The Collaborative Kitchen: Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

With the new year in full swing, we are bombarded with post-holiday diet talk and “new year, new you” messages that inevitably encourage New Year resolutions centered on outward transformation. We see this trend year after year, yet, research suggests that 95% of diets fail (note: diets fail, not you).  In addition, for individuals in recovery from an eating disorder, these messages can be triggering and can quickly interrupt hopes for freedom from disordered eating.

Dieting promotes the restriction of important dietary nutrients — or even the elimination of entire food groups — which leads to feelings of deprivation, food preoccupation, and creates a vicious cycle of guilt, shame and a chaotic relationship with food. Dieting also increases the risk for the development of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction and ultimately robs victims of many joys of daily life. Rather than beginning the new year distracted by our culture’s diet industry, commit to behaviors that will positively enhance and sustain your recovery from the inside out.

Focus on practicing flexibility versus adhering to rigid food rules, allowing for balance, moderation, self-care, and the appreciation for what your body can do for you.

For example, allow yourself to enjoy “holiday focused” foods in moderation all year long to reduce the hyper-focus from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.

The Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookie recipe below is a delicious way to incorporate this flexibility, balance, and moderation into every season throughout the year. Each cookie is full of fiber and essential macronutrients and can meet both a fat and starch exchange. As an optional ingredient, the addition of raisins provides a boost of vitamins and minerals that help facilitate the absorption of other nutrients in the body. Remember, all foods fit in moderation! Enjoy!

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
• 3 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed
   of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.
2. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered. Note: the cooking time can vary depending on the size of your cookie. Bake until golden brown.