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4 Almond Butter Cookie Recipes You Need to Eat to Believe

It certainly doesn’t take much to sell someone on cookies. Toss in the notion that said cookies are on the healthy side? Few people will hear that beyond the headline: cookies!

It’s true though, these almond butter cookie recipes aren’t just healthier than other cookies of similar flavors. Through the power of almond butter, they offer lower sugar, less fat, and allergy-conscious options for bakers ready to experiment a little.

Almonds lower and control cholesterol while offering flavorful alternatives to sugars, butter, and peanuts. Outside of all that, for those with a gastronomical streak, leaning to balance the sugars and fats of novel ingredients can lead to exceptional results.

Almond Butter Cookie Recipes

What a time to be alive and baking! Not only do bakers have access to a robust pantry of new ingredients, but the new ingredients also benefit from blended flavor trends.

For the following recipes, you can take any of these almond butters for a spin and arrive at a tasty cookie. (The ginger cookies being the one place you’ll want to tread carefully.)

1. Chocolate Chip

It’s a classic chocolate chip cookie but free of flour and butter so vegan (with a substitution) and gluten-free.

Ingredients

    • Eggs – 1 or 1 egg-substitute for binding
    • Almond butter – 1 cup
    • Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup, coconut sugar also works
    • Baking Soda – 1 tsp (for rising)
    • Chocolate Chips – 1 cup total, feel free to mix in multiple chip types/sizes
    • Vanilla Extract – 1/2 – 1 tsp, rich vanilla goes a long way so modulate by quality

Process

Start by beating the egg until slightly frothy. It’s hard to overwhip eggs until sugars added.

Stir in the almond butter gently. You want it integrated but not mixed. Lumpy batter makes for fluffier cookies.

Next the sugar, vanilla, and baking soda go in all at once. Integrate without homogenizing.

Lastly, fold in your chocolate chips gently for an even distribution of chocolatey goodness.

Prepare baking sheets with either baking mats or parchment paper. Drop on one to one-and-a-half teaspoons of batter and form depressed domes. Wipe off any excess oil that rises to prevent over-browning.

Baking

Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Check and remove if done, go another 2 minutes for crispy flats.

Cool for 10 minutes before eating (chocolate burn is the pits!). Store for up to 7 days of two weeks if chilled.

2. Nut Butters (Almond)

Much like Band-Aid needs to stop being the default for adhesive strips, peanut butter cookies need to step down and let the generic title prevail. These nut butter cookies (featuring Almond!) are just like those popular ones but oh so different and oh so worth checking out.

Ingredients

    • Almond butter – 3/4 cup smooth and on the oily side (infused or plain, your call)
    • Sugar- 1/2 brown (or coconut or agave), 1/2 cup cane or sugar substitute
    • Coconut oil – 1/2 cup
    • Flour – 1 1/2 cup, all-purpose or hearty (oat, rye, etc)
    • Sea salt – 1/2 tsp
    • Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
    • Baking Powder – 1/4 tsp
    • Vanilla – 1 – 1 1/2 tsp (depending on quality)
    • Water – 3 Tbsp
    • Ground Flaxseed – 1 Tbsp

Process

Mix together the water and flaxseed in a separate bowl. This will thicken for up to 5 minutes.

In a secondary bowl mix the flour, baking bits (powder and soda), and sea salt.

In your main bowl mix the sugars, coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla. Combine until smooth and then integrate the flaxseed mixture.

Gradually add the dry ingredients and fold. The batter should be just combined and dry. If it is so dry it doesn’t hold together, add a touch more water.

Prepare baking sheets with either baking mats or parchment paper. Make balls of dough roughly 2-inches in diameter and put them on a sheet. Flatten on the bottom to prevent rolling then add the traditional cross-hatching with a fork.

Add large-flake salt to the tops if desired.

Baking

Place in the oven at 350 F for 12 minutes. Check for a golden brown exterior. For dryer climates, cut cooking time by a minute. For moister climates, shorten by a minute.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before sampling the goods.

3. Haystacks

Sometimes you want cookies but you don’t want to bake them. That’s where the classic haystack-style no-bake cookie comes in. These easy almond butter cookies are best made outside the reach of children (and grabby spouses).

Ingredients

    • Almond butter – 1/3 cup (chunky mix-ins and flavors excel here)
    • Rolled Oats – 1 cup (gluten-free if desired)
    • Sesame Seeds – 1/4 cup
    • Coconut Sugar – 1/2 cup (or agave)
    • Coconut Oil – 3 Tbsp (refined or vegan butter)
    • Sunflower Seeds – 3 Tbsp, unsalted (or almond slivers)
    • Almond Milk – 2 Tbsp (sub in soy, oat, or nut milk as desired)
    • Vanilla – 1/2 – 1 tsp (always with that vanilla extract quality)
    • Sea Salt – to taste

Process

Place coconut oil, coconut sugar, and almond milk into a saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a low boil.

With the above mixture bubbling (but not splattering) mix ingredients with a few swirls. You want ribbons of each and not a solid mixture of all three. Continue to boil for about a minute.

Remove the mixture from heat and add the almond butter, sesame and sunflower seeds, oats, and coconut flour. Stir everything thoroughly but not until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla and give another stir-through.

Set aside a baking sheet with the usual parchment or wax paper. Baking mats are a no-go here, they will get far too sticky (also, no baking). Spoon large tablespoons (1-3 based on want) of cookie mixture onto the sheets.

Let rest for 20 minutes or 12 in the refrigerator. Finished cookies will be solid but not hard and last for five-ish days refrigerated.

4. Salted Ginger

This final recipe is for those looking to bake with almond butter on a more routine basis. These cookies are cakey in texture but made of only a few ingredients.

Ingredients

    • Almond Butter – 3/4 cup (chunky or smooth as preferred)
    • Coconut Sugar – 1/2 cup (or brown sugar)
    • Ground Ginger – 2 tsp (grated ginger works, but only if dried overnight)
    • Salt – 1/2 tsp (dealers choice but large-flake is best)
    • Egg – 1 or substitute

Process

Throw everything into a bowl and mix until well-combined. You want a nice glossy sheen to the batter.

Cover sought while still in the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes minimum, 4 hours is best.

Get your parchment-lined baking sheets ready. Drop tablespoons of dough on the sheet in small balls.

Baking

Bake at 350 F for 11 minutes. Check for a dark brown bottom and golden lift at the edges. Give another one to two minutes if not done.

Remove from oven, top with additional salt (not too heavy), and let cool for that agonizing 10 minutes.

Eat Your Fill!

There you have it. Four easy-to-make almond butter cookie recipes.

Compare these to traditional recipes and you’ll quickly see how easy it is to adjust other perennial favorite recipes to incorporate the flavors and power of almond butter.

Check back with us for more culinary precision and flavors that endure.

3 Key Features to Consider When Buying a House

Are you hoping to find the home of your dreams and are wondering what features you should look for to find the best home for you? You want to find a home that makes it feel like it was made for you and your family, meaning it will meet all of your needs.

To learn more about how to find your dream home, keep reading. In this guide, we will let you in on some of the most important factors you will want to consider to reach your home goals this year.

1. The Features You’ve Always Wanted 

If you’re looking for your dream home, you should make a list of the features you have always wanted in a home. While before, you may have just been looking for a home that meets your needs, buying your dream home will require you to search for homes that take your satisfaction to the next level. Rank the features you desire by how much you want to prioritize them.

Some of these features may be about location, such as how close you are to work or your kid’s school. Others may involve features that are money-saving and environmentally friendly, such as a house with solar panels already installed. If you find your dream home and want to invest in solar panels, head to this site: blueravensolar.com/state-ohio/.

2. The Location 

Location is important for obvious reasons – you want to make sure that you are part of a neighborhood or community that you enjoy interacting with on a daily basis. For this reason, before buying a home, you want to start looking for areas that work for you and your family. Figure out what kind of environment you would most like to live in, and consider how much access you would like to have to certain amenities around you.

3. Home Style and Layout 

Your home should be a space that reflects you and your family. For this reason, the style of your home must not only work for your household size but should also reflect your personal style. Think about the style of living that you desire and find a house that allows for this lifestyle while also having some of the aesthetic features that you admire.

Not only will you want to figure out if you want a home, condo, or townhouse, but you should also know what design style you enjoy. When searching for homes, note the style of houses you can see yourself enjoying as well as which styles do not interest you whatsoever. When touring homes, focus on the layout to make sure it’s one that would work for you, your family, and your interior design style.

Home Goals: Find Your Dream House With These Tips and Tricks 

If you’re trying to find a house that fulfills your home goals, keep the tips and tricks in this guide in mind when house hunting. Make the home one you love by finding the best option for you.

For more advice on this topic, head to the “Home” section of our site today!

Preparing To Travel For A Year

It takes time and effort to embark on a journey to leave your home base for a year, so plan for all that you’ll need while you are away…
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Are you ready to give up your current life, and possibly a job to travel the world? Congrats, you are courageous enough to take on this adventure. Many people dream of traveling to Europe and across the world, but never actually do it. Of course, it takes time and planning to embark on this new journey of yours. You must prepare for leaving your home base for a year and plan for all that you’ll need while you are away. Follow along if you are ready to leave as a brave and beautiful soul!

Expect To Miss People And Worry Them

While you are away friends and family will miss you and worry on your behalf. Quitting a job and putting your career on hold seems like a huge risk to make in the eyes of others. However, not everyone will understand. The goal is for you to do something truly meaningful in your life– your career can always wait for you. Not only that, but while you are exploring new places and traveling through different time zones you will have people who worry about your safety. Try to check in with your loved ones frequently and remind them that you are doing well and you are safe. Plenty of cafes and airports offer wifi so that you can make a phone call or send out a text if you need it. On the other side of things, expect you will miss people just as much as they miss you. No matter if you are already traveling with a friend or significant other, you will most likely think about the ones you care about while gone.

Moving Or Selling Your Home

If you have decided to sell your home, this is a big decision. You will need to learn how to price your home or rent it out while you are gone. On the other hand, if you were just renting, you just have to ensure your lease term is up. If your lease is month-to-month then you are in the clear. While you are away, you may want to consolidate items or find a storage unit to hold them while they are gone. If you can afford to keep your home while away, then this is a great option as you can continue to store your items there and have them waiting for you when you are back.

Don’t Over Plan

Travelers who are used to planning weekend trips or long vacations may feel inclined to plan as many logistical details as possible. However, keeping your itinerary open provides for more flexibility and spontaneity than if you over-booked yourself. Purchase your transcontinental flights in advance, otherwise, leave an open schedule. Part of the fun of living adventurously is to wake up and ask yourself, “what do I feel like doing today?” Who knows, mauve you’ll end up in entire countries you didn’t plan to visit and it will be spectacular. You may even meet new people who guide you to some new location or spot that makes you stay in a place one or two days longer than originally expected. Point is, don’t try to over-plan and force yourself to follow a strict schedule.

Know Your Budget

This is crucial before you travel. Obviously, you have planned this with enough time that you have saved. Knowing how much you can afford and how long you want to travel will help you make the financial decisions that are necessary while abroad or across the world. Make sure that you have a travel credit card handy because many foreign countries will charge extra fees if you try to pay with an American debit card. Travel credit cards eliminate any hassle in this sense. If not, cash works just fine. Try to research how much airbnbs or places cost in an area before going– that way you can set a monthly budget to keep yourself on track.

Embrace The Journey

The most important part of it all is to embrace the journey and make the best of what your day presents you. You will encounter times where you get lost, confused, or fearful but this is part of the adventure. Most of all, it will be an experience that you never forget!

We are happy to present this collaborative post to offer valuable information to our readers.

Words of Wisdom for New Moms

Your newborn is here, and the first few months of motherhood can be crazy. That’s why you need these few tips to be at your best for these first few months of being a new mother…
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Being a new mother can be filled with mixed emotions. It’s exciting and overwhelming because your body changes as you adapt to a new phase of life. Your newborn is here, and the first few months of motherhood can be crazy. That’s why you need these few tips to be at your best for these first few months of being a new mother.

Develop Your Bond

It’s essential to develop a bond with your newborn in the first few weeks and months. The bond you create with the little one affects their emotional and psychological health for their entire life. New mothers can create a strong bond with their newborns through lots of eye contact, responding to their needs, and plenty of skin-to-skin contact. It can be exhausting to have your newborn around you all the time and responding to all their needs, but it won’t last forever. Use that opportunity to create a bond with your little one during the first few months of motherhood.

Health and Wellness

Your body has undergone several changes from pregnancy to childbirth. Also, you need to be healthy to breastfeed your baby well and recover. Ensure that you eat a healthy diet to supply your body and your newborn with the proper nutrients for their growth. Your meals should comprise vegetables, grains, protein, and fruits. Remember to take enough fluids because your newborn needs enough breast milk during the first few months. Additionally, taking postnatal vitamins helps new moms to recover easily and supply enough nutrients to their newborns.

Get Enough Rest

Rest is crucial during the first few months of motherhood. Ensure that you rest when your newborn is asleep, rather than using that time to do other chores. It would help to have someone around the house to help during the first few weeks so that you can have enough rest. Also, consider having your newborn’s bed next to yours for easy feeding at night. While it’s good to have visitors around, excuse yourself to spare some time to rest.

Love Your Body

You just gave birth to a baby. Therefore, your tummy is likely to be baggy and squishy, and it might take some time for the varicose veins to disappear. Wearing compression socks can help expedite their disappearance while also helping cover them up.

Don’t stress yourself about your postpartum body, especially during the first few months.Don’t stress yourself about your postpartum body, especially during the first few months. Your body is incredible, and it will soon get back in shape. Theretofore, be patient and love your body. Say nice things to yourself and even dress in pretty clothes to feel good about your body.

Signs of Overstimulation

Your newborn is likely to cry a lot during the first few months. Most new moms mistake the cry for lack of sleep or hunger. However, it could be a sign of overstimulation. Therefore, new mothers should look for signs that their newborns are overstimulated and learn ways to soothe them. Playtime is crucial for a newborn, but too many activities often overstimulate the young one. When your newborn is overstimulated, consider taking them to a quiet room and talk to them in a soothing voice. It could calm them down.

Tips like getting help, learning how to soothe your baby, and taking supplements can go a long way in helping new mothers adapt well to motherhood. Newborns can be mysterious, but you will get through the first few months well. Knowledge about the needs of a newborn can make the first few months of motherhood enjoyable and stress-free.

We are happy to present this collaborative post to offer valuable information to our readers.

Getting it Together Through Transference-Focused Psychotherapy

If you have people telling you to “Get yourself together” on any kind of regular basis, then it might be time to look in to a very specific type of treatment, transference-focused psychotherapy… CONTINUE READING >> 

Life’s ups and downs are perfectly normal, but if you have people telling you to “Get yourself together” on any kind of regular basis, then it might be time to look in to a very specific type of treatment, transference-focused psychotherapy.

This is most commonly used to help those with borderline personality disorder, which can include feelings and emotions that often come and go in rapid succession. Moods can swing from euphoria to depression, similar to bipolar disorder, except that the changes are abrupt and short lived but still very intense.

A bipolar person will experience high and low states for much longer, generally they will last from several days to even months.

Borderline personality disorder patients often feel anxious and nervous, which can lead to all sorts of harmful and impulsive behavior such as substance abuse and uncontrollable gambling or spending. Sometimes it may result in multiple personalities appearing, or a high risk of suicide. This is why it is so important to get treatment as soon a s possible.

That is where transference-focused psychotherapy comes in, it is typically a very well-structured therapy that meets twice a week to work on the patient’s internalized contradictory beliefs.

The therapist’s goal is to help the individual rectify any separate identities they may have, in order to develop a standard system of relating to the world. One way to go about this is to challenge some of the false conclusions that the patient has come to believe as facts.

The first step is to make sure that the they can clearly express their specific thoughts so as to define what they mean. It is important to describe these so it can be shown how they affect the individual in their day-to-day life.

The therapist can then build on this and hopefully bring the varied ideas and views into agreement with one another. This usually takes quite some time because it is a difficult proposition to change someone’s feelings about themselves. This means that a solid relationship needs to be formed between the therapist and the patient allowing for open discussions and the possibility to continue to challenge ideas.

Of course, it is good to remember that all types of therapy can take some time. This is even more true with transference-focused psychotherapy because the focus is on long-term goals and strategies rather than the short-term success in some other forms of therapy.

Success means helping the individual to reduce any risky or dangerous behaviors that they had been involved with, while learning to control themselves and form stronger, better relationships. Once that is accomplished, they can begin to work toward the goals they have set for their lives.

Obviously, this process can be time consuming and might create problems with people’s schedules, but luckily, as we discussed in this prior article, BetterHelp.com can help facilitate this, or almost any type of therapy, completely online.

We all have preconceived notions about psychotherapy, especially those of us with a few years under our belts, but much of what we think we know is just no longer the case. These days therapy is much more relaxed than the stereotype we have in our minds from movies and television.

And as we said, getting it together no longer needs to take place in a room with a couch, anywhere with WiFi will do.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

For more about BetterHelp.com and their programs, please see these previous articles we have shared on GypsyNester.com:

Some Observations about Online Therapy

Anxiety is Almost Unavoidable These Days

Don’t Let the Cost Stop You from Seeking Help

Exploring the Different Types of Therapy

Identifying Problems in the Present with Cognitive Psychotherapy

Examining the Role of Geriatric Psychiatry as our Loved Ones are Aging

Analyzing the Information in Psychiatry Articles

Artistic Expression as a Part of Art Therapy

Ever Wonder Why Therapists Take Notes?

How to Improve your Self-Care

While self-care is unique to every individual’s journey, it is absolutely crucial to get started on your own. Caring for yourself is perpetual…
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Improving your self-care routines isn’t always easy, but when you incorporate good habits it will become effortless. While it may take a while for you to solidify good self-care habits, it is important to start somewhere. Whether you are struggling to eat well, get enough sleep, or are in some kind of pain, doing your best to take care of yourself will make all the difference. Below are a few ways you can improve your self-care routine and help yourself get better every day.

Eat Well

The most important things to do in your life is to eat well and exercise. You should start by eating plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and whole grains. Lower your sugar intake and include many leafy greens. Avoid carbohydrates. Drink plenty of water and other fluids. Eating healthy foods is vital to your overall health and your self-care routine, but exercise is necessary. Hiring a fitness advisor can be a great way for you to reach your personal fitness goals and stay in shape!

Exercise Frequently

Getting plenty of exercise is pivotal to self-care. You should spend a lot of time doing cardio but also lifting weights, doing sit ups, pushups, and toning exercises like yoga. Not only will your body look better, staying active and getting enough exercise is absolutely integral to feeling your best. It doesn’t matter whether you like to work out or not, if you get up and do the hard work you will feel so much better. And afterwards you can enjoy a sauna in your own home with MiHigh. You’ll be healthier and feel great both physically and emotionally.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is also very important. It is as necessary as eating well and exercising. In fact it can greatly affect your ability to eat well and exercise. When you’re tired, your body will tell your mind that you are hungrier than you are. You will eat more because you will need more energy. You won’t have the motivation to exercise. Making the effort to get enough deep sleep will change your whole life. You will feel better when you care for yourself in a meaningful way. Sleep is so important when it comes to emphasizing self-care.

Meditate & Practice Mindfulness

Self-care doesn’t just include the body, the mind is such a significant part of it. If your mind isn’t in the right place, your body won’t be either. The body and mind always impact one another. Even if you initially think that it’s not for you, meditation does wonders for the mind, spirit, and body. Your emotions will become more stable and your mind will be calmer. Not only does meditation help you work through your problems, it provides a central avenue for health.

Mindfulness training is another helpful technique. Try your best to be in the present moment by focusing on one thing at a time, and giving yourself the space to think. Mindfulness helps you slow down racing thoughts and get rid of negativity in your life. Breathing exercises can also be a part of mindfulness practice. To practice mindfulness you don’t need anything. Just your mind.

Lower Inflammation

You may not know this, but inflammation is one of the leading causes of a lot of conditions. Health ailments connected to inflammation include diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Certain types of inflammation are also the result of inflammation. Beyond eating well, exercising, and getting adequate sleep, you can lower inflammation in a few ways.

If you spend a lot of time on your feet you should invest in gel inserts that provide comfort and support to your feet and body. Another great way to mitigate inflammation is to take CBD products. With all of the health benefits and no high, CBD is a great way to decrease inflammation. That’s not all it does. CBD can also help with insomnia and can lessen anxiety.

While self-care is unique to every individual’s journey, it is absolutely crucial to get started on your own. Caring for yourself is perpetual, it’s a process that doesn’t end as soon as you adopt better habits. Eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, caring for your mental health, and doing your best to lower inflammation are all just individual steps in a cohesive holistic approach to wellness. Create a schedule for these things and implement them into your life. Peace and happiness await you.

We are happy to present this collaborative post to offer valuable information to our readers.

Best Reasons to Choose an Interior Designer

What are you going to do with the interior of your home? There is a lot more to think about than just getting some furniture and slapping down some paint. You have to consider the home’s décor and style, the overall interior design. Although you might have some ideas of what you want to do with your space, you may find that working with a Truoba home designer is a better idea than handling it all on your own. Let’s look at some of the top reasons to work with a designer.

The Potential of the Space

Homeowners who have been living with a space for years may not see the full potential that it offers. They have been viewing the room, the house, the alcove, etc. for so long that it can be hard to see it as anything other than what it has always been. One of the nice things about working with interior designers is that they don’t have this problem. They can come into the project with fresh eyes and a third-party perspective. They can help you to see the potential that the space provides.

Creative Thinking and Collaboration

Along the same lines, design professionals look at things through a creative lens. They can bring some great ideas to the table that you might have never even considered. Designers can help you to change up the colors of the room, the theme, the way space is allocated and used, and more. They can bring brand new ideas to you that you might love.

However, the interior designers aren’t going to dictate what you do with your space. They will provide ideas, and you can provide ideas, too. The best results often come when there is a high level of collaboration.

Designers Help You Understand the Limitations

Just as the interior designers will help you to better see the potential that is available with your space, they also know the limitations. There is only so much that can be done with different locations, and there comes a point when you have to realize this. They can help you to get a better understanding of what is and is not possible with the space. For example, if you have a small 4’ x 7’ room, you aren’t going to be putting in a spa and a workout center. They help you work with what you have, so you can make better use of it.

Knows When to Stop

One of the other good reasons to work with an interior designer is because they can help you know when to say enough is enough, the room is done. Many homeowners would fiddle with and fix their space constantly, never truly finishing. This is naturally a big problem as it means the design process could go on forever. Interior designers know what is needed and they know when you tell you that the space is good to go.

Save Money and Time

Working with interior designers also has the potential to save time and money. You will save time because it will be easier to get to work and come up with a solid plan when you work with a designer. There will not be as much wasted time trying to come up with ideas on your own. You will save money because you won’t make the mistake of painting the room the wrong color or getting the wrong fixtures or furnishings that will need to be replaced.

These are just some of the great reasons to consider working with an interior designer. It can be a fun way to get the home that you’ve always wanted.

Find House Plans for Your New Home

If you want to have a beautiful home, it starts with the overall layout even before the interior designers get started with internal décor. You can find online house plans through Truoba that could be just what you need. Truoba House Plans are available for many different types and sizes of homes that range from a few hundred square feet to thousands of square feet. You can also opt for custom home designs from Truoba if you prefer.

Find the solution that’s right for you and then think about bringing in an interior designer to help with your décor.