Happy Hump Day!

I worked late last night and so often when I work late, I get home and don’t have much of an appetite. Last night was one of those nights. I decided just to pour myself a small bowl of Fiber One Original with some raisins on top.

Then I had some of these (love these things).

And made my way into some almonds, a few more raisins, and a bite of peanut butter. Not super exciting but it was good enough. I called it an early night and woke up feeling semi-well rested.

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I went for a 30 minute walk on the treadmill this morning with a slight incline. It was a nice soothing way to start the morning, along with this yogurt bowl. I made it this morning and let it do it’s “overnight” thing for just 30 minutes before digging in. It turned out just as great!

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Anyway, moving on to the good stuff. I have one final recipe from last weekend that I still wanted to share with you. You may recall seeing photos of these…

Those are Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars and they are divine. I did make a few fat-saving adjustments here and there but really, this pan of amazingness is truly decadent, and should try to be enjoyed in portion controlled servings. Good luck with that though.

I have to share.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars (recipe adapted from www.eatrunread.com)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup and 2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup and 1 Tablespoon non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 11 ounces caramels*
• 4 Tablespoons fat-free half and half
• 1-2 teaspoons sea salt

*(I used an 11 ounce bag of small pearls of caramel that don’t have any wrapping and are great for baking)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Coat a 9 inch square pan with cooking spray (or line with aluminum foil then coat with cooking spray); set aside.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream together yogurt, butter, and sugars.
4. Add the egg, egg white, and vanilla; mix until smooth.
5. Slowly add in dry ingredients, mixing on low until all ingredients are incorporated.
6. Hand mix in chocolate chips; cover dough and place in refrigerator.
7. In medium microwave-safe bowl, combine caramels with half and half. Microwave on high stirring every 20 seconds until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.
8. Press half of cookie dough into bottom of prepared pan.
9. Pour caramel on top, and spread to cover in even layer; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt.
10. Dollop the remaining half of dough on top, and carefully spread to even layer; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt.
11. Place bars in oven and bake for about 60 minutes (cooking time will vary so keep an eye on them) until top of bars have set and have a light golden color, and the edges begin to pull away from the pan.
12. Cool bars on wire rack at room temperature. Serve warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream if you wish!

Total decadence.