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Cookies and Milk

Hi, I’m Home! The child in all of us would like to come home to a treat after a hard day of work, school, or activity. When dinner may still be hours away, and there’s a hollow to fill, what satisfies? Of course, the first thought might be warm cookies right out of the oven and a cold glass of milk. That’s at the top of the nostalgia meter for comfort food! It’s also at the top of the calorie content scale. Boo hoo! What registers high with a yum factor and low on the sugar/fat chart? First, serve non-fat milk. Here are more ideas.

Old Stand-Bys. Pre-schools and thrifty moms have certain commercial, small snack favorites they offer children that total just 58 calories: 2 squares of crisp sugar honey graham crackers, 2 gingersnaps, 1 oatmeal cookie with raisins, or 3 vanilla wafers. One fig bar is 50 calories. Four whole saltine crackers are 48 calories. The trick here is to dole out the snacks, rather than offer a big cookie jar or box full of them. For adults watching their weight, having a measured amount waiting on a plate upon arrival home is a treat, too.

Homemade Goods. Cookies made at home tend to be larger and chock full of more goodies, like 1 of Mrs. Field’s cookies: chocolate chip 280, chocolate chip with walnuts 320, oatmeal raisin 180, oatmeal chocolate chip 280, peanut butter 220, peanut butter with chocolate chips 300, butter cookie 290. Although we tend to think of oatmeal cookies and rice crispy treats as being healthier choices, size and rich ingredients load on calories. A 2” x 3” x 2” (not very big) rice crispy bar is 150 calories. Instead of making a batch of cookies all at once, consider making 1 cookie for each family member, then saving the rest of the dough in the refrigerator. You could bake 1 cookie every other day per person to control how many get eaten in a day! Also, make the cookies smaller.

Other Snacks. Ever heard of ants on a log? There are only 7 calories in a stalk of celery. Spread a scant 2 Tblsp. of peanut butter or cream cheese along the entire stalk (200 calories). Cut it into 4 “logs.” Then evenly divide 1Tblsp. of raisins (26 calories), the “ants,” over the logs. Each log will be roughly 58 calories. A cup of canned chicken noodle soup is 67 calories. One whole, peeled cucumber sliced and chilled in a dressing of rice vinegar and soy sauce is only 58 calories. To satisfy a craving for something crisp, ½ cup of dry Cheerios is 50 calories (and they help lower cholesterol).

Fruit Pros and Cons. While fruit doesn’t have the fat content of peanut butter or cream cheese, it does have sugar. Fruit calories add up: medium orange 71, apple 80, pear or banana 100. A cup of plain yogurt is 144 calories; but with fruit, it’s 225.

Comfort in Company. Focus on finding and giving comfort through communication, instead of food. Sharing how work, school, or activities were while nibbling on a light snack or low-calorie drink can nourish the need for comfort. I applaud Michele Obama’s efforts to help children manage their weight through good food choices and exercise. If we don’t learn that as children, it’s even more difficult to practice as adults. Make it fun!