Healthy Mama Mondays

Okay...here's the deal:

I never used to like cooking and would bake the odd weekend that I had some really ripe bananas on the counter. Before having Chloe, I was working long hours and didn't really have the headspace to think up healthy dinners. That and the fact that I am blessed beyond measure to be married to a beautiful boy that enjoys cooking. (Ladies - go out and find yourself a firefighter because they are a lot more than just a beautiful month on the calendar).

But now that I am living the domestically chic life, I have really enjoyed cooking up healthy meals and it has turned into a bit of a crazy passion. So, I thought I'd start sharing a healthy recipe each week. I promise it will always be super yummy & super good for you! And, I thought I'd re-mention the meal planning website I have fallen in love with called Plan to Eat . You must try this out...there's a 1 month free trial!

Enough rambling...here's this week's recipe: Tahini Oat & Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats, (not quick-cooking) 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 1/2 cup tahini 4 tbsp butter (or try Earth balance for Vegan)

2/3 cup sugar/12 Purevia 1/4 cup agave syrup 1 large egg 1 large egg white 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup dark choc chips 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Directions |

Preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk oats, whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat tahini and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended into a paste. Add brown sugar & agave; continue beating until well combined"the mixture will still be a little grainy. Beat in egg, then egg white, then vanilla. Stir in the oat mixture with a wooden spoon until just moistened. Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts & seeds.

With damp hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the batter into a ball, place it on a prepared baking sheet and flatten it with wet spatula. Continue with the remaining batter, spacing the flattened balls 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies until golden brown, about 16 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.