Kicking My Addiction and Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

My Addiction: Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bars

I usually eat a reasonably healthy, varied diet- with one exception. I am absolutely, hopelessly addicted to Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bars. It all started when I was looking for a quick, easy, filling, tasty snack   that I could leave in my desk at work for those days when I end up staying late and am absolutely starving. Luna bars are perfect for this, and I figured I'd end up eating maybe 3 a month. Fine. But, that's not what happened. I found myself beginning to eat them more and more frequently until I was up to 1-2 a day. They masquerade as a health food- high in protein and fiber, organic, just for women, but really they offer little more nutrition than a candy bar.

The next thing I know I'm eating one every day at work as a pre-lunch snack. And, these little bars aren't cheap or healthy. I might as well eat a candy bar every morning. So, I've been trying to cut back on luna bars and replace them with healthier alternatives. One of my favorites are these healthy oatmeal cookies. They usually satisfy my sweet tooth and are just as quick to snack on as luna bars. On the plus side, they are much healthier and cheaper. As a disclaimer- while these are good, they are more biscuit-like than cookie-like. If you eat one expecting a cookie you might be disappointed, but these are quite good.

My healthy oatmeal cookies. Yummy!

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from this recipe. This recipe makes ~40 cookies. They freeze well. I usually store them in ziplock bags, 2 cookies per bag, in the freezer. Then I just throw a couple in my lunch in the morning and they're thawed by the time I want to eat them. Like I said above, these are more like biscuits or granola bars than cookies, but they're delicious.

Ingredients
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine applesauce, honey and vanilla.
3. Mix in dry ingredients.
4. Stir in raisins.
5. Roll into ball and place on cookie sheet.
6. Smash with spoons to about 1/4 inch thickness. These will not spread at all. So make sure they are the desired shape and thickness before baking.
7. Bake 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 22-25 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

Nutrition information is for entire batch (~40 cookies).
So each cookie is about 64 calories.

What foods do you find it hard to stop eating too much of? Do you have any favorite healthy versions of old favorite recipes?