Wholesome Wednesday Links

Wednesday links are back! My friend Ann, over at Cooking Healthy for Me, is reviewing my holiday cookbook this week! So far she's made my Light Green Bean Casserole, Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Squash, and Light Mashed Potatoes! Her amazing post and photo of the green beans made the Top 9 today! I am so lucky to have met so many wonderful people through blogging. The food blogger community is filled with kind, supportive and talented people! Onto the links...

• Yay! Massachusetts is the 5th healthiest state in the USA - where does your state rank? - CNN.com
• Wow, I feel lazy. Read this inspiring article about a 62 year old marathon swimmer - NY Times
• Check this out! A personal trainer gained 70 lbs and is now chronicling how he's losing it
• The best foods for healthy skin - Mayo Clinic
• Exercise lowers death risk more than diet! Hit the treadmill - HuffPo

Also, as you know, I have made many wonderful blogger friends, check out some amazing recipes I found this week:

• Katherine Martinelli made the most gorgeous Chicken and Corn Chowder
• I am completely in love with these Oatmeal Trail Mix Cookies by Chef Dennis
• Kate, at For the Love of Feasting made Beer Butt Chicken, a recipe I've always wanted to try
• Baker Street featured the most amazing Cookie and Cream Cheesecake Bars - they look incredible
• I am loving this Leek and Pancetta Risotto from There's a Newf in My Soup!

Also, I keep forgetting to post pictures of my new puppy, Archer. He will be 10 weeks old on Friday. He's VERY energetic and a lot of fun! Have a great week.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Sometime you just feel like cookies. Right now I feel overwhelmed by cookies. Although tasty and beautiful, typical Christmas-type cookies don't really do it for me. I don't like a cookie that leaves a greasy residue on my hand or that is sickeningly sweet. I decided to make some today, I'm not much of a baker, as reader of this blog know, so it's rare I even have cookie making ingredients. But thanks to those tasty bacon cupcakes last week, I had all the necessities on hand. These are a simple, wholesome cookies that have no butter and minimal sugars/sweetners. They are not the sweetest cookie, but they are quite satisfying and pair beautifully with a cold glass of milk or a warm cup of tea. Whole wheat flour, oat bran and oats combine to make these cookies quite dense and filled with fiber. The honey and peanut butter lend a lot of flavor and olive oil and applesauce replace butter. These took about 20 minutes to make and yield a smaller batch, about 30 tablespoon sized cookies.

Full recipe after the jump
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Squash and Quinoa Chili - Cooking for the Week

After all the overindulgent holiday eating, it can be nice to enjoy something warm and filling, yet light. Looking at all the gorgeous fall squash still at the store, I wanted to create a healthy vegetarian chili highlighting this yummy veggie. I used quinoa, since it is packed with protein and fiber and has a lovely chewy texture that compliments the chili well. Add some beans, veggie broth and spices and you have a simple dinner that takes approximately 35 minutes to put together.

This is the first recipe in a series I'm calling "Cooking for the Week." It's a simple recipe that you can put together Sunday night and get a whole bunch of meals out of all week. I plan on taking this for lunch every day this week. The leftovers are delicious (the flavors intensify in the fridge) and are so easy to heat up and enjoy. It can be so challenging to prepare a meal every night after coming home from work, this is a simple solution that ensures you have something healthy and filling to reach for.

Full recipe after the jump!
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