Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

If you are in need of something a little sweet these cookies will do the trick. Even though this was my first time making the cookies I played around with the recipe a little. Instead of using Splenda or other sugar substitute I used real sugar but cut the amount in half. Now I know the point of the GI Diet is to try to eliminate sugar from your diet but I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners and I find most recipes turn out well and still taste sweet enough if I use just a touch of real sugar. I won't make these cookies all the time, not because of the taste but because I would consider this a special treat and my 10% cheat of the week. (on the GI Diet you are allowed to cheat 10% of the time)


SERVED WITH: A cup of coffee or tea

COOKING TIPS: Don't over bake the cookies. The 10 minutes cook time suggested is just perfect.

RATING: 8. These cookies don't have the chewy texture of a traditional cookie and are a touch dry but still a nice treat.

Blueberry Beef Burger

Don't be put off by the slightly purplish colour of these burgers. Once they are cooked nobody will even be able to tell that they once looked so strange. This is another one of those recipes I just had to try because of the strange mix of ingredients...blueberries, ground flax and oatmeal to name a few. The end result was a pretty decent tasting burger. In fact for extra lean ground beef these burgers came out super moist. This recipe makes 4 hearty sized patties. My husband liked them and said he would definitely eat them again. We enjoyed our first barbeque of the season and took advantage of the nice weather and ate out on the porch.

SERVED WITH: Asparagus and a side salad topped with beans and corn. Just make note that corn is a yellow light item from the GI Diet.

COOKING TIPS: Don't wear white when working with the blueberries. It is also a little tricky to tell if the burgers are done until you become familiar with what ground blueberries look like in your meat. About 4 to 5 minutes per side on the barbeque should just about do it.

RATING: 7. I was pleased but not blown away. A decent tasting burger considering the recipe called for extra lean ground beef.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

I still can't decide which pancake recipe I like the best. This one or the cottage cheese pancake recipe that I posted last month. I was never a fan of pancakes because I found them to sweet to eat first thing in the morning but I now look forward to a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning so I can cook up a batch for breakfast. The left over pancakes are even good the next day as a snack. The thing I like the most about this recipe is the texture and nutty flavor of the flax meal.

SERVED WITH: Fresh fruit, 1 sausage (yes I cheated and had a sausage but they are the slightly healthier Rowe Farms brand) and 1 egg

COOKING TIPS: Make sure to cook over a medium heat, if the temperature is to hot the pancakes will burn on the outside.

RATING: A perfect 10. How could I give it less, I am now a pancake lover.