We drove in from South Carolina late Monday night so it was pick-up pizza for dinner.  Surprisingly, the late meal didn’t interfere with a great nights sleep. There’s nothing like being back in your own bed. When the alarm went off a little before 5AM, I knew if I snoozed, there would be no getting up to get a good run in before starting the day.  I tossed the covers off, felt the cool morning air hit my body, tripped over Shane, but managed to catch myself AND keep the noise at a minimum since Ted’s snoring didn’t miss a beat breath. 

I always check the early morning weather before heading to bed and based on Monday night’s advanced forecast, I expected 13 degree temperatures with 10 mph winds.  So in the morning, I didn’t even confirm the forecast as I fueled up for the workout. Instead, I headed right downstairs to the treadmill.  I looked at my old motorized friend and thought “This is the first of many runs we’ll do together within the next few months so lets get going and be happy about it.” 

The TV was channeled to the early morning news. The volume cranked so I could barely make out the broadcast over the pounding of feet on the treadmill.  I cheated and held on as I cranked the speed up to 8.5 on a 2% incline after a 3 mile warm up.  ENOUGH!  After 6 miles, that was all I could take.  Ted and Shane were in the gym, Ted working with weights and Shane picking up his dreaming where he left off in the bedroom. “COME ON, SHANE!”  We left the warmth of the house and ventured into the cold morning air for just 3 more miles. 

It wasn’t that bad outside, temperature and wind wise.  It was 18 degrees but felt warmer.  I didn’t feel any wind at all.  The only problem, and this slowed the intended run to a jog, was the slippery roads.  Footing was unsure most of the way so our pace was slow.  The end result was a good 9.3 miles at an average pace of 9.

It’s tough getting back into the normal routine after such a wonderful holiday.  I’m still catching up at work with year end stuff as well as at home.  There are things to be done that I just don’t want to do and I’m not normally a procrastinator but lately, I can’t seem to swing into action.  That being said, there won’t be a FOFF post this Thursday and the Taste of Utica post for Sunday is still up in the air. I’ll get going again but right now I’m more focused obsessed on 3:30:00.  More on that later. In the meantime, how about some

COOKIES!?!

This recipe came to me via email.  Thanks Alyson!   It’s based on a recipe from the National Honey Board and offers a delightful alternative using healthier, gluten free flours. 

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All-natural honey not only adds moisture to gluten-free recipes, it also masks “off” or bitter flavors often found in whole grains and gluten-free flours. This ideal ingredient is not just a simple sweetener — with more than 300 varietals in the United States, honey adds its own special flavor to any recipe. In general, lighter colored honeys are milder in flavor, while darker honeys are more robust. And besides giving a touch of sweetness to every bite, honey also adds an appealing golden color to baked goods for an eye-catching, mouth-watering treat.

It can be challenging to incorporate gluten-free substitutes for popular ingredients and still get the taste and texture of counterparts containing gluten. Honey can be the perfect addition to gluten-free recipes, especially baked goods like cookies.

Enjoy the taste of …..these Gluten-free Pumpkin Honey Spice Cookies developed by the National Honey Board. They’re sure to be a hit with both adults and kids..

I changed the recipe to accommodate what was available in my pantry.

GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN HONEY SPICE COOKIES

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Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes – Made 32 cookies

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  • 1 cup Brown Rice Flour (or orig. recipe calls for -2 cups gluten-free flour blend* )
  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1 TBS Apple Pie Spice (or orig. recipe calls for 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. Xanthan gum (or orig. recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon guar gum powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1 can (15 oz.) Organic Pumpkin Puree (or orig. recipe calls for 1 cup pumpkin puree)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ( or orig. recipe calls for 1 cup chopped pecans)
  • 3/4 cup dried naturally sweetened cranberries (or orig. recipe used 2/3 cup dried cranberries)

Apple Crumbles method:  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Using Silpat sheets, line 2 baking sheets.

In a large bowl, blend all dry ingredients from Rice flour to salt.  

In a small bowl, blend honey, butter, pumpkin, egg and mix well.  Stir into dry ingredients.

Add the nuts and cranberries. 

Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until brown on top.

Original Recipe Method and Nutrition:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or line with parchment paper 3 cookie sheets. In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. On a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together honey and butter. Beat in pumpkin and egg (mixture will look curdled, but will smooth out when dry ingredients are added). On low speed, mix in dry ingredients until blended; mix in pecans and cranberries. Drop tablespoons of dough onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving 1 inch between them. Bake 15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool on pan 5 minutes; with spatula, transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

*Use a store-bought blend or make your own blend by combining equal parts white rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch or cornstarch.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1 cookie): 109 calories; 5 g fat; 13 mg cholesterol; 84 mg sodium; 16 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g protein

For more information about honey and for more honey recipes, visit www.honey.com.

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Awfully hard to resist.  Another cookie favorite.

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