gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies

Ya'll.

I'm not gonna lie.
I'm a little sad Valentine's Day is over.
My boy really spoiled me this year!
Not to mention, the chocolates, cupcakes, and cookies that were flowing all day long.

I may have gained a pound or two in the process, but I'd say V-day this year was a total success.

And how do you top off a day that includes not one but two dates with your lover, complete with a surprise chocolate and dozen roses delivery?

Well, with the most amazing gluten-free cookies I've ever baked.
Of course.

These cookies are nothing short of amazing.
If you're into the whole chewy-gooey-have-to-eat-them-over-a-plate-so-the-chocolate-doesn't-get-on-your-clothes thing.

Which I totally am.

I found this recipe via Pinterest {of course}, and I think it's the one recipe I've ever found there that I haven't had to tweak.

Is it just me, or are Pinterest recipes always just a tad bit off?

I followed this one verbatim {aside from adding a tiny bit more vanilla...vanilla extract and I have an ongoing love affair - don't tell Mexican food!} and they turned out exactly the way I was hoping they would.
Thus ending Valentine's Day with the chocolate-y bang it deserved.

original recipe via

Things you'll need:

1 cup creamy peanut butter {I used reduced fat Great Value creamy, and it worked like a charm! Read the original recipe for her thoughts on why using natural peanut butter isn't necessarily ideal}

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

6 oz. Baker's chocolate, chopped {I used semi-sweet - feel free to use dark, bittersweet, or even white if you're feeling crazy! - also, you can sub 1 cup of chocolate chips if you're not into the chopping, although I do recommend it...there's nothing better than huge chunks of chocolate, am I right?}

Add peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized mixing bowl, and beat with electric hand mixer until well blended.

Add baking soda, and mix.

Roughly chop your chocolate of choice, and stir gently to incorporate.

I forgot to take a picture of this because, let's be honest, chocolate gets me excited.

But I will say this - 6 ounces of roughly chopped chunks looks like a lot for this small batch of dough.

And some of the chunks may fall out when you're spooning out your cookies.

So the best thing to do is roll the cookie balls in your hand to force the chunks to stay in.

It's totally worth it.

Lightly spray pan with cooking spray, and form cookie balls {however large you want! I went on the medium to large size - go big or go home, ya know}.

Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

I did mine for 7 minutes because my oven gets really hot, and they were absolutely perfect.

Let them cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes before you try to move them.

You want the edges to be just done enough to hold the cookie in place.

The middles of mine were still doughy, which {after cooled} made for a gooey, delicious center.

These spread out while baking, as most cookies do.

However, the original baker recommends chilling the dough for at least two hours if you want a thicker, puffier cookie.

So, naturally, I saved half the dough, wrapped it in clear plastic wrap, and stuck in the fridge for this weekend.

I just know Joe and I are going to want more peanut butter chocolate-y goodness to go with our usual Shark Tank and wine Friday night.

I know, we sound crazy fun.

What did you all do for Valentine's Day?

Tell me everything!

love love love

picture via

Happy Valentine's Day, lovelies!

I am on cloud nine today, totally in love with this day of love.

So far today I've shared homemade treats with my coworkers, had a lunch date at Uncle Maddio's with Joe, and had chocolate and flowers delivered to me at work!

And I even managed to hit the gym before work and not complain about it.

{Miraculous, I know.}

All the more reason to indulge in all the wine and desserts later tonight, right?

I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with a recipe for some flour/oil/butter-less cookies I'm trying out tonight.

Fingers crossed they turn out.

In the meantime, enjoy your day and tell your loved ones how happy and grateful you are to have them all in your life.

Hope everyone's day is filled with as much love and chocolate as you can bear!

the great green smoothie experiment - volume 1

This week is one of those week's where I get my butt in gear because it recently dawned on me that spring is literally a month away.
Someone in the abyss of social media tools we use posted something like "36 days til' spring" and bam.
Back in the gym, I went.

I've been wanting to jump on the green smoothie bandwagon for awhile now.

Well, if I'm being honest, I was leaning more towards the green juice route.
But when your juicer sounds like a rocket lifting off into space when it's being used, it's hard to make fresh juice when your boyfriend gets to sleep until after you leave every morning.

He'll just have to live with a blender waking him up instead.

Hey, it's for the greater {healthy} good, okay?!

I'm going to be honest with you though.
I'm not a green smoothie expert.
This morning was my first attempt, which is why I feel like calling this "the great green smoothie experiment" is warranted.
Because I will absolutely be experimenting with more recipes than just this one.
And, duh, I'll share them along the way.

However, I think for a first attempt this turned out pretty darn good.

Here's what I used:
*pictures missing thus far, as this was an impromptu post. Soon to be added, of course :)

1 cup water
2 handfuls frozen fruit - I used a mix of strawberries, mango, and pineapple
1/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2-1 cup almond milk
1-2 cups spinach

1. Put water and fruit in blender first.
2. Add yogurt.
3. Use enough almond milk to just cover everything.
4. Top with spinach, and blend!
5. When the fruit is blended, tap the 'liquify' button a few times to help smooth out the spinach.

And enjoy!

My green smoothie inspiration came from my dear friend and coworker, Tiffany, who is a little more seasoned in her smoothie-making as she's been doing these for a few weeks now.
Her method involves filling her blender halfway with spinach and liquifying it with water before adding any fruit or extra ingredients.

If you don't have a great blender, this might be a better way to go about it.
Personally, my blender hated liquifying at the end, so I'll definitely be trying Tiff's method tomorrow morning.

How's everyone's week going?
It's almost Valentine's Day, which happens to be one of my very favorite holidays, so this week is going smoothly for me so far!

I know, I know.
95% of people hate V-day, blah blah.
I'm sorry, but I love the idea of dedicating a day to telling people how we feel about them...
because let's be honest, we should do it everyday, but we don't.
So if we need to dedicate one day a year to love {whatever kind it may be}, then I say let's embrace it!

Plus, I am and always will be a hopeless romantic.

Anyone have any fun plans for Thursday?
Or any good smoothie recipes?

:)

friday things

1. I forgot to tell you guys about last Friday when we were supposed to go to the Salt Factory Pub.  Well, there was a pretty long wait because everyone forgot to mention how totally adorable downtown Roswell is and how obviously it's the cutest place to have a date night ever.  Seriously, all of the little shops and restaurants and twinkly lights...like something out of a movie.

Long story short, we ended up at NINE Street Kitchen and it was great!  I had the most delicious spicy chicken salad {that was actually spicy - I can't tell you how much I hate when people say something is spicy and it's not} with chipotle-honey dressing.  Nom.

Oh yeah...and there was live music.

Overall I'd give it a 10 solely on atmosphere alone.  I'm a sucker for cute, trendy date spots. Can't help it.

2.  I made this awesome spicy buffalo chicken pizza last night.  Why have I not always been putting cayenne pepper on my pizzas?  Apparently spicy is the theme of the day here.

3.  I haven't touched on this yet, but today is Joe's last day at his current job.  Next week he's on to bigger and better things, and I for one couldn't be more excited!  We've dealt with a lot of stress for the last 8 or 9 months {moreso him, obviously}, and I can't wait to actually have peaceful dinners and spend time together after work without him having to cut things short to work the night away.

So basically what I'm saying is congratulations, my love!  I can't wait to see what this next chapter brings!

4.  I've gotten back into the routine of making smoothies for breakfast.  Anyone have any good mixtures they'd like to share?  As of now I've been using frozen mixed fruit {strawberries, peaches, pineapple, mango}, almond milk, and a scoop of peanut butter.  Not gonna lie, the peanut butter tastes a little funky with the mango.  In my opinion, anyway.  I just can't get the balance right.

5.  Someone please tell me how to wake up early and go to the gym.  I set my alarm three times this week to do it and, surprise surprise, I turned said alarm off all three times.  And that was after getting 8-9 hours of sleep!  Help.

6.  I'm almost ashamed to bring this up...but it wouldn't be a Friday if I didn't discuss some kind of trashy television.  Please tell me I'm not the only one that's been watching Buckwild on MTV?  Okay, I realize I'm a grown woman and I shouldn't find it this interesting...but it's like a train wreck that I can't look away from.  Seriously.  It's almost like I'm in disbelief.

I'll consider myself judged.

What are ya'll up to this weekend?

I plan on relaxing, celebrating Joe's new job, doing a little Valentine's shopping, and hopefully pressuring our friends into finally trying Chuy's with us.
I keep hearing great things but still haven't made it over there, and I'm determined to go while it's still two minutes from my apartment.
Also, I obviously need some creamy jalapeno sauce in my life.

Let's just call it "testing new sauces for recipe inspiration."

Rationalization - complete.

spicy roasted red potatoes

Recently I've been making some very repetitive dinners.

Not on purpose...it just keeps happening.

Last Monday I made BBQ chicken and roasted potatoes.

One of my go-to easy dinners when I'm feeling lazy...

Which, lets be honest, is a lot of the time.

Then Tuesday rolled around, when Joe requested I make the exact same dinner as Monday.

Now, this isn't a horrible thing.

It's kind of flattering actually.

And also a little relieving because I don't know what else I'd do with this 10 pound bag of red potatoes I got at Costco.

I can't help it.

I'm a buy-in-bulk junkie now.

Anyway, I tried to lay off the potatoes for the rest of the week and was successful until last night, when I decided to bring them back in full force.

They're just too good.

Things you'll need:

10-15 red potatoes, diced

1/3 cup olive oil

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

dash of oregano

dash of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash and dice your potatoes.

Spread them out evenly on a baking pan.

I didn't use cooking spray because I ran out, but it would probably be helpful to spray your pan a little beforehand.

Despite the oil used, mine still tend to get stuck a little.

Cover potatoes with olive oil and toss to coat.

Make sure they're good and covered.

Then sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano, and cayenne pepper on top.

Don't be shy with the pepper or cayenne!

This is the best part, I promise.

{One time I forgot to close the big flap on the pepper and put extremely too much, and that batch ended up getting a ton of compliments...so don't worry too much about over peppering!}

Toss and make sure they're all coated well.

Bake on 425 for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through so both sides can brown.

Et voila!

Quite possibly the simplest side dish you can make for dinner that doesn't come out of a box.

Besides stirfry vegetables, which are also a huge contender at our place.

I usually serve these with pan-fried or baked BBQ chicken as an alternative to greasy french fries.

I've also done them more oregano-heavy and sans cayenne and served them with Italian chicken.

Last night, we had them with leftover pulled pork sliders from Sunday...

Cute, right?

Foods in mini form are my favorite.

fruity white sangria

Today I have something very near and dear to my heart to share with you all.

If you know me at all, you probably know I'm a huge fan of wine.
Any and all wine, really.
So it shouldn't be a shock that I'm also in love with sangria.

It all started last May when I was graduating.
Joe's sister, Ashley, came to Atlanta to stay with us for a few days and help me celebrate properly.
She had been telling me for months that she had learned how to make sangria, so what better a time to show me the ropes than my last day ever of final exams?

She knows me so well.

And once she taught me how to make this, there was no stopping me.
All summer long it was just a given that I'd be taking a jug of sangria to any party/tailgate/random day at the pool that I was invited to.

Things you'll need {for one large pitcher}:

1 lemon, sliced

1 lime, sliced

1 green or red apple, diced

1/2 carton strawberries, diced

1/2 can mandarin oranges

1/2 can sliced peaches, diced into smaller pieces

1/4 cup peach juice

1 cup Triple Sec {or enough to cover the fruit about 2/3 of the way}

2-3 bottles of white wine {I like to use a sweet white like Chablis, but it's also great with Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay}

2 tbps sugar - *optional

Diet Gingerale or club soda

1.  Chop all fruit and add to pitcher.

2. Add peach juice and Triple Sec.

*Note: If you don't have Triple Sec on hand, I've tried subbing it for apple vodka, strawberry vodka, and raspberry vodka.  All have been delicious!

3.  Fill pitcher with wine about 3/4 of the way, like the picture above.

4.  Add sugar.  I like to sprinkle in just a little bit for good measure.

5.  Stir and chill until ready to serve.  Before serving, fill the rest of the pitcher with gingerale or club soda.

And now you're ready to host the best pool party ever.

Or in my case, you can make this for the girls at your Super Bowl party so you all can daydream you're laying out instead of waiting 30 minutes for the lights to come back on at the Superdome.

Seriously.

As if NFL games weren't long enough.

friday things

1.  Can we all just give each other virtual high-fives for the sole reason that it's finally the end of the week?  This week has been...interesting.  I'll just leave it at that.

2.  This weekend we're having some friends over to watch the Super Bowl, and I am having the most impossible time deciding what snacks to make!  Ideas on the list:  spicy pulled pork sliders, salted peanut nutella puppy chow, spinach bites, cheesecake stuffed strawberries, pretzels with jalapeno cheese, blood orange sangria...honestly, the list goes on and on.  I need to pick two things and stick with them, but it's impossible.  Impossible.

3.  I have a serious new obsession.  Of course, it stems from my already ongoing obsession with Costco.  Did you know you can buy a 54 oz. jar of this coconut oil for like $15.99 there?  I bought this with the intention to cook with it, but upon further research I may or may not have just started slathering it all over my body.  It's been like a miracle worker to my dry winter skin.  This weekend's feat: deep condition my hair.

4.  Tonight Joe and I are going on a double date to the Salt Factory Pub, and I'm super excited!  I love trying new restaurants.  Anyone ever been here?  Opinions?

5.  What the heck is going on with Jim and Pam on The Office?  I can see the merit in trying to show that their relationship is "real" and isn't completely perfect, but the whole camera man thing is freaking me out a little.  Mostly because Joe keeps insisting it's going to get inappropriate soon, and I really really want him to be wrong. #teamjimandpam

6.  And speaking of television, Nashville.  If you're not watching it, start.  I know I've mentioned this before, but with each episode I get more and more into it...which is weird because it's so not my kind of show.  But I can't stop.  And if Scarlett and Gunner don't fall in love soon I'm going to lose it.  You heard it here first, folks.

7.  Thank you, Trader Joe's, for making multi-grain pancakes so I can feel good about eating breakfast for dinner.  {As I was making said pancakes last night, Joe jokingly says to me, "you know, the fat families on Biggest Loser love having breakfast for dinner." I kid you not, I had to read the nutritional info on the box before I could continue cooking. And I subbed the eggs in the recipe for sugar-free applesauce. Take that, Biggest Loser!}

8.  I signed up for another 5K yesterday, so now I'm doing the Color Run in April AND the Electric Run in May.  {FYI, the Electric Run falls on the one year anniversary of my college graduation.  I can't believe it's been almost a year!!}  If you can't tell, I love fun 5Ks.  And honestly, ever since the Bieber concert, I have a strange love for glow stick bracelets.  Obviously, that's one of the reasons I signed up for the Electric Run.  Besides a reason to exercise, of course.

Hope you all have a great Super Bowl weekend!
I'd love to hear of any great appetizers you're planning to make.
Because, you know.
My head isn't already filled to the brim with possibilities.

Sky's the limit, if you ask me!