Cookie Dough Truffles

Coconut

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Yes, I know that I promised to give up sweets during the week. But the amazing thing about this dessert is that it keeps for two weeks in the fridge! So I made these last weekend, had a few, shared a few, and still have some (hidden) in my fridge to enjoy next weekend. If this isn't a true test of willpower, I don't know what is.

I made these to bring to Gina's house when she had Pat and me over for dinner this past weekend. She made an incredible spread of food (each course featured a recipe from a different Mediterranean country) and I brought the dessert. I liked the idea of making truffles that are served cold because they could be made in advance and they keep well. I get awful guilt about throwing away baked goods and usually end up eating a ridiculous amount, just so they won't go bad. Didn't your mother ever tell you that there are starving children who would be happy to eat that!?

The original recipe is for chocolate chip cookie dough truffles, which I made, but I also tried coconut. I love just about anything that has coconut in it, and the thought of cookie dough and dark chocolate with coconut was too much to resist. I'm glad I didn't.

Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. I used my new mixing bowl from Pat, which greatly reduced the amount of butter and sugar flying through the air (less time cleaning up = more time enjoying truffles).

Add in the vanilla extract and beat.

Alternate adding the flour and the condensed milk, beating well between each addition.

Okay I think you get the idea...here's my dough.

I separated about 1/4 of the dough and added coconut.

Add chocolate chips to the remaining dough. Stir to incorporate.

Scoop out by 1 tbsp balls and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate about an hour until they are firm.

Prepare your melted chocolate. I used 60% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate chips (which one their own are quite addicting).

Put chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for about 2 minutes (keep an eye on this so you don't overheat and burn the chocolate). Stir well.

Roll the dough into balls. I rolled mine into balls but kept a flat bottom so they would stay upright without rolling around. Its up to you how you do this.

Dip your dough balls in the melted chocolate. I put the dough in the bowl of chocolate and used toothpicks to roll around, then stuck the toothpick in the bottom to transfer back to the cookie sheet (so the hole is on the bottom and you can't see it).

Its okay if this gets messy! Dip all of your dough balls in the chocolate, licking fingers when necessary.

For the coconut dough, immediately press some coconut flakes onto the chocolate after dipping.

Put truffles back in fridge to harden, and store in fridge until ready to serve.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Recipe adapted from here.

Makes 40 large truffles.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 (14 ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (for the dough)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (for the dough and garnish)
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups 60% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate chips (for melting)
• 6 tsp shortening

Directions:

1. Beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and beat.
2. Alternate adding the flour and condensed milk, beating well in between each addition.
3. Separate desired amount of dough to make coconut truffles (I used about 1/4 of the batter) and stir in about 1/3 cup shredded coconut.
4. Add mini chocolate chips to the remaining dough, stir to incorporate.
5. Scoop out 1 tbsp balls and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Chill in refrigerator for about an hour or until firm.
6. Heat chocolate chips (I ended up using a total of about 1 1/2 cups) and shortening (5-6 tsp) in microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir.
7. Roll the dough into balls and dip into the melted chocolate; roll to cover completely. Add shredded coconut to the coconut dough balls.
8. Put truffles back in refrigerator to harden and store there until ready to serve. Keeps up to two weeks in refrigerator (if they last that long!).

Gina and Pete gave these two thumbs up. Sean and Erin quickly devoured the truffles I dropped off at their house. Callie and Jess called me with their mouths full of truffles last night to tell me how much they liked them.  Anyone else want to taste-test? There's still some in my fridge, waiting to be eaten!

Bad to the Bone

I'm really excited about my next race - I'll be running the Charlottesville "Bad to the Bone" Half Marathon on April 9th. I've been saying for a while that I want to run races in states other than Massachusetts and New Hampshire (what better reason to plan a vacation!?) and now I finally am. What makes this even better is that my sister lives in Charlottesville, so I'm turning this race into an excuse to spend five days with Laura. I've decided to make this into a road trip (because road trips make everything more fun) and will be down in Virginia from Wednesday - Sunday (the race is on Saturday). I've never done a road trip by myself, but I'm sure once I stock my car with good food, fun music, a couple books on tape, and a GPS I'll have a great time. 

I'm also hoping to show that I am "bad to the bone" in this race and improve upon my half marathon time. My fastest half marathon was the Hyannis Half Marathon in 2008: I finished in 1:46:33. The past three half marathons I've run I finished in: 1:57:06 (Manchester Half Marathon - my slowest ever!), 1:52:25 (Chilly Fattman Cup Half Marathon), and 1:54:47 (Hyannis Half Marathon). I'm hoping to run Charlottesville in 1:47 (but if I can do it under 1:50 I will be happy). Now this being said, I have less than five weeks to train and try to shave more than five minutes off of my time. So it looks like I have my work cut out for me!

Some things I'm going to do to improve my health, which I'm hoping will also improve my time:

• No sweets Monday-Friday. I started this last week and found that I had more energy and slept better, so I'm going to try to stick with this for at least the next five weeks. 
• Continue to hydrate with lots of water (at least 12 cups a day) and fuel with good foods - complex carbs, lean protein, and lots of fruits and vegetables.
• No alcohol for one month prior to the race. Alcohol is full of sugar, and it interferes with good sleep and energy/motivation. I will have a celebratory beer when I finish the race on April 9th!
• Sleep more. This one is tough because it seems like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done, so sleep is usually sacrificed. I'm going to do my best to get more sleep every night and have good sleep hygiene (no tv/computer/blackberry within 30 minutes of bed).
• Strength train 4 times per week. Right now I strength train 2-3 times on a good week, and 0-1 times on a bad week - I'm going to make an effort to really stick to the strength training and build some muscles!

I'm also going to try a new training plan. In a Runner's World email this morning there was a link to Smart Coach. You can enter information about yourself and your goal distance and date, and it will put together an individualized plan for you. I just made a plan for myself. The days that aren't on the calendar will be rest or cross-training days.

WEEK 1: 23 Mi

Tue Mar 8 Easy Run Dist: 2 Mi @9:18 Wed Mar 9 Tempo Run Dist: 6 Mi, inc Warm; 4 Mi @ 7:53; Cool Thu Mar 10 Easy Run Dist: 2 Mi @9:18 Sat Mar 12 Long Run Dist: 10 Mi @9:18

WEEK 2: 27 Mi

Mon Mar 14 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:17 Tue Mar 15 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:17 Wed Mar 16 Speedwork Dist: 6 Mi, inc Warm; 3x1600 in 7:21 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Mar 17 Easy Run Dist: 2 Mi @9:17 Sat Mar 19 Long Run Dist: 11 Mi @9:17

WEEK 3: 28 Mi

Mon Mar 21 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:16 Tue Mar 22 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:16 Wed Mar 23 Tempo Run Dist: 6 Mi, inc Warm; 4 Mi @ 7:50; Cool Thu Mar 24 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:16 Sat Mar 26 Long Run Dist: 12 Mi @9:16

WEEK 4: 29 Mi

Mon Mar 28 Easy Run Tue Mar 29 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:14 Wed Mar 30 Tempo Run Dist: 6 Mi, inc Warm; 4 Mi @ 7:49; Cool Thu Mar 31 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:14 Sat Apr 2 Long Run Dist: 13 Mi @9:14

WEEK 5: 29 Mi

Mon Apr 4 Easy Run Dist: 4 Mi @9:13 Tue Apr 5 Easy Run Dist: 4 Mi @9:13 Wed Apr 6 Speedwork Dist: 4 Mi, inc Warm; 2x1600 in 7:18 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Apr 7 Easy Run Dist: 4 Mi @9:13 Sat Apr 9 Half Marathon Race Day 13.1 Mi @7:54 Time: 1:43:37

Speed Work and a Recovery Smoothie

On Saturday morning I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to for a run. I still hadn't run since the half marathon last weekend, instead I'd been biking, walking, and taking orders from Jillian Michaels. So after I ate some peanut butter and jelly oatmeal and watched last week's episode of the Biggest Loser, I headed to the gym.

Treadmill Workout:

Quarter-mile speed intervals at a 1% incline

 

Mile	Speed
0.0-0.50	5.0              (warm up)
0.50-0.75	7.5
0.75-1.0	6.0
1.0-1.25	8.0
1.25-1.50	6.0
1.50-1.75	8.0
1.75-2.0	6.0
2.0-2.25	8.5
2.25-2.50	6.0
2.50-2.75	8.5
2.75-3.0	6.0
3.0-3.25	9.0
3.25-3.50	6.0
3.50-3.75	10.0
3.75-4.0	6.0
4.0-4.25	8.5
4.25-4.50	6.0
4.50-4.75	5.5            (cool down)
4.75-5.0	5.0            (cool down)

After the treadmill I hopped on the elliptical and went as hard as I could for 20 minutes. Sweat was dripping into my eyes.  Made me wish sweatbands didn't go out of style in the 80s. Perhaps we'll  have to try to bring them back...

I felt really good after the speed intervals and elliptical. After sticking to cross training for almost a week, it felt good to run hard and really work up a sweat. I went home and immediately made myself a smoothie. After a hard workout you should try to replenish with carbs and protein within 15 minutes, and have a substantial meal within an hour. I threw a handful each of organic strawberries and organic blueberries, 1 cup skim milk, 1/3 of a frozen banana, and 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder into my blender. This purple smoothie was so delicious, and full of healthy carbs, protein, and antioxidants!

Smoothie mustaches are cool.

Don't mind the bright red face and sweaty hair - I warned you!

Since it was so nice out, Pat and I went for a walk to get coffee. I brought my smoothie with me, but wiped off the mustache!

The ABC's of Emily

Okay I've seen the ABC's on several blogs by now, and wanted to join in. Here are my ABC's:

A. Age: 26

B. Bed size: Queen.

C. Chore you dislike: Cleaning the shower and washing dishes (by hand). Pat says I’m the worst dishwasher ever, so I think that means I shouldn’t have to do them. Ever again.

D. Dogs: Desperately want a lab and a husky. Originally I wanted to get the pups together so they could be best friends, but since that hasn’t happened yet I’d happily settle for one! I need a running buddy!

E. Essential start to your day:  Breakfast (preferably oatmeal) and a big mug of green tea. I don’t know how people function without eating in the morning.

F. Favorite color:  Depending on my mood, lately I love red, yellow, peach and purple.

G. Gold or silver:  I never cared for gold before, but in the past couple years I’ve started to like it a lot more. Now I wear a mixture of both.

H. Height:  5’6 (well that’s what I tell everyone, I’m actually 5’5 ^1/2) 

I. Instruments you play(ed):  Recorder in 3^rd grade. Drums in 5^th grade (I believe that lasted about 2 months). I have always wanted to play the guitar and I hope to learn one day.

J. Job title:  Hospital laboratory software coordinator.

K. Kids: Right now I’m enjoying my friends’ kids (like Maddison, Ava, Colton) and my little cousins Madeline and Carter.

L. Live:  Nashua, NH. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, work in Boston, and most of my friends and family are in MA, so I still consider myself a Massachusetts resident. My car insurance company, however, does not. They finally discontinued my insurance after I'd been promising them I’d be moving back to MA soon for two years…so its official, I am a NH resident. Live free or die, baby!

Source

M. Mom’s name:  Beth.

N. Nicknames:  Em, Emmy, Bambs/Bambi, Emster, Moo, Bobbles.

O. Overnight hospital stays:  I think a few times growing up, not sure how many times. I had horrible asthma as a child and was constantly in and out of the ER. Must have been lots of fun for my parents.

P. Pet peeves:  Toilet paper roll under (it should go over!), when a certain someone leaves the refrigerator door open while fixing a snack, "text" writing (spell it out people!!).

Q. Quote from a movie: Favorite quotes from a movie are from Love Actually. Some of my favorites:

“Worse than the total agony of being in love?” (Sam)

“There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?” (Karen)

“Beautiful muffin for a beautiful lady” (Colin)

“Just in cases.” (Aurelia)

“To me, you are perfect.” (Mark)

“So if you believe in Father Christmas, children, like your Uncle Billy does, buy my festering turd of a record. And particularly enjoy the incredible crassness of the moment when we try to squeeze an extra syllable into the fourth line.” (Billy Mack)

“Oh God - Say 'yes' you skinny moron!” (Aurelia’s sister)

“Two years, seven months, three days and, I suppose, an hour and thirty minutes.” (Sarah)

“Thank you, sir. I did have an awful premonition that I was gonna fuck up on the first day. Oh, piss it!” (Natalie)

Source

R. Righty or lefty:  Righty.

S. Siblings:  Laura (28) and Jim (24)

Me, Laura, and Jim (back when he had long hair!)

T. Time you wake up:  Anywhere from 4:30am-6:00am on weekdays (depending on work schedule) and usually 8ish on weekends.

U. Underwear:  Yes, please. Thank you.

V. Vegetables you don’t like:  I love all vegetables, with the exception of turnips. Those don’t really do it for me.

W. What makes you run late:  I learned it from my dad! (Just kidding, Dad). For some reason I always think I’ll be able to do things a lot faster than I can, and after all this time I still underestimate the amount of time it’ll take me to do something. And traffic constantly makes me late. 

X. X-rays you’ve had:  Teeth, elbow (after breaking it while running last June, I’m special), and lungs several times when I’ve had pneumonia.

Y. Yummy food you make:  I have a certain fondness for sweets, especially cookies and cupcakes. Right now I’m thinking about the dough that’s chilling in my fridge to be made into truffles for tonight!

Z. Zoo animal favorites:  I don’t know about zoo favorites, but buffaloes are my favorite animal. I was really excited to see them when I went to Montana and Wyoming two summers ago, and also last May when Jim graduated college we went to a buffalo ranch!

Photos taken at Yellowstone National Park

Happy Friday!

Colton, Jillian, and Some Product Reviews

Basically, what I've been doing for the past two days...

Let's start with the most important, okay? Late last Wednesday (February 23rd) my good friend Krissy's water broke. Three and a half weeks early! On Thursday (February 24th) she delivered her son, Colton Daniel. I found out she was in labor on Thursday morning, and naturally I could barely think straight all day at work, waiting to hear the good news. Mama and baby were both healthy and happy, despite the early delivery. Two nights ago Pat and I had the pleasure of meeting baby Colton.

I was a little bit nervous when I realized that the smallest baby I'd ever held were my twin cousins Lauren and Kara, when they were two weeks old. Colton was only five days old, and since he was premature, he was just the tiniest little guy! But as soon as I had him in my arms, I was in love. He just peacefully lay there, sleeping, waking, and sleeping again. Absolutely precious.

 

6'3 Pat looked like a giant holding the barely 19-inch Colton.

  

I was astounded by how great Krissy and Steve looked. I always assumed that parents with newborns would be exhausted and only change their clothes once or twice a week, but Krissy and Steve were very clean, awake, and most of all, positively beaming. Then again, if that little peanut was yours, I'm sure you'd be beaming, too. I can't wait for another visit with him!

I took Monday and Tuesday as recovery days from the Hyannis Half Marathon, and on Wednesday I went to the gym to bike. I biked until I finished my book, which took me 50 minutes. After biking I foam rolled, and I felt so much better. I know that you have to rest to let your body recover, but getting moving again and loosening up my muscles felt amazing. 

After work yesterday I debated between going back to the gym or being lazy and watching movies until Pat got home. I didn't feel like going back to the gym, but I did want to do something productive. I ended up finding a lot of work out videos On Demand, I'd totally forgotten that these were available. So I picked the person who I'd most want to train me: Miss Jillian Michaels. I pulled some furniture out of my living room until I had (barely) enough space to do the video - 6 Weeks Six-Pack.

 

I'm a big fan of Biggest Loser, and have always said that if Jillian was my trainer I'd be so scared and would do anything she told screamed at me to. This video definitely got my heart rate up and a few times I felt out of breath and wanted to stop, which in my mind is how you should feel if you're pushing yourself. When I finished I felt great and had a lot more energy then I'd had before.

I've been on a candy detox this week (plan is for no sweets Monday - Friday). Normally when I try to do this I think about it a lot, complain about it even more, and don't make it as long as I plan to go. This week is a little bit different because my friend Chrissy is doing it, too. It was actually her idea, and when she suggested it my first thought was, "ew no, that's not fun." My next thought was "ugh, I suppose I could do it." (I know you're all taken aback by my maturity about the whole thing). I thought it would be as hard as usual, but so far it has actually been pretty easy. Chrissy and I talked about it and we think the difference is that there is someone else holding you accountable. When I'd do this on my own I'd easily give in, thinking I couldn't do it. Now I don't want to give in because I feel like I'd be letting Chrissy down. We've been texting each other with our weird sweets cravings, and helping each other by suggesting better options to fight the urge. Its Thursday and I haven't had any sweets yet!

Some things I've been eating more of instead of my usual 967 pieces of candy daily:

Salads

Fruit (especially grapes, oranges, and apples with cinnamon)

I also bought these Crisps as another sweet alternative. The only ingredient is fruit, so there's nothing added, and they are preserved by being freeze-dried. I bought three packs: strawberry, peach, and pineapple. The strawberry didn't make it home (Pat and I shared them in the car).

The strawberries tasted just like the strawberries in the Special K Red Berry cereal (just a little less sugary) and were very good. The peaches were pretty good, but I prefer the strawberries. I have yet to try the pineapple crisps. I like that these are very convenient to grab for a sweet snack on the go and that there aren't any additives or preservatives in them.

Last night for dinner I tried another new food item - Butternut Squash Ravioli from Trader Joe's.

I love butternut squash, and I love Trader Joe's, but I didn't really love these. They were really sweet (due to the Amaretti biscuits that are mixed in with the squash) and seemed more like a dessert than a dinner. I'd prefer these if they were more savory - like with roasted garlic and spinach or something. I had my raviolis with some Italian broccoli (my new favorite way to eat broccoli - steamed with marinara sauce and fresh grated Parm cheese).

This morning I got up a little bit early and did another Jillian Michaels workout (this time the 30 Day Shred

Breakfast this morning was a new twist on an old favorite. Favorite = oatmeal. Last night I prepared some overnight oats in an almost-empty jar of almond butter (there was probably a little under 1 tbsp left in the jar).

In the jar went:

• 1/3 cup organic oats
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

I mixed it all together, cover it, and stuck it in the fridge.

This morning, instead of eating the oats cold, I heated them up (stirring contents first). After 2 minutes on high, my breakfast was ready.

This was really delicious! The vanilla almond flavor was great, and the oats were extra creamy after soaking all night. I will definitely be making this again - and the jar proved to be a great way to bring breakfast on the go (as I often do).

*Also - check out my recipe page. I updated it yesterday!

BBQ Pulled Chicken and a Good Southern Love Story to Boot!

I think crock pots are one of the best inventions ever. I was so excited to throw all of my ingredients into my crock pot before work yesterday morning, knowing that I'd come home to a delicious dinner, ready at my arrival. 

I browned my chicken breasts in a large skillet with olive oil.

I mixed up all of the ingredients for an amazing BBQ sauce and added it to the crock pot.

I thought about my pulled chicken during the day. It was exactly what I was in the mood for and I couldn't wait to go home and eat it.

As I left work, I got a call from Pat. "Bad news," he said "I think your chicken burned." Burned?! My chicken?! I was so disappointed. I told him to turn off the crock pot and leave it there for me until I got home. Let me tell you, the sight I came home to wasn't pretty.

If I just worked an eight hour day, the crock pot would be a miracle chef. Unfortunately, I work at least eight hours a day, and drive at least an hour each way (depending on traffic). So 10+ hours is a little bit too long to leave a meal unattended.

I figured that I should at least try to salvage the chicken. I stuck a fork into a piece of chicken and instantly it shredded, revealing tender meat.

I shredded all of the chicken, removing a couple pieces that looked dry (but only a handful - for the color of the crock pot you would have thought the meat was scorched, but it wasn't!), sampling as I went. Tangy, spicy, delicious!

My meal was not ruined, not in the slightest. I steamed some broccoli and had a down-home BBQ pulled chicken dinner, accompanied by some light lemonade from Trader Joe's (seemed fitting).

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken

Based on Jenna's recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Rinse chicken and trim fat. Brown for four minutes on each side in hot olive oil in a large skillet heated to medium-high. Remove from pan and place in crock pot.
2. Combine all ingredients (besides chicken and olive oil). Whisk together and pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on high for one hour. Reduce heat to low and cook for an additional five to six hours (not eight!).
4. Shred chicken with fork(s), then mix into sauce so sauce is evenly distributed. Serve on fresh rolls, with cornbread and beans, on pizza - whatever you like!

After dinner I relaxed on the couch and delved deeper into my new book: The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.

I don't normally enjoy romance novels. Okay, that's a lie. Every now and then I like some romance, although the over-the-top gushy ones don't appeal to me. I like this book because its not over-the-top, its a true story, and I think that genuine love can be felt in Ree's words. I've also always thought that I belonged on a ranch in the Midwest, so that aspect of the book hooked me, too.

I have a confession. Both my meal and this book were inspired by Jenna. I love reading her blog because she's constantly posting incredible creations from her kitchen, all of which are photographed beautifully. If you're using one of her recipes, chances are that it'll be a big success. A couple weeks ago she wrote about some of the books she's loving now, and this was one of them.

While we're on the subject of love - take a look at my roses! Pat bought them for me on Valentine's Day (2 weeks ago!) and they still look perfect!