On the Quest for a Better Girl Scout Cookie

It’s that time of year again.    Everywhere you turn there is someone offering you a Thin Mint.

I fondly remember the days when I sold Girl Scout cookies.  Going door to door asking people I’d never met to buy cookies.  My Mum stood at the end of the sidewalk,  smiling and supporting.   I was the always the leading cookie seller in our troop, and I was REALLY, REALLY  proud of that fact.

Times have changed.  A LOT.   I can’t imagine sending Grant, who’s now 6,  door to door to sell anything.   What they ask our kids to sell, at least food wise, isn’t anything I would ever even consider buying at the store myself.   So do I need to buy it to support my kid?   I don’t think so.  Will I still support my kid, or the Girl Scouts?   You bet!

I have no problem just writing a check, or handing the girls selling cookies a $5 bill.    But it does tend to take people by surprise!  I think our PTA president was shocked when I emailed her to ask her how much they would make if Grant had sold 50 tubs of cookie dough (which turned out to be shocking low)  so I could write a check instead.    She gladly let me know AND she got more money out of the deal.

So are you wondering why I won’t even consider eating a Girl Scout cookie these days (aside from the gluten)?  Check out Fooducate’s reviews of what is actually in Girl Scout cookies.    No thank you to hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and potentially GMO ingredients.  I’m sure that they were just as bad back when I sold them.      The difference is, I know better than to eat this stuff now.

That being said, I still want a taste of that nostalgia.  Selling all those cookies also meant I ate A LOT of them.   Thin Mints and Carmel deLights  in particular.     Did anyone else ever eat an entire row of Thin Mints in one sitting or was it just me?

I’ve noticed a slew of recipes popping up by great bloggers I love.   I thought it was time to put them all in one place and start testing them out.

Here are a few I’ve found so far…

GF = Gluten Free , SF = Refined Sugar Free, DF = Dairy Free

Thin Mints – GF – from Gluten Free on a Shoestring

Thin Mints – GF / DF – Silvana’s Kitchen

Thin Mints – GF/SF, Paleo – from Elana’s Pantry (added 2/25/13)

Samoas (Carmel deLights) = GF/SF, Paleo – from Elana’s Pantry

Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties) – GF – from Gluten Free on a Shoestring

Do-si-dos (Peanut Butter Sandwiches) – GF – from Easy Eats (subscription required to view)

Lemonades – GF – from Gluten Free on a Shoestring  (added 2/25/13)

and because it just looks SOOO good….

Girl Scout Cookie Lara Bars – GF – from Chocolate Covered Katie

For those of you that are not GF and want a cookie that contains wheat, do a Pinterest search and there are tons of homemade recipe options for you to try!

And remember…
Cookies are still cookies!  These recipes are real food, NOT health food.   Please eat in moderation! (yes, this as much to myself as it is to you !)

^{© Alicia Myers Leifheit and FoodisaJourney.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Alicia Myers Leifheit and FoodisaJourney.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.}

Getting Back on Track… and Cookie Dough Balls

It’s been a while, hasn’t it.   Sorry about that.   

The last two months have been filled with craziness, sickness and tears.  I lost my Grandpa just after Christmas.   I haven’t felt like doing much of anything.   I’m off track in so many ways right now.    But, I’m not going to beat myself up over it  (ok I will, but I’m trying really hard not to).   I’ve decided that I’m going to declare February 1st as the start of my New Year!

With my “New Year”  some exciting things happening……

I’m FINALLY going to try Plan to Eat (a meal planning service) and will keep you posted on my thoughts.

I’m taking two FREE classes through Coursera:  An Introduction to US Food System (via John Hopkins) and Nutrition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (via UCSF).  I’m sure I’ll have lots of wonderful things to share from both classes.  If you are interested, you can still join either class.

And just because I wasn’t feeling good, doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about great things to write for you.   Coming your way soon….

• A better way to fight the Crud
• Beating Motion Sickness
• Better Pain Management Options
• How we went Gluten Free
• Updated resources & a reading list.

Sorry, I’m rambling.    I do that.    I can hear you, you’re saying just give me that recipe already!  Right??  Well, here you go.

Cookie Dough Balls from Chocolate Covered Katie.   She actually calls them Cookie Pops which is a cute idea too.   I call them Cookie Dough Balls because that’s EXACTLY what they taste like.   Nothing’s better that raw chocolate chip cookie dough – except these, because they have no eggs and are safe to eat!    I made them with them with GF oat flour (which you can make by grinding oatmeal in your food processor – just measure after grinding).    They are highly addictive and a HUGE hit in my house!  Enjoy!

I’ll talk to you soon 🙂

^{© Alicia Myers Leifheit and FoodisaJourney.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Alicia Myers Leifheit and FoodisaJourney.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.}