Health Insurance Blog

Last week I promised you recipes for my cookies and carrot cake. So here they are:

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
3/4 c oil
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 c oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c vanilla or plain Greek Yogurt
1 c dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together ingredients in large mixing bowl
Spread mixture into a greased jelly roll pan
Bake for 15-20 Minutes,

Marissa’s Best Carrot Cake Recipe:
2 c sugar
4 1/2 cups Oil
4 eggs
1 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
3 cups grated carrots
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup pureed zucchini
1 cup raisins
2 teaspoons soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
Mix together. Bake in desired cake pans at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Frosting:
¼ lb butter (room temperature)
8 oz low fat cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup vanilla or plain Greek Yogurt
1 box powdered sugar
Cream together and frost.

One thing I have been thinking about lately is how much sugar I should be consuming. I have obviously mentioned recipes for desserts that are a little healthier than the typical Chips A’hoy Cookie or Burger King Milkshake, however I often wonder how much sugar is really a good idea for my diet.

You remember looking at the old food pyramid when you were in second grade. You know, the one with the grains and dairy section, the proteins and the fruits and veggies. No matter how your pyramid was drawn, the little bitty part was always reserved for sugary fatty foods, saying to eat as little of them as possible.

As I have researched nutrition on my own, and played around with my diet, I have found that eating more healthy sugar and cutting out the unnecessary sweets really does make me feel better. I don’t think it’s good to go to the extreme, but I do think it is good to avoid sugar when you don’t really want it and save up those calories for a time when a particularly yummy dessert comes your way. I’m definitely one to try a small portion of dessert and if I don’t love it, I just throw it away. My body doesn’t need the excess, especially when I don’t enjoy the experience of eating this particular treat.

So be smart about sugar. Watch what you buy at the grocery store or what you order off of a menu. Allow yourself to enjoy the experience of occasional sweets instead of feeling overwhelmed with the guilt of eating. If you feel that you should feel guilty about eating sweets, simply cut them out of the diet or allow the right amount for your body. You will probably feel healthier just by avoiding the stress of feeling guilty. I know I do.

This article was written by Marissa, a contributing writer and employee of The Health Insurance Specialists.

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