December 4

#FeelGooder: Easy Chocolate and Roasted Cashew Almond Cookies

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I am insanely busy.

I know a lot of you relate. Work. Family. School. Homes. Friends. Pets. Whatever.

Responsibilities come at us from all sides, all the time.

So what? That’s life, right?

But the busy-busy-buzz doesn’t need to be the whole of life!

We talk a lot about taking care of your body. But it’s vital to care for your spirit, too! Strength on one side of the equation supports the other.

One thing I have to remind myself as an insanely busy person: self-care doesn’t distract from accomplishment. Self-care makes goal-oriented effort way more efficient.

I already feel good. But I want to #FeelGooder!

Six of my Favorite Ways to #FeelGooder

    1. Daily practice. I have always sucked at meditation. I can do visualizations well enough if they’re not too long, but the old-school, “clear-the-mind and just be” meditations have never been my forte. So I’ve taken half an hour a day to set aside for meditation and made it SACRED. And you know what? Daily practice has made a tremendous difference. Make a sacred space in your life for self-care, and practice it daily.
    2. Snuggle minutes. I get great joy from loving on my cats–them, perhaps not as much. A hug from my husband makes everything better—even if nothing was wrong to begin with. I stop what I’m doing several times a day to just snuggle a minute. Consciously spend time savoring loving feelings.

      Thor
      Thor the Warrior Kitten has had ENOUGH of the hugs!
    3. Nature breaks. I spend less time outside in cold weather, but even then I steal a minute or two on the front porch, with coffee and sometimes a little treat. Nature breaks are my favorite way to clear my head. Enjoy time outside.
    4. Sleep! I long ago learned that if I give my body adequate rest, everything goes better. Get enough rest.
    5. Mindful indulgences. I look for smart, perfectly simple ways to indulge myself. It doesn’t need to be expensive. Colorful ink pens and a crisp, clean journal. Reading time. Socks warm from the dryer. Fuzzy pants and silly slippers and leave me ridiculously comfy and content. Being fully present and attending to small pleasures and everyday, happy moments, joy is amplified. I think of this as “mindful indulgence.” Engage in your own mindful indulgence.
      mindful indlugences
      Slouch socks are “so 80’s,” my kids admonish. “So am I!” I reply.
      Journaling
      Disposable fountain pens in bright colors = bestest invention ever!

      IMG_4757
      Of course I have a rainbow leopard print Kindle cover. Duh!
    6. Cookies! Yes, I love cookies. But I don’t want to trash my self-care vibe with a whole bunch of junk, so I’m particular about my cookies. The cookies below have officially made number 6 on my list, as of now. Have some healthy cookies.

Actually, I’ve had a hankering for cookies for quite a while, but I don’t like fussy-to-make cookies. I’d been thinking about some putting together some simple, almond flour cookies.

And I just got the opportunity to try out these Roasted Cashew and Dark Chocolate Bars. The bars are a smidge higher carb than I would usually have outside of weight maintenance (and I am outside of weight maintenance, unfortunately), so breaking the bar up allowed me to totally savor the decadent flavor without adding more carbs than fit my personal targets–and added a perfect touch to dress up my cookies. Win-win!

#FeelGooder: Easy Chocolate and Roasted Cashew Almond Cookies 1

Easy Chocolate Cashew Almond Cookies

Do you love cookies with a bit of chocolatey goodness on top? I do!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: almond flour cookies, atkins bars, cashew bars
Servings: 6
Calories: 164kcal
Author: Dixie Vogel

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup Erythritol
  • 1 dash salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 Perfectly Simple Roasted Cashew and Dark Chocolate Bar (chopped into 12 pieces - Coupon Here)
  • 1 dash liquid sweetener

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Cream flour, salt, sweetener and butter together well. Taste dough for sweetness and add additional sweetener, dry or liquid Stevia or liquid sucralose (or even sugar-free maple syrup), as needed.
  • Mix in egg well.
  • The dough was sticky. You can add a small amount of almond flour if it just seems too wet to work with.
  • Use scant-ish teaspoons to make 12 cookies on baking mats or parchment paper.
  • Dip fork tines in almond flour (to prevent sticking) and press flat. These really don't spread a lot, so get them the size and shape you want.

  • Add pieces from the ZonePerfect Perfectly Simple bar on top of each cookie.
  • Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to brown.
  • Cool a little and eat!

Recipe Notes

I'd planned to include vanilla but forgot it. Tasted fine without but I'm sure it would be good, too. I used some liquid Stevia and Sucralose to boost up the sweetness because I like sweet cookies.
These are more chewy when cool, but extra delicious warm. I popped a couple in the microwave to enjoy with my coffee. Yum!
The bar is adding about 1 net carb per cookie so if you don't include it or use something else, you can figure your nutritional info accordingly.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Chocolate Cashew Almond Cookies
Amount Per Serving (2 cookies)
Calories 164 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 119mg5%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Protein 12g24%
Net Carbs 9
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Made this? Show it off!Follow @lowcarbzen & tag it #lczen.
almond cookies
Perfect warm from the oven.
almond cookies
These barely lasted long enough for the picture. Definitely left me feeling gooder.

How do you help yourself “Feel Gooder”?

You can get a coupon for ZonePerfect’s Perfectly Simple Nutrition Bars here. There are several flavors, but featured in this recipe is the VERY delicious Roasted Cashew and Dark Chocolate!


About the author...

Zen Goddess

Just a regular gal who found she feels better eating low carb.

Tags

Chocolate, Cookies, Meditation, Snack Bars, Sponsored, Zen, ZonePerfect


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