carrot cake cookies

I was reading Sweet and Natural's blog the other day and saw her post on Carrot Cake! Yum! Who doesn't love carrot cake? This reminded me of one of my favorite cookie recipes--Carrot Cake Cookies!

Here's my recipe for delicious and healthy(er--the are a little high in sugar so they're still not an everyday thing):

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup Smart Balance Omega Oil
1 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 cups old fashioned oats, divided
1/2 cup soy milk
2 Tbs whole flaxseeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups of flour (any combo of white and wheat flour)
About a cup of shredded carrots

Mix together the applesauce, oil, two sugars and the soy milk with a hand mixer.
In a very dry blender place 2 cups of oats and the flaxseeds and blend until very fine (about 3 minutes). Dump that into the applesauce mixture along with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Place by tablespoon-fulls onto a greaed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Makes about 45-50 tiny cookies (which is the size I like them).

These are great for game nights like my husband, Dale, and I had last night
(with Settlers of Catan)
Or after a day of playing in the snow like today.
They're a delicious and healthy twist on carrot cake and oatmeal cookies.

New Year's Revolution

Around this time of year people are making all kinds of grandiose "New Year's Resolutions." In fact, I'm willing to bet that a couple hundred new blogs have popped up this week as a result of "New Year's Resolutions" as if suddenly, because it is now the beginning of a new year, people are going to be able to immediately change. Be different people, think differently and, above all, act differently.

Personally, I don't think MOST people who make "New Year's Resolutions" are likely to succeed--at least I haven't succeeded with my past resolutions.

That's not to say that I don't believe in goal-making! I totally do, but most changes happen over a period of time. Sudden, drastic changes (such as "I'm never going to eat carbs again!" or "I will exercise 3 hours a day, every day!) usually only happen when something highly traumatic occurs in our life. Stepping on the scale come January 1st to see 10 extra pounds is just NOT traumatic enough to really cause us to change!

No, no. The type of change I'm hoping to make happen in my life will be a gradual one. I want to make little changes the feel so good. I want to THINK a LITTLE bit differently and ACT a LITTLE bit differently. I have no desire to become a different person--I like who I am now! I just know that I have it within my power to treat myself a LITTLE bit better than before and WHY NOT TREAT MYSELF WELL?

Around a month ago I started to fall into that same old trap again where I started thinking about my "New Year's Resolutions" and all that jazz and when I sat down at my computer to type them out I accidently wrote "New Year's Revolutions." That stopped me in my tracks. "What an interesting thought," I said to myself. A Revolution versus a Resolution.
(The American Revolution)

Revolutions (of countries) are never easy. The revolutionaries have setbacks and struggles and hard times yet those who have been successful have always been the ones who pressed forward despite SETBACKS, MISTAKES and HARD TIMES.
(The Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic)
They held onto their ideals (whether virtuous or not is beside the point) and changed their own situations.

I guess English majors like me get more hung up on words than normal people, but seeing the new phrase made a big difference to me. Anyways... so my "New Year's Revolution" is to treat myself well--like I'm special and deserving!
I'm starting a Revolution! Let's join forces!

Love,
Leading Lady Lis

P.S. What are some of your "New Year's Revolutions" (Or Resolutions or whatever works for you)?

Leading Lady Lis

Hi, my name is Lis and this is my new blog- "How to be the Leading Lady of Your Own Very Real Life."
So what is this blog about? It's about clever ways to make your life happier, healthier, and more elegant, even if you live in an old apartment, have never owned a fabulous car and definitely if you have never strolled down the red carpet.

OR

How to be the Leading Lady of Your Own Very Real Life.

In the movie "The Holiday" (which is a fun movie by the way, so go check it out) Arthur says the following quote to Iris (Kate Winslet's character):

Arthur: Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend.
Iris: You're so right. You're supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for God's sake...the was brilliant. Brutal, but brilliant.


This quote really started me thinking about my life--which is decidedly less pathetic than Iris's--and about whether or not I was acting like the leading lady of my own life.

I thought about how I spend my time. I thought about the voice inside my head (everyone's got one you know--the one who tells you to go ahead and have one more chocolate chip cookie or that those jeans make your butt look like the Goodyear Blimp) and what it constantly tells me. I thought about how I treat myself physically and mentally.

And what did I decide after several weeks of serious self-reflection? I was definitely acting like "the best friend" instead of "the leading lady." I decided that I was not going to accept that from myself anymore!


"But," I said to myself, "I'm not Kate Winslet! I'm not Cameron Diaz! I don't have millions of dollars; in fact I don't even have thousands of dollars! How am I supposed to become Leading Lady material when I'm worrying about my next paycheck or when I'll have time to work-out or any number of "real life" things that distract me from becoming a Leading Lady?

Well, I haven't precisely answered that question yet, though I do have a few ideas. That's what this blog is all about--me finding the Leading Lady inside myself and, hopefully, helping others to do the same. I'm trying to stop accepting mediocrity from myself, because I deserve the best!
I'm ready to become the Leading Lady of My Own Very Real Life. Is anyone else?