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Build a better dessert with these 5 tips! 🍫

By cooking or baking, you can help relieve anxiety and mental distress. A 2018 review of over 300 studies on the mental health benefits of cooking reported positive psychosocial benefits, including higher self-esteem, improved psychological well-being, decreased anxiety, and better quality of life.

Next time you're baking, take it up a notch:
1️⃣ Take the high road with quality ingredients (think: fresh herbs and zests or premium chocolates) to add bolder flavors.
2️⃣ Sneak in more nutrients (and delightful textures!) by adding fruits, vegetables, nuts, or seeds.
3️⃣ Add a plant-based fat by swapping butter out for avocado, olive, or grapeseed oil.
4️⃣ Moderate the sweetness by reducing sugar by 25% or using dates, monk fruit, or stevia to add different layers of sweetness.
5️⃣ Play with portioning by making bite-sized treats.

#DessertTips #BakingBetter #CookingTherapy #AnxietyRelief #MentalWellness #CreativeCooking ...

Enjoy these Quinoa Tahini Cookies, which contain a nutty protein kick to treat your tastebuds to a gift of flavor.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

YOU NEED:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup butter (or 1/3 cup vegetable oil for vegan cookies)*
1 /2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa (1/4 cup dry produces about 1 cup of cooked quinoa)
1 /2 - 1 cup combination of mini chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and/or cranberries (optional)

*The vegan version results in crispier, though equally if not more delicious, cookies that are quite fragile.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Blend sugars with tahini, butter or oil, and vanilla.

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl and stir in sugar/tahini mixture. Fold in quinoa and any optional add-ins.

Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of batter onto lined cookie sheets and press down with fork to flatten slightly. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let rest on cookie sheet for 3 minutes before removing and cooling.

#QuinoaTahiniCookies #ProteinBites #FlavorfulTreats #CookieRecipes #QuinoaRecipes #TahiniLove #BakingFun ...

Not sure what to buy someone for a gift? Explore our gift guide of health, which focuses on gifts that support physical and emotional well-being.

🍳 Make cooking easier with high-quality, working kitchen equipment: a quality knife, cooking utensils, or even a cooking class or cookbook.

👟 Encourage folks to get moving with gifts that encourage activity and body attunement: yoga mat, wireless earbuds, and Fitbits are a good place to start.

💧 Staying hydrated can be fun with a single-serving blender, a fun water bottle, and even a popsicle mold.

🌱 Help them try a new hobby by gifting a DIY mushroom growing kit, a journal, or house plants!

🧘‍♀️ Encourage relaxation with shower steamers, candles, tea, and even a Headspace App annual subscription.

📦 Subscribe them to a gift that keeps on giving like online cooking courses, Food Network Kitchen, a composting service, or an imperfect produce subscription.

🎁 Gift cards are always welcome, but make them wellness-related by gifting one to a local restaurant, spa, or local fitness store.

Get links to all of these gift ideas (and more) at the link in our bio. #GiftGuide #WellnessGifts #CookingEquipment #GiftSubscription #GiftIdeas ...