Cookies in the Mail, Winter Workouts

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Who likes to receive cookies in the mail?  I do.

I was fortunate to receive these Enjoy Life cookies

Various boxes of Enjoy Life Cookies

Enjoy Life Products are Free Of:

Enjoy Life box showing how it is allergy friendly

But not free of taste.  For baked goods that are vegan, GF, and free from many common allergies, I give Enjoy Life products their props.

Enjoy Life Cookies in Double Chocolate Brownie, Lively Mean and Snickerdoodle

Or, you can make your own Vegan + GF brownie-cookies

Raw Vegan Brownies

Raw Vegan Brownies

Overhead of Raw Vegan Brownies

Or make Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Dehydrator optional and just use the oven
Close up of one Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookie

I can vouch 100% for the taste on the brownies and the cookies in case you don’t have access to specialty vegan + GF baked goods.

Yesterday I spent plenty of time with my newly minted 4 year old birthday girl!

Young girl standing swaying arms and smiling

It was a great birthday!  And we also celebrated here, too.

Young girl looking at camera smiling

From my Superbowl Foods & Plans post, thanks for telling me what your plans are.  Seems it was an all or nothing relationship with football for you all.

I drooled over some of recipes you plan to make and what you can’t wait to dig into if someone else is doing the cooking.   I’m glad you liked my recipe ideas for the big game day even though I probably won’t be making food just for the game.

Questions:

1. Are you looking forward to the weekend?

I am!  Even though I’m working, I always look forward to the extra time I have with Scott and Skylar.

2. Have you ever tried Enjoy Life Foods or any specialty allergen-free foods?

I am generally not impressed with most commercially prepared foods that are labeled as gluten free.  They are usually dry, tasteless, crumbly, and lack flavor.  However, the Enjoy Life products are much better than most.

I did a post on going Gluten Free and one thing I stress is try to find foods that are naturally gluten free.  It’s hard to create a loaf of GF French bread.  It’s just asking….a lot.  Throw in vegan, and it gets even harder.  Successfully replacing wheat gluten, eggs, and butter can be tricky.

Instead, you may need to realize that bread is nice, but so are potatoes, or rice.  They are naturally gluten free.

So is fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, and many other plant-based foods that come straight from nature.

So rather than trying to create GF pasta noodles, I just make my own zucchini pasta with veggies and peanut sauce.

Zucchini Noodles with Vegetables and Peanut Sauce

3. Have you been working out lately in spite of the winter weather?

I was posting for a couple weeks how gorgeous the weather was here.  Well, that’s done.

It’s still sunny, but it’s cold and windy!

Palm trees and blue skyThose trees are blowing from very gusty winds!

I was pushing Skylar in my jogging stroller and between her and the stroller (about 80 pounds I’m guessing) and the 35 mph head wind and the San Diego hills and terrain, I definitely got a workout in.  Good thing I only do 20 minutes of cardio.  Period.   That’s all I could take.

I love to walk or run for 20 minutes every day to clear my head and at all costs, do it outside, not indoors.  I cannot stand cardio equipment in the gym.  I die from boredom or injure myself.  Something about my gait and stride on a treadmill is a recipe for throwing my hips, legs, knees, and ankles out of whack for weeks!

Major props to all of you who stay can hang in there on the indoor cardio machines.  I realize it’s a necessity at times. These are the workouts I do at home.

What do you do to stay motivated for your winter workouts?

P.S. You may enjoy my Morning Workout Tips post for how to get your booty moving for the a.m. workouts.

 

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Comments

  1. Skylar’s legs are getting so long. She’ll be tall like her Mom! :)

    I like Enjoy Life Food products. My kids like them even more. Me thinks some of those very same cookies are heading my way….

    As for working out; I’ve still been hitting the office gym at work. It’s just too darn cold here for my lungs to be outside.

  2. I use workout videos, or go to the gym in the winter … there is no way I could workout out side – too cold!!!!!!

  3. Yum, the cookies sound great. They can send me some too. :-) Great recipes too, the Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies look really good.

    1. Yes, I have fun plans that aren’t centered around the game. I would like to make a huge kale chip batch for the game if we watch, we’ll see.
    2. Not yet, but they look good.
    3. Yes, but not running as much as I’d like to due to the rain and ickiness last weekend. Looks like this weekend should be nice. To stay motivated, I focus on taking care of myself and keeping my playlists updated.

  4. Those cookies sound good. Didn’t know that Sesame could be a problem though.

    Glad you & Skylar spent her special day doing things together. That is so great :)

    I’m looking forward to the weekend, and spending more time with my hubby.

    I’ve tried the following Gluten-Free brands of food:
    Glutino Wafers, Chocolate Cream Cookies, and Breakfast Bars. (http://www.glutino.com/ca-en/our-products/snacks/) Their breakfast bars taste like cardboard and I won’t ever eat them again.
    Mary’s Crackers – Yum!
    Lara Bars – although not the newest flavours
    Gluten Free bread (flax or brown rice) baked fresh in a local health food store
    Gluten Free rice pasta, although I can’t remember the brand
    Gluten Free mini-cheesecake from farmer’s market

    Been doing lots of snowshoeing because of the weather :)
    Stay motivated by going out in the afternoon when the sun is out & it is slightly warmer. Also bundle up in layers if it is colder than -15C or if there is a wind chill.

  5. oo those cookies sound like a great buy!.. im shocked cookies could be free from so much!
    I have def been working out INDOORS.. I hate hate hate cold weather- cannot deal with it!

  6. I love your raw vegan brownie recipe! so good… but a pain to get out of the vita :/
    i just tried those enjoy life cookies – pretty tasty for a box! I like making treats in the kitch though and don’t buy stuff that often – I agree with you – naturally GF is the best way

  7. Enjoy Life cookies are the best! Their granola is pretty yummy too. I’ve had difficulty finding products (aside from theirs) that are GF, diary free and nut free. It seems when you take out gluten or dairy people seem to add nuts in.

    I’ve been keeping my work outs indoors lately! Although, with the excessive snow and highs in the teens, can you really blame me?!

    My motiviation for winter work outs are how quickly you warm up! If I get out of bed and hop straight in the shower, I freeze all day. But if I get my blood pumping early, it seems to last all day too.