Something for Your Sweet Tooth

Many of us love our sweets, but don't love what they do to our figures. Here's a way to get your chocolate fix without feeling guilty, courtesy of Weight Watchers. I make these all the time and can vouch for their deliciousness. Enjoy!

Mini Chocolate-Chip Cookies


POINTS® Value: 1
Servings: 24
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Go ahead and grab a handful of these bite-size cookies. They might be little, but they pack a big chocolate punch.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar, dark-variety
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp table salt

1 large egg white(s)
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup


Metric Conversions:


30 ml butter, softened
10 ml canola oil
120 ml packed brown sugar, dark-variety
5 ml vanilla extract
0.25 ml table salt

1 large egg white(s)
180 ml all-purpose flour
0.50 ml baking soda
84g semi-sweet chocolate chips


Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
In a medium bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar. Add vanilla, salt and egg white; mix thoroughly to combine.
In a small bowl, mix together flour and baking soda; stir into batter. Add chocolate chips to batter; stir to distribute evenly throughout.
Drop rounded half-teaspoons (2.5ml) of dough onto one or two large nonstick baking sheets, leaving a small amount of space between each cookie. Bake cookies until golden around edges, about 4 to 6 minutes; cool on a wire rack. Yields 2 cookies per serving.

Notes
Indulge your craving for an intense chocolate experience. Buy a 3-ounce bar of fine chocolate with a percentage of 75 or higher on the label. The percentage indicates the combined amount of cocoa bean and added cocoa butter in the chocolate. The higher the percentage, the greater the chocolate taste and the less sweet the product. Chop up the bar and use it instead of the chocolate chips (could affect POINTS values).
© 2010 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2010 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved.WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.

The Honest Scrap Award

Several of my Twitter friends have given me the Honest Scrap Award which is to honor bloggers who put their hearts on display, as they write from the depths of their souls. Thanks to all of you who thought of me. I definitely put my heart on display and have written about many subjects near and dear to my heart. Some have been happy and uplifting, while others have been sad and eye-opening.

The conditions of receiving the award include listing 10 things that others may not know about me, as well as passing the award on to 10 other bloggers. Without further ado, here are 10 things you may not know about me:

1. I'm a middle child, with an older brother and a younger brother.

2. I was born on my parents' 8th wedding anniversary.

3. My mom's birthday is exactly 3 weeks after mine, making us both Libras.

4. Although in most instances I am right-hand dominant, I'm technically left-handed.

5. I have 2 tattoos and am always contemplating getting more.

6. I'm allergic to cats and dogs. (Just found this out last year.)

7. Prior to coming to Boston for college, I had never been to Massachusetts.

8. I've never broken a bone and have only had stitches once, in my mouth when I got a tooth pulled.

9. I got to shake Carly Simon's hand at my college graduation.

10. The actor Brian Dennehy's brother, Marty, was one of my college professors.

As for passing this award on to 10 other bloggers, almost all of my blogging friends that I follow have received this award. There's one that I can think of that may not have. Her name is Sue Tanida and her blog is http://angelicinsights.blogspot.com/. You can follow her on Twitter as @angelicinsights. Her blog is wonderful in that it helps to guide others on the path of spirituality. She shares her beliefs and feelings regarding Christianity and invites you to explore and form your own opinions. Check her out!

This Really Hurts My Heart

It saddened me to read that a high school student in South Hadley, MA committed suicide after being bullied online and in school. You can find details here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/02/s_hadley_reside.html.

The article gives us scant information about what precipitated the bullying and what type of tactics were used, but it does tell us that the guilty parties are still allowed to attend school. Why is it that a student can get suspended or even expelled for bringing a gun to school, but can continue to attend school after bullying another student to the point of suicide? Not only that, but apparently these kids are "proud" of what they did!

There is a streak of cruelty that runs deep within the youth of today, not only in the US, but all over the world. These young people think that they are untouchable because they never really have to suffer the consequences of any of their actions. It's almost as if they're living in an alternate reality where the rules don't apply to them. With the advent of the online community it has become easier to say horrible things about other people without ever having to look them in the face. Not only that, but those horrible things can, theoretically, stay in cyberspace forever for all the world to see. No one wants a constant reminder of how many people hate them. The teen years are very rocky and kids are constantly having to make adjustments in order to make it through every single day.

When I think about what Phoebe Prince must've been going through, it makes me want to cry. All she wanted to do is live her life, go to school, and be with her friends. Some thoughtless kids took that away from her because they didn't feel that she had a right to it. I don't have children, and when I hear about something like this, it makes me glad that I don't. It scares me how cruel people can be. The desensitization of the world at large has produced a generation of mean-spirited individuals who don't give a fuck. This type of behavior also worries me because I have nieces. Jade is the one that I'm closest to, and she's experienced bullying. People have spread rumors about her and picked on her. Luckily she's strong enough mentally and spiritually to hold her head high and let it roll off her back. For those that aren't as strong, life can be torture.

When I was in high school I was made fun of for not being "black" enough. It only went as far as the occasional taunting, and, truth be told, I can't remember exactly what was said. If I were in high school now, I'm sure that my life would be a living hell thanks to the internet, and parents' lack of interest in what's going on in their children's lives. To all of you parents out there, please pay attention! Don't fall into the "Boys will be boys" or "That's just the way kids are" trap. There's nothing normal about that kind of behavior. For parents that suspect that their kids are being bullied, sit them down and talk them to get to the bottom of things. For parents that suspect one of their kids might be a bully, get the kid some help. Just imagine how you would feel if you found that your daughter killed herself because she was being bullied in school. Above all else, I want Phoebe Prince to rest in peace. My heart goes out to her family and friends.

A Birthday Shoutout

Today is my niece Jade's 12th birthday. I can't believe how quickly time has flown. She was born a few months before I graduated from college and at the time I had no idea how big a part of my life she would be. I moved back in with my parents after college and stayed for a year and a half. During that time, Jade spent a lot of time there, which means I was there for the most formative years of her life. She and I built a very strong bond, and after a year and a half I was sad to leave her.

She's a great kid who has had to deal with some very tough times. At 12 she's probably seen more than I had at 24. She's been in situations that no child should ever have to find herself in, and has come out of them as a very kind and loving child. She's very considerate of others and would never intentionally hurt anyone's feelings. She will fiercely defend those that she cares about, even if sometimes they don't seem worth defending. Her wisdom goes far beyond that of her peers and many of her elders. Having a conversation with her can sometimes really blow your mind because she already has such insight with regard to the world around her. Her faith is strong and she knows that only by the grace of God is she still here on this Earth. I feel that Jade is destined for great things and I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to witness them.

Baby J, I'm wishing you the very best birthday ever, with many more to come. You know your Aunt Shelly loves you and will always be here for you. I pray that you continue to spread your love and joy to those around you. Happy Birthday, sweetie!

What Do You Really See When You Look at Someone?

Last week a co-worker and I were having a conversation about the guy who delivers our coffee. I told her that he hit on one of the ladies in the office next door, and her response was "She's not very pretty". I found that to be an interesting statement. It's not that the woman in question isn't pretty, it's that she made some unfortunate hair and makeup choices. She was very much stuck in a rut of days gone by with her stringy bleached blond hair and blue eyeshadow with blue eyeliner. I watch a lot of makeover shows so I know how the right clothes, hair and makeup can transform a woman.



Why do we think in extremes? Everything has to be either/or with no room in the middle for a closer look or a change in perspective. How many people have you ever seen who are truly ugly? I mean absolutely grotesque. They look so bad that it almost makes you physically sick to look at them. Go on. Think about it. How many people like that have you seen? Not many, right? Because there are very few people in this world, objectively speaking, that are truly ugly. Just because one person doesn't find someone esthetically pleasing doesn't mean that someone else won't. We're not all drop-dead gorgeous, but there is something about the looks of each of us that others will find appealing. Have you ever met someone who you thought had a really plain face but as soon as they started talking their face became animated and you could see a light that shines from within? Some people can look really scary when their faces are in repose, but as soon as they smile you think to yourself "Wow, he or she has a nice smile!". Think about that the next time you see someone that you don't immediately find to be attractive.

The Trade Offs Associated with Life

We all have things that we'd like to accomplish by certain stages of our lives. We all have a vision in our heads of what we want our lives to be like, realistically speaking. If we've planned well or at least have a plan in mind, we know the steps we need to take to get there. It would make life so much easier if everything fell into place exactly like we envision it, but anyone who has lived for any length of time knows that life isn't easy. The old adage "Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it" tells us that what we want may not necessarily show up when we want it to.

For example, after years of dating the wrong people, you've just found the man/woman of your dreams. This person has everything you've ever wanted in a mate and there's not a dealbreaker in sight. The only drawback, he/she lives on the other side of the country and owns a business that can't be uprooted because of the type of service that it provides. You have lived near your parents your whole life and all of your friends live nearby. You really like your job and the people that you work with and you've established yourself in your field. What to do? Well, you could move across the country, leaving your friends; family; and job behind, try to establish yourself in your field of work at another company, and work on having a great life with this person. Or you could stay right where you are, continue to excel at your current job, have the security of friends and family around, and hope that you find someone else that may be perfect for you. Of course there's always the third option of the two of you meeting somewhere in the middle.

Regardless of the decision that you make, everything won't be exactly like you want it. To have some things you want, you're going to have to give up other things that you want it to be. The trick is deciding what it is that you want most and what it is that you're willing to live without. Very rarely (if ever) do the options in life come wrapped up in a neat little package tied up with a pretty bow.

The Difference Between Can't and Won't

Have you ever been watching tv and seen someone do something that you want to do and think to yourself "I can't do that."? Whether it's running a marathon, climbing a mountain, baking a cheesecake, or taking a class; the question is: Are you physically unable to do so or are you unwilling to do so? There are very few things that most of us are physically unable to do. I'm physically unable to sit in the lotus position in yoga, but that doesn't mean that I won't continue to do yoga in some form. Some people are physically unable to run whether it be for health reasons or some other factor, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't go out and take a walk occasionally.



You are your only limitation when it comes to actually trying something new. If someone asks you to take Salsa dancing lessons with them (which is something you've always wanted to do), but you're afraid you'll embarrass yourself, your response will be "I can't." No, you actually can, but you won't because you are in your own head so much that you think the rest of the world is scrutinizing you. Just remember all of those other people in dance class are going to be so worried about doing it right and not looking like idiots that they'll have no time to even think about you.



Just because we want to do something and give it a shot doesn't mean that we'll become experts. It doesn't even necessarily mean that we'll do it well. The most important thing is actually putting yourself out there. Although we, as humans, can be very judgemental, try not to go through your life acting as if you're being graded on everything you do. Each person is different, so what's right for your brother or sister isn't necessarily right for you. If you have children, be an example to them by just trying. You never know; you might surprise yourself!