Mommyguilt-free cookies

We all deal with mommyguilt. We place too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect and frankly it's not realistic. Have you watched cartoons and thought - geeze, how the heck is that mom able to be so patient after that kid did that? The moms never lose it and I find this disturbing because our kids watch these shows and think this is how mommy should be all the time. That's totally setting us moms up and this is where "you're mean" (among other things) comes from. How about that Little Bear's mom? Or Ruby, Max's sister and apparent mother figure? If your kids watch a show where a mom is somewhat REAL, let me know b/c I want Boo to start watching it!

There's a lot of guilt we feel when it comes to eating. We feel guilty when we:
- don't give them enough vegetables
- allow them to eat too many sweets
- give them too much juice to drink
- leave the TV on when they eat
- don't eat together as a family
- feed them fast food
...and the list goes on and on and this is only one aspect where mommyguilt thrives!

Honestly, the biggest critic is mom herself and no one is perfect (although I have done each of the above only once in Boo's life - yeah right, LOL!). We are a healthy household and do our best but I let things go once in a while. We all know better and we do the best we can. Being aware of what is good and not good for our kids is a big step in the right direction and allows us to make appropriate decisions. Next time you feel mommyguilt looming over you, stop and think whether it's really deserved. Is it really a big deal in the overall scheme of things?

To alleviate some mommyguilt I have a great "cookie" recipe for you that doesn't contain sugar, wheat*, oil, or salt. Think of it as a bowl of banana oatmeal your kids can eat without the mess and on the go. The texture is like a muffin and not crunchy like a cookie. You may have to name it banana muffin cookies/cakes if your kids are older and have expectations of what defines a cookie. I give 2-3 to Boo as a snack or first thing in the morning. She loves them and thinks it's such a treat to have them for breakfast! So here it is, mommyguilt-free cookies care of the
Vegan Lunchbox. I modified it to my liking but you can always go to the link for the original recipe.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies - makes about 28 cookies
- 2 cups quick cooking oats (optional - gluten free)
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 4 medium overripe bananas (medium is about 7-8 inches long)
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Use a blender or food processor to blend the oats into fine flour (it doesn't have to be exactly like the consistency of store bought flour - it can be a little rougher). Add the baking soda and cinnamon and blend for a few seconds to combine. Pour into a mixing bowl.

Add cashews to the blender and pulse until they're the desired size. I like mine to be the size of the peanuts in a jar of crunchy peanut butter. Add this to the oat mixture.

Put 3 of the peeled, overripe bananas into the blender and blend until smooth. Add this to the oat mixture. Put the 4th banana into the blender and pulse - stop when it's still a little chunky (the cookies are really tasty when you take a bite and get a chunk of banana). Chop the dates and add to the mix.

Use a mini ice cream scooper (mine is 1.5" in diameter) to place mounds of the cookie dough on the baking sheet. These cookies don't rise so press down so they're about a 1/4" tall. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

That's it. Add more nuts or dates if you like. Get creative - add to the recipe to your liking. Instead of dates how about raisins, craisins, dried blueberries, dried cherries, and/or other kind of nuts or seeds? Baking is usually a science but with this recipe you can add other ingredients and not affect the cookies' integrity. Let me know what you come up with.

*This recipe is wheat free but not gluten free unless you buy oats that specifically say so. Oats naturally do not contain gluten but they are processed in the same facilities as wheat causing cross contamination.