Cherry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mashed banana from 2 medium bananas
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup unsweetened dried cherries
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350.
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In a medium bowl, mash your bananas with a fork. Add in all other ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into 6 cookie shapes, packing them tightly together.
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Bake for 12-15 minutes.
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EAT UP.
Recipe Notes
This recipe is reprinted with permission from The Wellness Project : How I Learned to Do Right by My Body, Without Giving Up My Life by Phoebe Lapine.
When I was in college I took a course on the philosophy of happiness and it was the most revolutionary class of my lifetime. Much more life changing than any acting class I ever took (and I was an acting major.) I learned about the transcendental way to happiness through Henry David Thoreau. I learned about hedonism from Hemmingway. And I began to take control of my own happiness by reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It was in this class I realized that happiness is something we have to choose (and sometimes fight for) every day, in a million small ways.
After this class I began to explore the tiny facets of what makes me happy. I discovered that having a clean space was something that made me so much happier than I had ever imagined. (I was a really messy kid.) I discovered that daily creative experiences are the crux of my happiness. So I started taking photographs everyday. I also discovered that eating healthy was tied into my happiness. And thus, Brewing Happiness was born. (Albeit it was quite some time after the class before I started the blog.)
Phoebe’s book, The Wellness Project, reads like a cross between Rubin’s very intelligent and practical guide to happiness and Hemmingway’s hedonistic thirst for life. The book itself is the story of Phoebe finding wellness again after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that attacked her thyroid. Her approach to healing herself was so admirable. She picked one area of her health life per month to explore and change. That way she didn’t overwhelm herself or her body. She found health without sacrificing her happiness.
There are very few health or happiness books that I will support with abandon, because I’m really sensitive to other people’s triggers and perspectives. I don’t believe that there is one path to health or happiness. Each path is unique as the person journeying it. This seems to be something that Phoebe understands as well. She writes, “Now that I am on the other side of my project, I can say with authority what I’d aways suspected : wellness is a journey that starts within.” She outlines her own journey, but allows room for you to explore her own alongside. And I think that’s amazing.
She’s got tips and tricks for your journey, along with 22 healthy and delicious recipes! The Cherry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie recipe I gave you is an adaptation of her “Dad’s Overnight Oatmeal with Almond Butter and Dried Cherries” from her book. She and I think very similarly about the fact that healthy food should taste good and never feel limiting. So I’m all about the recipes she provides. It’s everything from chia pudding to Vietnamese chicken soup. (And she’s got tips and substitution suggestions for every recipe!)
In my opinion health and happiness are possibly the two most important things we can cultivate in our lives. It doesn’t matter what your journey looks like or what you need to help you along the way. Maybe this blog is a place you go for help or ideas, or maybe you try out The Wellness Project and allow Phoebe to hold your hand along the way. No matter what it is, I hope you start to explore that for yourself. It will change everything and it will be the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself. I promise. Hold you happiness close. You deserve every minute of it.
