A Negative Comment Led To The Best Peanut Butter Cookies

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Hiya Loves:

Have you ever been on the receiving end of an unpleasant or mean comment on the internet? Yea, me too.

Internet rudeness can really suck. And it’s an unfortunate side effect of being an online creator.

But, recently, I felt inspired by an angry message. Inspired to create a video and bake cookies. The BEST peanut butter cookies ever!

Maybe that sounds like a strange combo. But, ultimately, it all boils down to food freedom!

I’m feeling so passionate and inspired and I’m super excited to share with you.

So let’s dive in! And use the negativity to create some goodness. It’s like making lemonade out of lemons, only sweeter!

Are your ready?

Negative Comments Inspired Me To Bake Cookies

I’m sure you’ve been there before… unpleasantly surprised by an aggressive or distasteful comment or message on social media? It’s never a fun experience. And, as an online creator, it’s something I (unhappily) anticipate at times.

Often my response is to hit delete and even block, depending on the context. If there’s room for respectful conversation, I’m all about it! But there’s no point in responding to anyone who is committed to misunderstanding and/or belittling you. That’s what the block button’s there for. Self-care baby!

But recently I was inspired to take things in a different direction. A direction that ended with cookies. The best peanut butter cookies! And I plan to share the recipe with you in a hot minute. So I promise there’s a delicious, happy ending.

How did a negative message lead to peanut butter cookies, you might ask… let me explain.

A couple of weeks ago I awoke to a rather long, unhappy message on Instagram. There were a number of issues to unpack, but, in short, the writer did not like that I:

• Talked about Graves Disease and Autoimmunity being incurable
• Shared important anti-thyroid medication side effects in response to a question in my stories
• Wrote about fermented foods
• Promoted “unhealthy” eating by sharing that I eat cookies

That’s a lot to unpack. And unfortunately, the language and nature of the message made it clear that a healthy, respectful conversation wasn’t exactly possible. So I indulged in the self-care I listed above.

But I also felt inspired to talk about it. Because I’m so incredibly passionate about spreading Graves Disease and Autoimmunity awareness. And this is not the first time someone has gotten upset with me for discussing the in-curability of autoimmune diseases… even though that truth is so incredibly important.

I wanted to share why I’m so thoughtful with the terms I use (like incurable) for anyone who needs to hear it. Because that really matters!

So your girl made a video…

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara | Kindness + Self-Care (@mshealthesteem) on Apr 4, 2020 at 1:34pm PDT

Related: 7 Uplifting Self-Love Lessons From A Graves Disease Diagnosis

And then I made cookies.

Sweet, sweet peanut butter chocolate chip cookies to be exact. Because I wanted to. Because dessert can be a part of a healthy diet. And because food freedom matters!

And in honour of food freedom, I think you really, really need the recipe. Wouldn’t you agree?

Best Peanut Butter Cookies

Print

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Simple, easy and delicious peanut butter cookies. This recipe is vegan, dairy free and gluten free.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword peanut butter cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Peanut Butter Crunchy or Smoothe
• 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Cup Oat Flour
• 1 Egg Replacer Like Namaste Foods
• 1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips Optional - Like Camino Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, maple syrup and egg replacer.

3. Add in the oat flour and mix well.

4. Mix in the chocolate chips.

5. Scoop out a spoonfull of dough and roll into a ball. Place on a large, non-stick or greased cookie sheet.

6. Keep going until you've used all of the dough. Make sure the dough balls are evenly spaced.

7. Press each ball with a fork, making a crisscross pattern.

8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, when the bottoms will start to brown.

9. Allow cookies to cool and enjoy.

They look amazing right? And I promise they taste just as awesome! Who’s excited to make some?

Related: How To Make Chocolate, A Quick And Easy Recipe

Even cooler! Em of New Moon Holistic felt inspired to bake cookies in response to this too.

I am so incredibly delighted to have someone I adore and respect so much stand in solidarity with me. And I’m super excited to make her Salted Tahini and Chocolate Cookies.

Which brings me to the whole point of this goodness…

Let’s Talk About Food Freedom.

You do not have to live off of salads and smoothies to have a healthy diet. Food freedom is incredibly important. Balance is incredibly important. And eating dessert can absolutely be part of that if you want it to be.

A true healthy diet is not about a bland, restrictive and frustrating approach to food. It’s a lifestyle. One that, yes, embraces all those lovely fruits and vegetables. But one that also doesn’t make you feel bad if you want to enjoy a cookie.

A healthy diet should support your mental and physical well-being and feed you with flexibility and kindness.

Related: Are These Healthy Eating Myths Holding You Back?

For me, occasional cookies are a part of that.

There is absolutely no such thing as a perfect diet. Not only because we’re all unique and have different wants and needs. But also because eating should be simple, fun and fulfilling and never stress you out. Perfection doesn’t fit into that equation.

In fact, becoming fixated with eating “perfectly” really isn’t good for you anyway. Developing an overly obsessive and restrictive approach to food can potentially lead to disordered eating, orthorexia and malnutrition. (source)

Which kind of takes the healthy right out of healthy eating, right?

So let’s let go of the pressures of perfection and create a healthy balance that works for us.

Yes, embrace those fruits and veggies and all that super important stuff. Find recipes that excite you, cook, meal prep, try new things… But also eat cookies if you want to.

And don’t just take my word for it…

While discussing Kurbo (Weight Watchers’ unfortunate app for children) Dietitian Anna Sweeney had this to say:

“[…] what we know is that preoccupation with food and righteousness around food does not create healthy relationships with food. It does not leave people feeling good or competent in eating.” (source)

So let’s just not, shall we?

Final Thoughts

I could go on about how each and every ingredient in these cookies has something to offer your body. Because there are nutrients in there too! But I’ve done that before (you can read about it and get a recipe for peanut butter ice cream pie right here).

So I will instead leave you with this…

There are lots of ways to create a healthy diet. Like:

• Eating meals together with your family
• Cooking
• Trying new recipes
• Discovering new foods
• Meal planning and prepping
• Making fruits and vegetables readily available
• Indulging in mindful eating

Actions like these allow us to create a balance that works for us while also promoting a healthy relationship with food. Eating “perfectly” doesn’t fit into that narrative. It’s impossible.

There is no such thing as the perfect diet or lifestyle. Nor is there a one size fits all way to live. But mindfulness, balance and self-love go a long way for all of us.

So, if you want to enjoy a cookie, enjoy a cookie. (May I suggest the best peanut butter cookies ever haha!)

And, hey, while we’re at it…

Let’s all be kinder to each other, shall we? I think the world needs a lot more of that right about now.

Have a favourite cookie recipe? Excited to give these peanut butter cookies a try? Share with me in the comments below!

Health and love,

Thought of the day: Be kind to yourself. You’re doing your best and that is enough.

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