keep molasses on hand! In fact, I've never used it. So, I looked up substitutions for molasses. (honey, dark corn syrup, or pure maple syrup) but, I don't keep any of those on hand, either. However, I do have light corn syrup, so I figured that would be close enough! They turned out fantastic! They taste just like they would had I used brown sugar, but I think they have a nicer, lighter color. So, I may use this recipe from now on!

Here's the ever-so-slightly-altered recipe in case you, too, find yourself out of brown sugar!

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 cup softened butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla; beat until creamy. Add eggs and beat. Add flour, salt, baking soda and beat until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Makes apporximately 3 dozen cookies