Superfood Cookies

I got a package in the mail today!  My order from iherb finally arrived! Last week I ordered Maca Powder, Chia Seeds, and Chocolate Rice Protein from iherb. I’ve been seeing the chia seeds and maca powder all over the blogosphere so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try them myself.

FYI:

Maca Powder
According to iherb, “Studies have identified four alkaloids present in maca known to nourish the endocrine system. Maca root has been used as a stress-fighting adaptogen to increase stamina, boost libido and combat fatigue. Maca is a nutrient-dense whole food packed with vitamins, plant sterols as well as many essential minerals, fatty and amino acids.”

Suggested Uses:	Benefits
Smoothies, Shakes and Tea	Adaptogen
Granola, Cereal and Yogurt	Amino Acids
Energy Bars	Essential Minerals

Chia Seeds
“Chia is an excellent vegetarian sources of omega fatty acids, an easily digestible form of protein and full of minerals, vitamins and soluble fiber. It contains more natural antioxidants than flaxseed, making it more stable.”

Suggested Uses:	Benefits
Smoothies	Dietary Fiber
Salad and Stir Fry	Protein
Cereals	Omega Fatty Acids

I wanted rice protein since the whey protein I used to drink was bothering my stomach after runs. I can’t wait to try this one out! I put the maca powder to use already by making a batch of Superfood Cookies! I found the recipe on Runner’s Kitchen and I had almost everything it called for, but I had to make a few substitutions. I also made a big mistake when mixing up the ingredients…

Here’s what I put in:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup teff flour whole wheat flour
  
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour all purpose flour
  
• 2 Tbs ground flax
• 2 Tbs maca powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbs white sugar
• 1/4 cup smart balance (or butter)
• 1 egg (or to make vegan - whisk 1 Tbs flax with 3 Tbs water)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (I added these in)

Instead of mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately and then stirring them together, I mixed everything at once! Oops! It was WAY too dry and I thought the batter was ruined! But then I found a cup of unsweetened apple sauce and added it to the dry mixture and it saved the day!!! Woohoo!

The cookies came out really moist and yummy. The bonus is that they are healthy and taste great too. I would definitely make them again!

Okay, I’m off to do some Yoga Meltdown. Have a good night!

Bash Bish Falls

Yesterday after my 8 mile run, I came home and my sister told me she wanted to go hiking. I was totally up for it, since I love the outdoors and I need more hiking trips in my life. She did some research and wanted to check out Bash Bish Falls in Mount Washington, Massachusetts. The hike to the falls is only a half mile out and back, so a one mile easy hike seemed totally doable, even after using up most of my energy during my earlier run.

It only took about an hour to get there. It is interesting because the hike starts out in Copake Falls in Taconic State Park (which is in New York State) and on the trail you cross into Mass! It’s pretty awesome.

My sister and I also discovered that this park has cabins for camping right across the creek! It was so cool, I would love to camp there sometime! Seeing the cabins made me miss camping.

Eventually we ended up at the falls! It was gorgeous!

There were actually people swimming in the water under the falls, even though there were signs posted all over the place that said swimming was prohibited. A couple of young guys even  JUMPED from the top into the water. They were CRAZY!

It was such a lovely day. It was pretty hot and humid though, so a swim would have been really nice. Too bad we didn’t bring our bathing suits!

The trail was an easy hike. There were people walking it in flip flops! I felt over-prepared with my hiking boots and camelback. I did enjoy wearing my new boots though! They were comfy for the short hike.

We spent about an hour total walking to and from the falls. It was nice to spend some time with my sister!

As soon as we got into the car and drove out of the parking lot, it started sprinkling. We timed that hike perfect. It then started to lightning and thunder and we were driving through a downpour! We could hardly see out the window to drive down the narrow dirt roads. Thank God for GPS! We ended up pulling over near a General Store to wait out the downpour.

Imaging if were still on the trail during that? Eeek.

Eventually it cleared out and we headed home. It sure was an adventure!

I came home, exhausted, sweaty, and starving. I wanted to keep dinner simple and healthy. I toasted a sandwich thin and threw some roasted veggie bruschetta and shredded cheese on it. It was sooo delicious and satisfying. For dessert I had some of my mom’s five cup salad and some Edy’s light ice cream. Yum!