Occasionally we all need a sweet fix. With a few substitutions to a traditional recipe you can make the treats you love a little better for you. Below is a healthier recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Instead of white flour use whole wheat and instead of butter or shortening use fat free cream cheese. If these cookies are not over-baked they will be soft and chewy. Please let me know what you think!

¾ c granulated sugar
¾ c packed brown sugar
8 oz package fat free cream cheese (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
¼ c liquid egg substitute
1 c chocolate chips
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the cheese and sugars together then add the vanilla and egg substitute. Mix in the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips. After the dry ingredients are incorporated fold in the chocolate chips. Drop cookies by spoonful onto a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 12-14 minutes. Remove cookies from sheet in 2 minutes with thin spatula and cool completely on a cookie rack. Makes 24 cookies; 141 calories each.

Thank you to everyone who showed up and ran with team Work It in the Jinglebell 5k yesterday morning. Several thousand people showed up for the event. The temperature was cool and the wind was a little gusty but overall it was great for the 5k. Also, thanks to everyone who came by and inquired at the Work It table. Below is a picture of the entire Work It team, a great looking group! I look forward to putting a team together for the Jinglebell 5k next year. Way to go everyone!!!

I had lunch Saturday afternoon at Zocalo Cafe, located in the Clarksville neighborhood at 1110 West Lynn.  I enjoyed the Tacos del Mar with grilled Mahi Mahi on fresh wheat tortillas (they make them in-house without lard).  The tacos were fantastic and garnished with a cabbage, carrot, and cilantro slaw.  Mango-watermelon salsa and a slightly spicy dressing was on the side.  Go easy on the dressing  as it seemed to be mayo-based.  I substituted the rice and beans with a cup of their tortilla soup, which was wonderful but did have some cheese and tortilla chips (fine in moderation).   The portions were perfect and I left satisfied if not just slightly full.  They have quite a few taco and salad selections that were tempting and can be kept healthy (again, easy on those dressings).  Give Zocalo Cafe a try and let me know what you think.  Healthy eating!

So I went to the top of Whole Foods downtown this evening for free yoga sponsored by Lululemon and had an awesome time. We had about 45 minutes of bootcamp followed by about 30 minutes of acroyoga – a cross between yoga and acrobatics. The acroyoga was a little scary at first but it quickly became a little addictive. Next week is dudeyoga, hmm….

I attended the noon Earth class at Sunstone North Hills. There were only two other students in the class along with the instructor, Michael. Michael was able to give us each a lot of attention. There was one total yoga newbie in the class and she seemed to be very comfortable. Visit and take advantage of their special before it gets too popular. Word will spread fast!