I can’t believe I have lived in Ottawa my whole life and had never run in the race weekend before! And I can’t believe I had so much fun! After running a (mediocre) 5km without training and with a smile on my face, I’m now determined to run a 10k road race in the next year. (Or having just read this maybe I’ll focus on fast fives?) …and maybe my determination will be helped by the fact that I’m announcing it on the internet. Resolutions, millennium style. There were some pretty ominous clouds pre-race, but the thunder showers that were predicted kindly stayed away and the sun came out every once in a while. The atmosphere was just so positive — I couldn’t believe how many people were out cheering along the entire race route (which is beautiful, by the way –Ottawa is so pretty), and some of their signs made me laugh out loud as I jogged along. In fact, I think I could probably drastically improve my time if I didn’t swerve around the road to get pictures of my favourite signs and high-five their makers. (Also, I’d like to point out that for taking pictures as I ran, they aren’t terribly out of focus!)These little cookies are super. We keep a large batch in the freezer and grab them to go with afternoon tea or for pre/post-gym snacks. …well, they were my pre-run snack on race weekend. Our post-race snack ended up involving stopping by The Brewery Market and pizza at Tennesy Willems. We carbo loaded like we were running several marathons the next day. Maybe not the best game plan to keep up a health-streak, but a pretty great Saturday.
Mum’s Healthy Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen small cookies

1 cup natural crunchy or smooth peanut butter
½ cup maple syrup
1 egg
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp coarse salt or sea salt
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup dark chocolate chips
¼ cup chopped peanuts

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cream together the peanut butter, maple syrup, egg and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in another large bowl) until well combined and smooth.

In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture.

Using a tablespoon (or ice cream scoop) drop the dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a cooling rack.

Happy running! …and eating, obviously:)