Starting Over... Day 4

Today’s entry is late. That seems to be the story of my life, I’m late for everything. I’ve been thinking all day about what I would write about and here’s what I came up with…

When I woke up this morning, I was disgusted with myself. My night last night did not end well. My dinner plans were derailed when I couldn’t get the vinegar I wanted to make sushi rice. You see, I found a fabulous recipe for black sesame crusted salmon and wanted to serve rice and a raw asparagus salad on the side. When those plans were scrapped, I spent the night grazing on Memorial Day leftovers then topped it off with a salad and a few lemon poppy seed muffins. 1666 calories total for the day and I felt like I had failed before I really got started. I jumped on the scale first thing this morning knowing that my mini binge had caused me to gain. I was surprised to find that I actually stayed the same. So here is where I am now…

Open RNY Gastric Bypass: 10/22/2002

Highest Weight: 356

Weight at Surgery: 306

Lowest Weight: 156

Highest Recorded Weight Gain: 238

Weight on 05/29/2011: 224

Weight on 05/30/2011: 221.8

Weight on 05/31/2011: 221.4

Weight on 06/01/2011:  219.8

Weight on 06/02/2011:  219.8

Since I’ve been thinking about this all idea, I had an idea. This is actually my normal eating pattern, not very hungry one day, starving the next. So the answer is to eat consistently. Don’t hate me because I have always cringed when I’d hear other people say it but… some days I forget to eat. I don’t get hungry and at 11:00 I’ll realize my egg scramble is still sitting there. Lunch is at 12:00 or so. The trick is going to be to put myself on an eating schedule and forcing myself to eat. I’ve done it before and it really does work. It takes a few days but I can only guess it normalizes my metabolism. After about a week, I’ll start getting hungry again, and at fairly regular intervals. And that’s where the problem starts. If I’m hungry, I eat, and more often than not I eat too much. How do I control that? Or better yet, how do I keep what little control I have now and build on it? If anyone has the answer, please shout it from the rooftops. One of the first changes I’m going to make is in my daily goals. My calorie goal of 1200, while quite achievable, is too low for me for the moment. I’m going to adjust it to 1301 as recommended by WebMD and lower my Protein goal to 80 grams per day. I’m not going to change the Total Carbs or Sugars just yet.  

WebMD                      Personal                    Actual

Calories:          1301                           1301                        1666 (Not happy)

Protein:            46 grams                    100 grams                 109 grams (Now that’s what I’m talking about)

Total Carbs:    130 grams                  50 grams                    133 grams (Holy crap!)

Sugars:              25 grams              20 grams                      29.3 grams (Ok, wasn’t expecting that.                                                                                                          Stupid banana)

While I’m still a bit disappointed in myself, I have a better understanding of my eating habits and am aware that a change needs to be made. Awareness is the first step towards change… or something like that.

Stay tuned for the next weigh-in, just a few hours away.

Angie

Starting Over... Day 3

Wow... what a difference a day makes. We were outside, digging up grass, for several hours on Monday. This probably explains the phenomenon I experienced on Tuesday. Monday I consumed 1608 calories and 94 grams of protein. Tuesday was a normal work day, back to a schedule, most of the day sitting at a desk, and I only ate 1138 calories (Ok make that 1254 – it’s midnight at the time of this writing and a mini sugar free lemon poppy seed muffin was calling me) and 81 grams of protein. Water is a major factor. I use Kroger In an Instant Light Sugar Free Peach Tea drink mix in my water. I realize that it’s not as good as plain water but by using these I can drink (8-10) 16.9 oz bottles of water per day. As I type that, I am aware how crazy it sounds. Starting today, I will substitute every other bottle with plain water.

So here are Tuesday’s stats:

Open RNY Gastric Bypass: 10/22/2002

Highest Weight: 356

Weight at Surgery: 306

Lowest Weight: 156

Highest Recorded Weight Gain: 238

Weight on 05/29/2011: 224

Weight on 05/30/2011: 221.8

Weight on 05/31/2011: 221.4

Weight on 06/01/2011:  219.8

WebMD                 Personal                 Actual

Calories:          1301                    1200                        1254 (Now that’s a happy medium. Go me!)

Protein:            46 grams             100 grams                81 grams (This needs to be a little better)

Total Carbs:    130 grams           50 grams                    87.7 grams (A little lower would be great)

Sugars:             25 grams             20 grams                 13.6 grams (Love that number)

A much better day that included a 1.6 lb drop for the day. I have a tendency to be a bit ADD so I like schedules.  I have learned how to fit breakfast, lunch, two snacks, and 4-5 bottles of water into an 8 hour day. I take my lunch every day so I have a lot more control over what I eat. Being at home I am more apt to graze and eat at odd times. I feed my cravings for both creating something new or different and consuming the final art piece (or flop. The odds are 50/50). I’ve tried off and on for years to schedule myself on the weekends but it has never worked.  My fear is that my days off in chaos are derailing everything I accomplish during the week.  I guess we’ll find out on Saturday.

Tuesday afternoon I started looking at what I had logged so far and what I had planned for dinner.  I’m getting a bit obsessive about it but not so much that I’m concerned. Not yet anyway. What I noticed was that I wasn’t eating any “Free” foods. If you’ve ever been to Weight Watchers in the last 30 years, you know that “Free” foods are food with little or no calories. This includes a few fresh vegetables, salad vegetables, herbs, spices… so with my leftover pork chop, I had a beautiful salad with baby greens, red onion, alfalfa sprouts, sugar snap peas, tomato slices, and shredded parmesan. It was just enough to keep me full without adding too many additional calories.

I did something to pamper myself after work Tuesday. I NEVER pamper myself and while this sounds like an every day event I got my hair cut. I received a style that I really didn't like last July. I have been letting it grow out and just never stopped to get it trimmed. Now that it’s falling out, it was starting to look unhealthy and I was no longer proud of what I consider my best asset. It looks and feels so much better and I’m amazed at how much better I feel about myself. A new do for a new me.

I’m really excited to see the 1.6 lb loss this morning. During my initial weight loss period in 2002 – 2003, I averaged losing a pound a day for the first 70 lbs and then it backed off to a pound every other day or so. I’m interested to see if I can stick to this and if I’ll consistently average a pound per day again. I'm not expecting those kinds of results the second time around though it would be nice. It’s really hot again today but I intend to add some activity to my day; taking stairs instead of elevator, walking around the block a few times, and maybe even a walk after work with my husband. 

I’m having fun with this and can’t wait to see what today brings.

Thanks for coming along.

Angie

Starting Over... Day 2

Monday was a good day. I wish all Mondays were like this one. It was Memorial Day and we had the day off. We started the morning with our daily turkey, egg, and four cheese Mexican blend scramble.

Turkey, Egg, 4 Cheese Scramble for One

           You can save calories by using Pam instead of butter. If you have a digital kitchen scale, use it for this until you can recognize an ounce of each on sight.

1 small pat unsalted butter (less than ¼” thick)

1 oz lean thin sliced deli turkey breast (I use Hillshire Farm oven baked), roughly chopped

1 oz shredded 4 cheese Mexican blend

1 large egg

Melt the butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Toss in the turkey breast and cook, stirring occasionally just until the edges start to turn a light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Crack the egg directly in the pan and begin stirring immediately. Stir constantly until the egg is cooked through but not dry. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Allow scramble to sit in the pan, off the heat, until the cheese is completely melted. Serve immediately or pack to stay warm. (I increase the eggs to 3 and the turkey to 2 oz during the week and we split it between us. We pack this every morning and eat them when we get to work.)

Nutrition:

Calories:  240

Total Fat:  16.3 g

Saturated Fat:  8.6 g

Cholesterol:  241 mg

Carbohydrates: 3.1 g

Sodium:  840 mg

Sugars:  1.4 g

Protein: 19.8 g

I know it’s a lot of fat, cholesterol, and sodium. I’m looking for a good quality reduced sodium turkey and cheese but I can only find reduced fat. We’ve been eating 2 eggs every morning for several years and our cholesterol hovers around 140. I’m ok with the nutritional information here.

After breakfast we went outside, worked in one of the flower/herb beds, mowed the yard, and grilled enough meat for a few days.  This stupor that I’ve been stuck in has kept us inside the past couple of summers.  It felt great to be in the sun, digging in the dirt, and working together to actually accomplish a goal. It was a really good day.

We finally grilled for the first time this season. We grilled (4) Hebrew National Jumbo Beef Franks, (2) Hamburgers made out fresh ground chuck from a local butcher, Guinness Extra Stout, and Low Sodium Worcestershire, (4) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and (4) boneless pork loin chops, both marinated in Lowry’s Tuscan Sundried Tomato 30 minute marinade, over night of course, and both also from our local butcher. Throw in a pound of asparagus tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a head of garlic, and white onion wedges. I go into that much detail because quality has become a major factor in our food choices. One of the early post op habits that we continue today is chewing each bite until it’s mush. You become very aware of and develop an appreciation for texture. If food has random crunchy or rubbery bits, you know like bone, cartilage, silver skin, fibrous tissue, egg shells, unidentifiable debris, we notice it immediately and it completely ruins the meal.  After trying multiple brands we found that higher quality, fresher foods have little if any grit to destroy a beautiful dish. I admit it is more expensive but we don’t throw away near as much food as we did on lesser quality products. Watch for sales, coupons, and The Choppin Block, our local butcher who only sells All Natural meats in Choice grade or higher, runs specials on Tuesdays. The final price ends up being close to that of cheaper quality meats at the grocery.

(Disclaimer: I notice I’m using “we” a lot when this blog is supposed to be about me. My husband is my best friend.  And even though I am the only one experiencing excessive weight gain, our surgeries were only 14 months apart and we still share every aspect of our lives, including this adventure.)

We snacked on hot dogs (1 for each of us) while the other meat cooked and we continued to clean out the flower/herb bed. Dinner was a burger, 1/2 cup asparagus, a few cloves of garlic, and a TBSP of roasted onions.  Throw in a couple of South Beach Meal Replacement Bars throughout the day and a handful of berries and I was 83 calories over where WebMD wants me to be. That’s when the day went downhill.

A few weeks ago we discovered mini cupcakes made with Pillsbury Sugar Free Yellow Cake Mix. My darling husband has been asking me for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins for months so I made them tonight. It was really simple;   just add a small packet of Sugar Free Lemon Instant Pudding and 1/4 cup poppy seeds to the cake mix before adding the ingredients on the box. Even though it’s sugar free, each mini muffin is 62.5 calories. Before I was done, I had popped 3 in my mouth, along with a handful of blueberries and blackberries tossed with Splenda and Sumner Crest Tennessee Blackberry wine. I overestimated the amount of berries to account for the tablespoon of wine but WebMD now has my calories for the day at 1625, 324 calories above their goal of 1301 and a whopping 425 calories above my personal goal of 1200. That’s 128 calories more than I ate yesterday. The goal was to reduce my calories while maintaining the protein, not the other way around. I’m only 2 days into this but that 1200 calories is being elusive.

So here are my stats for today:

Open RNY Gastric Bypass: 10/22/2002

Highest Weight: 356

Weight at Surgery: 306

Lowest Weight: 156

Highest Recorded Weight Gain: 238

Weight on 05/29/2011: 224

Weight on 05/30/2011: 221.8

Weight on 05/31/2011: 221.4 (Total loss since 05/29/11 - 2.6 lbs)

WebMD                     Personal                   Actual

Calories:         1301                          1200                        1625 (Are you kidding me?)

Protein:           46 grams                  100 grams                95.2 grams (Less than Sunday)

Total Carbs:    130 grams                 50 grams                 111.3 grams (A little less than Sunday)

Sugars:           25 grams                   20 grams                  27 grams (Almost the same as Sunday)

So with less protein and less carbs, where are the calories coming from? I still lost .4 lb which is good for one day but it also tells me that 1625 is too high. The Hebrew National Beef Frank is 275 calories and the hamburger is 345 calories. Those two items also account for 43 grams of protein. The South Beach bars add 12 grams of protein and 180 calories each. With protein comes additional calories. Interesting…

So what have I learned so far after day 2?

-      Protein = calories. If I’m going to watch my calories, I need to find alternative, lower calorie sources of protein.

-        I now understand what the disclaimer “not a reduced calorie food” really means.

-       Making a treat for the husband is not always the best idea

-      Be conscious of the food on my plate, concentrate on what I’m eating, and chew gum while cooking. Grazing is always a bad idea.

I’m really getting excited about what the week has in store. “Information is the mortar that builds and destroys empires” (Tobsha Learner, The Witch of Cologne) The same could be said about any aspect of our lives. The information I am gathering about what I eat and how food alone affects my weight can either help me succeed or give me an excuse to give up. I am reaching for success.

Until tomorrow...

Angie

Starting Over.. Again

I apologize for being MIA the past several months. I lost sight of the purpose of this blog and almost abandoned it but as is typical, life caught up to me. It’s been a very stressful year and a half with the worst of it being the last 8 or 9 months. It was easy to fall back to old eating habits. I was eating what I wanted, when I wanted, dumping and vomiting be damned. I was on food and lifestyle autopilot. Then a series of events in April woke me from my stupor. A personal situation came to a head and had to be confronted and I’m not sure which was worse but over the course of two days, a coworker snapped some pictures of me. I cried. To be honest, I saw some pictures of myself from my high school reunion last July and even though I was embarrassed by how much weight I had gained, autopilot was too well engaged and it wasn’t enough to snap me out of it. The timing on these pictures was perfect because the fog was already starting to lift. Moral: Don’t stop taking pictures. They keep you honest and give you a visual confirmation of how you’re really doing.

The first clue that something was amiss was my hair started falling out in late Winter. I admit I have been letting it grow out and haven’t gotten it cut in way too long.  I wanted the hair loss to be normal seasonal shedding but it just kept falling out. Thankfully I have really thick curly hair and losing it just makes it behave better but I have honestly gotten scared. Then when the pictures came out, it was the punch in the gut that I needed. I immediately came home and threw away anything that I thought was derailing me. What I love about having this surgery is that it only takes a few diet and lifestyle changes to get the weight loss going again. In a matter of 30 days I lost 22 lbs and even more hair. (I honestly let my guard down last week and found that I gained back 6 of the 22 lbs. Another eye-opener)

Side Bar: I have to say that probably the most important catalyst of clearing the fog was confronting my personal demons, both physically and psychologically. I know that the original weight gain the first 30 years of my life was in response to an abusive childhood and the regain was my brain’s way of dealing with similar situation with a coworker. When an unrelated situation came to head and I had to actually deal with it, it finally clicked that I am now strong enough to deal with anything that comes my way and my health doesn’t need to be the casualty. I couldn’t say the same thing just 5 years ago. I also had 10 years of therapy as a foundation. If your brain is keeping you from success, please seek professional help. You deserve to be the healthiest person possible, both physically and emotionally.

So I started doing research on the hair loss. I was able to control the hair loss the first time around and while I remembered it had something to do with protein, I couldn’t remember all the details. I also started looking for other WLS patients that are more than 5 years post op. I’m almost 9 years post op and while support groups for new patients are fabulous, they helped me through my first year, they don’t answer some of the questions I have now about long term effects. This is when I found the WebMD Healthy Eating and Diet Section, the WebMD Diet Community, and the WebMD Food and Fitness Planner. I know there are other communities and food trackers out there but this one is easy to use and it tracks the nutritional information I need like Calories, Protein, Carbohydrates, and Sugars. The Diet Community is not very active but there is good information there if you take the time to look for it. I’m still searching for a more active community so if anyone has any suggestions please post them in the comments.

So my brain is in the right place and I’m motivated. Motivation is really hard for me to maintain; if it weren’t, I wouldn’t be suffering from morbid obesity… again…. As embarrassing as they are, here are my stats:

Open RNY Gastric Bypass: 10/22/2002

Highest Weight: 356

Weight at Surgery: 306

Lowest Weight: 156

Highest Recorded Weight Gain: 238

Weight on 05/29/2011: 224

Weight on 05/30/2011: 221.8

Based on a suggestion from the WebMD Diet Community expert, I logged every bite I took yesterday. I can never stick to a food log so I’m only obligating myself to 1 week. The goal is to see just how healthy my current eating habits are and where I can make changes. I also read a suggestion that said to weigh yourself every day so you can see how eating and activity the day before effects your weight and how you feel. I deal with a lot of water retention and don’t know if it’s diet or medication. I hope to find a pattern. It’s hard to find nutritional guidelines online for those of us this far post op so here is what WebMD says I should be eating, what my personal goals are based on a combination of first year post op diets and familiarity with my own body, and how I did after day 1 of logging my food.

WebMD                      Personal                    Actual

Calories:          1301                           1200                         1497 (YIKES)

Protein:            46 grams                    100 grams               108.7 grams (WOOHOO)

Total Carbs:    130 grams                  50 grams                 115.2 grams (HOLY CRAP)

Sugars:             25 grams                    20 grams                 26.3 grams (Could be better)

So as you can see, I have some things to work on. Since this blog is supposed to be my journey living with Weight Loss Surgery, what better way to use this space than to document my struggle and eventual success?  I plan to come in every day for at least the next week and talk about this learning experience I am embarking on. I am tired of feeling “fat”, of having little or no energy, of living with the pain of fibromyalgia (another post for another time), and of this “autopilot” that has taken over. I made the decision 10 years ago to completely change my life and it’s time to let this tool do its job. I hope you decide to join me on this journey and I look forward to your comments and suggestions.


Here we go! Are you coming along?


Angie

                

Pumpkin Truffle Cake

This is a recipe I came up with a few years ago and it's now a staple around here during the holidays. It has a lot more sugar than recipes I normally make but it's worth it. My husband says it tastes like one of those big, soft gingerbread men dipped in chocolate from Godiva. When I made it to write down the measurements, I would have taken a picture but a wedge came up missing before I could get to the camera. I hope you try it and enjoy it.

PUMPKIN TRUFFLE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix

3/4 cup sugar or Splenda

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

4 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°. Using the microwave, melt 4 ounces of chocolate in a medium bowl. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine pumpkin, oil, water, and spices. Mix on low until smooth. Gradually add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add sugar or Splenda and cake mix and mix until thoroughly combined. Remove 1 cup of cake batter and mix with the melted chocolate. Pour 1/2 cake batter into a greased Bundt pan. Add all of the chocolate batter mixture, using a rubber spatula to ensure even coverage. Top with second 1/2 of the cake batter. Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto a platter and refrigerate until chilled.

Ganache

8 oz. good quality chocolate, semisweet or bittersweet (I use 1/2 of each)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 T. unsalted butter

If using solid bars of chocolate, chop chocolate into small pieces and place in glass or metal bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook cream, butter, and vanilla until a slow boil forms. Pour cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes without stirring. After 5 minutes, stir cream and chocolate together until mixture is thick and glossy. Pour ganache over cake like a glaze. Work quickly because the chocolate will get thicker as it cools. Refrigerate cake until ganache is set.

Note: To reduce the amount of sugar in this cake, use Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Yellow Cake Mix and Splenda. You can also use baker's unsweetened chocolate in the filling but you may need to add more Splenda to the filling mixture as well.

Low Carb Lifestyle

I am constantly fascinated by the quality and quantity of blogs available on the internet. I am also fascinated by the crappy information passed off as fact. Lowcarbblogs.net falls in the area of quality information available. After having weight loss surgery, we were told by our doctor that the best diet to follow to insure weight loss success consisted of high protein and very little carbohydrates. This diet plan worked great for awhile and it was only after adding carbohydrates back into our diet that we began to gain weight. Maintaining a low carbohydrate lifestyle can be challenging when you are bombarded with nutritionists, doctors, talk shows, grocery stores, and commercials that constantly remind you that whole grains should be the basis of and proteins limited in any food plan. The more I read, the more I understand just how wrong this is, especially for those of us with a modified gastric system. Quality blogs like Lowcarbblogs.net are a great source of information and ideas for creating and maintaining a lifestyle that is right for you. No, I am not receiving anything, nor was I asked to endorse this website but after reading the posted articles and blog lists, I felt that it would only benefit all of us if I passed it along. Take a few minutes to check this out. You won't regret it.

I have finally made the decision

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted anything since May. Wow how time flies. We've had a fairly uneventful Summer except for finding out that there are 35 wineries in the State of Tennessee. Who knew? We have visited a couple so far and plan to visit all 35. I don't know how long it will take but we're going to do it eventually. I'll post some links and talk more about that later.

So what decision have I finally made? I'm going to write a cookbook. I've started on the first set of recipes and the concept is a work in progress. I thought however that I would go ahead and post the first few pages. What I have done is taken a regular run of the mill Oatmeal Cookie recipe and turned it into several variations. I hope you notice that all of these start with the same base and that it only takes a few ingredients to turn a traditional recipe into something your friends and family will ask for over and over again.   All of these cookies contain ingredients for both a regular recipe and a reduced sugar recipe. I have yet to come up with a way to make chewy, indulgent cookies without the aid of brown sugar. If I finally find something that works, you'll be the first to know.

So on with the recipes. Please give me your feedback, I look forward to it.

OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda, and cinnamon. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda, and cinnamon. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softenedd

3 oz unsweetened Baker’s chocolate, melted

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat just until combined. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

TWICE THE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 oz unsweetened Baker’s chocolate

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat just until combined. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

INDULGENT CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 oz unsweetened Baker’s chocolate

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat just until combined. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the white chocolate chips and chopped cranberries. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

TRAIL MIX COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1-1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup milled flax seed

2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds

1-1/2 cup any combination of raisins, dried apricots roughly chopped, dried cranberries roughly chopped, toasted walnuts roughly chopped, dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats, wheat germ, flax seed, and sesame seeds. Fold in the raisins, apricots, cranberries, walnuts, and/or chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.