Bestowed

My normal snack routine can get pretty dull. My go-to snacks usually include carrot sticks with cottage cheese, anything dipped in hummus, fruit, almonds, and chocolate. However, I was lucky enough to receive a box of delicious healthy snacks from Bestowed this holiday season. Bestowed is a subscription based company that delivers boxes to your door full of snacks selected by nutritionist, Heather Bauer. You can sign up for a monthly subscription or for a year's worth of healthy snacks, drinks, and more. The December box was full of yummy food perfect for cold weather and offered some great healthy takes on comfort food. My box included a Kind granola bar, Pacific chicken broth (perfect for a soup), the best mediterranean herb dip (all you have to do is add greek yogurt), a Thai red curry sauce that I am dying to try, and a bunch of other awesome on-the-go nutritious snacks!

I'd highly recommend Bestowed to anyone who wants to spice up their normal food-routine and try something healthy and delicious! If you order before January 15th, enter HELLOYUM40 to get $9 off your first box!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Alice Medrich, the author of Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies, takes cookies to the next level. Her recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies is simply perfection. The cookies are exactly what we need to survive the upcoming chilly fall weather! The recipe's secret is melting the butter and letting the batter refrigerate overnight so the wet ingredients really soak into the dry. Drop whatever you are doing right now and make these cookies. As tempting as it is to bake them right on the spot, let them sit for at least several hours!

2¼	cups flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1	teaspoon salt
1	cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
¾	cup granulated sugar
¾	cup brown sugar
2	eggs
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
2	cups chocolate chips plus 1 cup chopped walnuts or 3 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

 3. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Set it aside to cool.

 4. Add the granulated and brown sugars to the butter. Stir in the eggs, one by one, followed by the vanilla.

 5. Stir in the flour mixture. Mix in the chips and nuts, if using.

 6. Transfer the batter to a plastic container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

 7. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften.

 8. Scoop tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets, or until the tops of the cookies are golden brown.

9. Slide the cookies on their parchment papers onto wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.  Adapted from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies

The Academy Awards

The Oscars this year are proving to be amazing! Seth MacFarlane is very funny and the musical performances have been great. The theme of the dresses on the red carpet this year is very simple and elegant. My top 5 dress picks were very easy to choose this year. They are:

Jessica Chastain in glamorous Armani Prive

Amanda Seyfried wearing Alexander McQueen (I also loved the red dress she wore during the Les Mis performance)

Catherine Zeta Jones sparkled in Zuhair Murad

Jennifer Aniston stunned in Valentino

My favorite ~ Jennifer Lawrence wearing Dior Haute Couture

And... the cutest couple award goes to Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck

I just realized that there are three Jennifer's on this list... I guess Jennifer is just a really amazing name : )