Cream together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
Mix in eggs, one at a time, vanilla, sea salt, and baking soda.
Gradually mix in flour.
Mix in chocolate chips, Rolos and pecan halves.
Scoop dough by heaping tablespoons. Sprinkle the tops of the cookie dough balls with sea salt (just a small pinch for each one).
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-13 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Some caramel may ooze out.
Let cool on pan before transferring to wire rack.
It’s the middle of December and holiday celebrations are already in full swing. This time of year comes with so much joy and excitement, but to be honest also can be loaded with guilt, in particular, food guilt. We can be pressured to eat a certain way around the holidays—only having one very small piece of dessert, saying no to second helpings, “healthifying” different recipes, etc. Or some may have the complete opposite mentality and feel like “well I already blew it by eating this slice of pie, I’m going to indulge in everything from now until the new year, then I’ll start my diet”. But what if we tried something new this year? What if instead of feeling pressured and stressed and guilty about family dinners and holiday get-togethers, we created a way to feel empowered and good about ourselves and what we eat?
Here are some things to keep in mind this holiday season to enjoy family, friends, and food and what is really most important this time of year.
1. What you eat every day matters more than what you eat around the holidays. Drop the mentality that indulging in sweets and treats around the holidays makes you or your diet unhealthy. If you stick to a general healthful eating pattern throughout the year, it’s not going to have detrimental effects on your health if you eat more cookies or drink more eggnog around the holidays. There will be times you can’t make your usual healthy choices, and that’s okay. If you overindulge around the holidays, accept that you did it and move on!
2. You are in control of your choices. You can decide how much food to eat, and that decision should be based on listening to your body. Intuitive eating methods such as paying attention to hunger and fullness cues can help avoid overeating to the point of feeling “bloated” or “stuffed”.
3. Eat when you are hungry, not when you are feeling emotional. Holidays can also, unfortunately, bring on stress or feelings of sadness and loneliness. This can trigger people to overeat. Food can put a Band-Aid on these feelings, but it does not fix the problem in the long-run. Take time to learn what works best for you, whether it’s calling a friend, going for a walk, meditating or something else. Make self-care a priority!
4. You deserve it. You deserve to take pleasure in food—it is usually part of the traditions celebrated during the holiday season and some of our best memories often involve food. Enjoy decorating and eating those sugar cookies, enjoy Mom’s very best mashed potatoes, enjoy those candy-coated pretzels. You can enjoy every bite of a reasonable portion without regret or shame.
This holiday season I encourage you to not be bogged down by guilty feelings related to food, but instead focus on all the great things in your life and the people around you.
Have a wonderful holiday season everyone!
If you plan to do some holiday baking (or maybe you are way ahead of me on this already and are done haha), add this cookie recipe to the mix! Santa will thank you!
Ingredients
Directions
Cream together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
Mix in eggs, one at a time, vanilla, sea salt, and baking soda.
Gradually mix in flour.
Mix in chocolate chips, Rolos and pecan halves.
Scoop dough by heaping tablespoons. Sprinkle the tops of the cookie dough balls with sea salt (just a small pinch for each one).
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-13 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Some caramel may ooze out.
Let cool on pan before transferring to wire rack.