Pack It In

The other day, I swear to God, I saw a woman eating cereal while she was driving. We're talking about dry cereal, in a bowl, covered with milk, and eaten with a spoon. While driving. While driving! I suppose she did not know about these cookies that I am going to tell you about. If she had, she might have been able to avoid looking so utterly absurd. After all, unless she was actually an octopus and had 6 other arms that were all arranged below my vision line, then this could officially be deemed a dangerous activity.

With my calculations, humans usually have two arms and two legs. At least one arm is needed for steering (at least this is what I learned in drivers ed) and either one or two feet are needed to control the pedals, depending on the type of transmission you have. So, the answer to this equation is: there were no body parts left for driving with. I wondered if this was something she did daily (I pictured her balancing her bowl of cereal in one hand while putting her bag and kids in the car with the other) or if perhaps (hopefully) it was a one-time affair and she was praying the whole time that A.) no one saw her doing it and B.) someone didn't end up dead as a result of it. I will pretend for one moment that I have a great deal of hope for, and belief in, humankind and I will therefore tell myself that it was her first and last time making such an inane judgment call.

Now then, since we have that story out of the way, let's talk about me, shall we? You may remember that I enjoy a non-packaged breakfast snack that I can eat while I'm moving. Not while driving necessarily, but when my feet are in motion. You know, on land. I have a hard time sitting down at home in the morning because I am so focused on getting my body out the door, so I need something that likes to travel. I like for it to be not very sweet, and I like for it to be substantial. A muffin can be good, but it can also be sort of crumbly. A granola bar can be delicious, but I am exhausted with all the store-bought granola bars that are expensive, strangely tiny, and full of junk that I don't want to put into my body.

If you feel this way, or if you are just tired of trying to figure out breakfast in the morning, then I think you will like these cookies. They are sort of like a chewy granola bar meets a muffin top, and they are perfect to grab on your way out the door in the morning. Plus, they are packed to the gills with really great stuff that your body likes. You can alter the ingredient list based on what you feel like and the recipe doesn't make tons, so you don't have to commit to one flavor and then eat them grudgingly for weeks and weeks. I used to make loads of these in my college days because they are an outstanding snack anytime of day, and they are so easy to tote around in your bag. They aren't very sweet, which makes you actually feel like you are eating something healthy. And, actually, you are!

Sivananda Cookies
aka Breakfast Cookies
adapted from The Yoga Cookbook (many Sivananda yoga centers around the world offer these cookies to their students after class, so see? They will make you feel as pure as a white stallion dashing down the beach.)

makes 12-16

3 (slightly heaping) cups rolled oats

3/4 (slightly heaping) cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 C ground flaxseed

1/3 cup raisins or golden raisins (or a combo)

1/3 cup raw unsalted peanuts

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 t salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (Smart Balance makes a great, versatile cooking oil)

water

(You can also add anything else that you think might work! I like to add dried cherries or cranberries, coconut, sunflower seeds, and sliced almonds. In the past, I've tried various kinds of nuts and other dried fruits. They are also good with chopped crystallized ginger. I tried dried figs once and they were way to sweet, so you might want to avoid those. I suppose you could add a bit of chocolate, if you wanted them to be a little less breakfast-y. I think they'd be great with dried cherries, coconut, and dark chocolate together.)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and mix thoroughly. Stir in just enough water, tablespoon by tablespoon, to make a firm dough -- you might not need very much!

Take heaping spoonfuls of dough, each about the size of a ping-pong ball. Roll each into a ball, place on baking sheets, and flatten to a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden at the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container and take some with you in the morning. If you want to eat them while driving, you can, um, go ahead. But you did not get the idea from me.