I’m having one of those days when you feel like you should probably start working on March’s Book + Recipe soon and then you glance at your planner and realize March is over in a couple of days. I had solid intentions of embracing March with a homemade doughnut recipe and a book about hope and happiness, but then life happened and here we are with a cookie recipe and a book about stress.
Full disclosure? I’ve taken on way too much in March. I’ve crossed over the blurry line between working hard and working too much. I’ve confused the desire to be a “yes” girl with the disease to please. And I’ve sacrificed taking care of myself for taking care of business. These things are all danger zones for me. It feels a lot like being spun around on one of those playground carousels where your friends keep spinning you because you’re having fun at first and then you realize you feel kind of sick and you’d really like to make the spinning stop but the only option is to bail out. Except your friends are not spinning the carousel. You are. It’s kind of your own (un)doing.
So this is me trying to bail out. And that’s where these Chewy Salted Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies come in along with a book called Overload by Joyce Meyer. As I said, I had every intention of writing about a book called Get Your Hopes Up, also by Joyce Meyer, but the big lettered O-v-e-r-l-o-a-d kept calling to my heart. My heart (and my schedule) is overloaded, but my soul isn’t being filled. I haven’t been surrounding myself with much of the things that fill me up and the end result is that I’m worn out, a little sad and my patience level is certainly nothing to be proud of lately. Lysa Terkeurst, another one of my favorite authors, sums it up perfectly: “A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.” Girl, preach.
Let’s get back to the basics, Jenna. The facts: You love the kitchen. Books make you happy. Cookies make you happier. The problem: You’re feeling a little burnt out. The solution: Slow down. Breathe. Bake cookies. Read a book. And repeat. (I think I just saved myself about $200 of therapy, hopefully it works for you, too!)
The Recipe
As a food editor for a major baking brand, cookies are pretty much written into my job description. You could say I live and breathe (and eat) cookies. A lot of cookies. I’ve eaten so many cookies in my lifetime, I’m not easily impressed. Obviously I’ll still have two even if I’m not impressed, but what can I say? I’m a girl who believes in second chances. These Chewy Salted Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies from Good Morning Cali exceeded all of my expectations which tend to be quite high when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. I’m a big fan of chewy cookies and I think life is too short to eat a basic chocolate chip cookie so these guys met two of my must-haves right off the bat. Another non-negotiable for me when it comes to baking is that I have to have all of the ingredients already or know where to find them. These cookies ask for all of the usual chocolate chip cookie ingredients and get a hint of sweet and salty with the inclusion of toffee bits and sea salt.
A few notes about this recipe. Make sure to use unsalted butter, not salted and definitely not spread for these. The fat content varies and it will affect not only the texture and size of your cookie, but also the taste. And make sure you don’t skip the part that says to refrigerate the dough for two or more hours. This is a step that I admittedly have casually skipped over when it comes to baking and it also ruins the shape and texture of your cookies. Now I compromise and throw it in the fridge while spending the two-hour wait opening up the fridge and eating the cookie dough.
GET THE RECIPE>
The Book
This month’s book is Overload: How to Unplug, Unwind and Unleash Yourself from the Pressure of Stress by Joyce Meyer. Joyce is one of my all-time favorite authors and speakers, and I try to attend one of her conferences whenever she’s in the area. I have a feeling that a lot of you are struggling to keep up like I am and if you’re like me, you’ve quickly realized that life has little sympathy for your overwhelmed heart. This book is a practical guide to managing today’s stress and maintaining peace in the midst of it because let’s face it, life isn’t about to let up on either of us.
Overload also points out the ramifications of allowing stress to consume your life and even offers scientific facts of how it affects our physical bodies, our mental state, our ability to navigate everyday situations and our overall well-being. For example, did you know that your cells shrink when exposed to stress hormones causing them to disconnect from one another leading to depression? Or that your body is unable to differentiate between major or minor stress? That means that if you allow minor stress to be a part of your everyday life, it’s just as harmful as experiencing a major stress trigger like death of a parent or losing your job.
This book is a pretty easy read and is filled with digestible points of perspective that will hopefully change the way you allow stress to enter into your life. What I appreciated most from this book was the reminder that much of the stress I carry is my choice. In a world where so much is out of my control, I am reminded that there is also a significant part of life that is within my control. I can work out regularly, I can make better choices in what I eat, I can say no, I can set boundaries with myself and with others, I can choose not to obsess over my mistakes. And when the stress will inevitably make its way back into my life, I can make the decision to walk into it hoping for the best and reminding myself that it will not last forever.
Quotes I Journaled From This Book
-“Keep moving forward by simply walking the walk one step at a time. It’s true that we have to keep pressing on, but thank God we don’t have to hate or reject ourselves while we’re trying to get to our destination.”
-“It’s important to remember that you can be extraordinarily happy while living an ordinary life.”
-“Who or what is influencing your life? Is that influence making your life less stressful or is it making your life more stressful?”
-“Obsession with self is a breeding ground for stress, pressure and anxiety. But the moment we put the needs of another ahead of our own, stress begins to fade away. It’s nearly impossible to bless someone else and worry about yourself at the same time.”
“Let love be loud in your life. Do it often and aggressively.”
“Why is it that although it takes us years to get into our messes, we expect God to get us out of them in a few days?’
“When you’re in the middle of terrible stress, you naturally want to take the path of least resistance. Those are the very moments when you can make a conscious effort to make the tougher choice. To reap right results in life, you must decide to do right when you don’t feel like it.”
Dogs are recommended stress relievers–it even says so in the book!