Cookie of the Week- Skinny Bovines Kitchen!!

I am sooooooooo pleased to announce my friend and fellow blogger, Britt for today's Cookie of the Week. Without further ado......

Wow! I’m so excited to be guest posting on the Tree of Life!! Jenna is such an amazing person, homemaker and almost mommy and I’m thrilled to be featured on her blog.

I’m Britt of the The Skinny Bovine’s Kitchen (http://skinnybovineskitchen.blogspot.com). I’m a wife, mommy of 2 (so far!) and healthy chef on a tight budget. I started The Skinny Bovine’s Kitchen more than a year and a half ago to share my knowledge mostly with the other student-type young families we associated with, but now that we’re no longer students I find myself still trying to stretch my dollar and eat healthily while doing it – and have realized how many other people are trying to do the same.

My blog includes tons of recipes of all different flavors as well as budgeting tips, food facts to help us realize what we’re putting in our bodies and helpful hints for making your cooking life better. Here are a few of my favorite recipes you should test out in your kitchen:

· Burgers (any of them – burgers are my favorite food!)

· No Guilt Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Un-Frosting

· Guacamole Salad

· Chicken Lo Mein

· Pasta e Fagiloi Soup

· Quick Cream Cheese Spinach Penne with Chicken

· Moroccan Chili and 10,000 Grains of Sand

Even though I’m a healthy cook, I LOVE dessert! And I’m so excited to be able to share my favorite chocolate chip cookies in the world with all of you! They are not healthy. Not even a little bit. But they are amazing. Please just don’t eat all 6 dozen yourself. :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies – The Best!

From: Cooking With the Crazy Lady

6 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I made this a heaping cup)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla (I overflow this a little bit too)
1 teaspoon water
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 12oz package chocolate chips (I use less)
2 cups cooking oats

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs, vanilla and water. Stir in flour, salt, baking soda and then chocolate chips, oatmeal and nuts. Drop by well-rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. (Watch them super carefully and undercook quite a bit for a perfect cookie. They should be mushy in the middle when you take them out and the edges barely starting to brown.)

Q&A -Here are a few questions we asked Brit (follow the links to her blog for more info!)

1) What are some tips for eating healthy on a budget?

Here are 4 must-live-bys:

· Make a budget and stick to it. Enough said.

· Create price points – know how much is too much to pay for all of the things you commonly shop for.

· Eat lots of fruits and veggies – the more fruits and veggies you try and squeeze into your day, the less room there is for other less-desirable snacking! Also, try sneaking them into more meals.

· Plan a weekly menu according to what’s on sale – I love homemade guacamole, but it just doesn’t happen until I find them on sale for $0.33 a piece or less. If you want to put asparagus in your stir fry, wait to make stir fry until asparagus is on sale for less than $1/lb or leave the asparagus out. Be disciplined!

2) For those of us with a daunting amount of dried beans in food storage (like lentils!) how do you cook (with) them?

You know, I’ve never been much of a dried bean person (unless you count lentils!). I buy canned beans by the case/trunk load when they are on sale $0.50 a can or less. The convenience is worth it to me and they still make for very cheap meals. Check out these links for black beans , vegetarian meals and lentils from The Skinny Bovine’s Kitchen for some fun recipes to start with.

3) What are the 5 must-have ingredients (to you)?

You’ll never find my kitchen without:

1. Cheese – my favorite food in the world – ironically because it isn’t terribly cheap or healthy, but oh so worth it!!

2. Canned tomatoes – a base for so many things.

3. Canned beans – a great, hearty meat alternative.

4. A refrigerator full of fresh fruits and veggies – snack on the fruit and make sure you get a veggie or 2 into every dinner you make.

5. Boneless, skinless chicken breast – the best, most versatile lean protein you can eat. Buy it cheap in bulk and freeze it.

Thanks for inviting me to guest post, Jenna! I hope you all enjoy The Skinny Bovine’s Kitchen and stop by to share your healthy, budgeted cooking tips with me!