Not a normal post for me, but recently I baked some pumpkin spice cookies for my friends and wanted to share the recipe here.
To connect sharing this recipe to my passion about mental health, I think it is extremely important to do things that make you happy. I have recently rediscovered my love for baking and am so excited to continue trying new recipes for the holiday season coming up.
With that being said here is the recipe I used:
Depending on the size you want to make the cookies, this recipe will allow for you to make anywhere between 2-3 dozens
These pumpkin spice cookies also require a cream cheese frosting and I will include the recipe for that as well.
For the cookies:
1/2 cup of butter (I melted mine slightly and also used sweet cream salted butter)
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of pumpkin puree (I used the Ed smith brand)
2 cups of flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. of pink Himalayan salt
2 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
For the cream cheese and cinnamon frosting:
1/2 cup of butter (I melted mine slightly and also used sweet cream salted butter)
8 oz. or 226g block of cream cheese
4 tsp. vanilla
4 cups of icing sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
For the baking instructions:
1. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and melting the butter slightly so it is soft then add the sugar and cream together. You will want it to be light and fluffy when you are done.
2. Add in the 2 eggs and pumpkin puree and mix well with the butter and sugar mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients
4. Then alternate between mixing the dry and liquid mixtures together (dry, liquid, dry, liquid, etc) until mixed together evenly
5. Spray cookie sheet and add batter onto cookie sheet in spoonfuls
6. Let the cookies back for approximately 15 mins and start making the cream cheese frosting
7. Allow to cool
8. Once cooled, frost the cookies
For the cream cheese frosting
1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla
2. Slowly add in the icing sugar (not all at once) until mixed in evenly
3. Mix in the cinnamon
4. Frost the cookies
Enjoy,
Dani
(dthardy_)
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Self Care for the Soul
When will I learn..?
When will I learn how to take care of myself before I hit my breaking point..?
When will I stop pushing myself to exhaustion and learn to take care of myself first..?
When will I learn that slapping on a face mask is not self care..?
When will I learn..?
We forget to take care of ourselves. We forget that if our mind and body are not healthy, we will not allow ourselves to reach our highest potential. You can't be your best you off three hours of sleep and a gallon of coffee. Coming home at the end of the day, throwing on a face mask and binge watching Netflix is not self care. Is it important to treat yourself to things that make you happy or are enjoyable? Absolutely. But don't kid yourself in thinking that those things will allow you to take care of yourself in the long run.
Take care of yourself. Declutter your mind and take a step back. Give yourself a moment and allow yourself to breathe. Take care of your soul. Meditate, get control of your mind, declutter all the stress and set your priorities. Quick reminder, the first thing on your list, should be YOU and your health. There is nothing more important than that. Read, allow your mind to escape its own thoughts for awhile. Read a self-help book or maybe you wanna allow yourself to get lost in your favourite romance novel. Write, all your thoughts (even the deep scary ones), write them down. Make a habit of it. Why? Because it keeps you grounded and in touch with yourself. Making a habit of writing down your thoughts, will allow you to see patterns, and it might even change your mindset throughout the day because you know you are going to have to write them down later. Let yourself feel. Your feelings are valid and no one can tell you otherwise. Be kind to yourself when you're feeling down. You're allowed to get upset but make sure when you wipe your tears you stand up even taller.
It's time. It's time to take care of yourself first. Your happiness and mental well being should always be your first priority. Detox your mind and soul. Allow yourself to feel free of any toxic energy you have created. Fill your heart with kindness to yourself
Be selfish in taking care of yourself first, be your biggest advocate. Cancel those plans, call in sick, push that appointment back. Don't make a habit of it, but if you really need it, do what is best for your sanity. Listen to yourself. What do you need? Do you need a day to catch up with your mind? If you do, take it. Don't wait for the breaking point. Don't push yourself to the point of no turning back. Take care of your soul. Take care of your well being. You're allowed to take the time for yourself without feeling bad about it.
Sometimes when we have been spiralling for so long, we forgot how the little things can ground us. We forget that drinking an extra glass or two of water a day and getting that extra hour of sleep can go a long way. Before you go to bed take some deep breaths, allow your lungs to expand and relax. Put your phone away for an hour or two a day. Use that time to detox from social media and take in what is around you. Go for a walk, read, or listen to an inspiring podcast. There are so many different things you can do to detox your mind and reground yourself. Life is crazy and busy as hell which makes it even more important that you take the time for yourself. Be selfish in the act of self care.
Self care for your soul:
Get a night routine going that includes going to bed early
Keep your sleep schedule as consistent as possible
Fill your body with the nutrients it needs to perform the best it can
Take time to reflect on how you're feeling
Speak to yourself with kindness and patience, you're doing the best that you can
Slapping on a face mask and eating a pint of ice cream might make you feel better for a little while but it will not solve your problems long term.
Take care of your soul first. Take care of the essence of your being first. How you treat you mind will reflect in the success of your life. Take your self care seriously. Find a balance.
You got this.
XO,
Dani
(@dthardy_)
When will I learn how to take care of myself before I hit my breaking point..?
When will I stop pushing myself to exhaustion and learn to take care of myself first..?
When will I learn that slapping on a face mask is not self care..?
When will I learn..?
We forget to take care of ourselves. We forget that if our mind and body are not healthy, we will not allow ourselves to reach our highest potential. You can't be your best you off three hours of sleep and a gallon of coffee. Coming home at the end of the day, throwing on a face mask and binge watching Netflix is not self care. Is it important to treat yourself to things that make you happy or are enjoyable? Absolutely. But don't kid yourself in thinking that those things will allow you to take care of yourself in the long run.
Take care of yourself. Declutter your mind and take a step back. Give yourself a moment and allow yourself to breathe. Take care of your soul. Meditate, get control of your mind, declutter all the stress and set your priorities. Quick reminder, the first thing on your list, should be YOU and your health. There is nothing more important than that. Read, allow your mind to escape its own thoughts for awhile. Read a self-help book or maybe you wanna allow yourself to get lost in your favourite romance novel. Write, all your thoughts (even the deep scary ones), write them down. Make a habit of it. Why? Because it keeps you grounded and in touch with yourself. Making a habit of writing down your thoughts, will allow you to see patterns, and it might even change your mindset throughout the day because you know you are going to have to write them down later. Let yourself feel. Your feelings are valid and no one can tell you otherwise. Be kind to yourself when you're feeling down. You're allowed to get upset but make sure when you wipe your tears you stand up even taller.
It's time. It's time to take care of yourself first. Your happiness and mental well being should always be your first priority. Detox your mind and soul. Allow yourself to feel free of any toxic energy you have created. Fill your heart with kindness to yourself
Be selfish in taking care of yourself first, be your biggest advocate. Cancel those plans, call in sick, push that appointment back. Don't make a habit of it, but if you really need it, do what is best for your sanity. Listen to yourself. What do you need? Do you need a day to catch up with your mind? If you do, take it. Don't wait for the breaking point. Don't push yourself to the point of no turning back. Take care of your soul. Take care of your well being. You're allowed to take the time for yourself without feeling bad about it.
Sometimes when we have been spiralling for so long, we forgot how the little things can ground us. We forget that drinking an extra glass or two of water a day and getting that extra hour of sleep can go a long way. Before you go to bed take some deep breaths, allow your lungs to expand and relax. Put your phone away for an hour or two a day. Use that time to detox from social media and take in what is around you. Go for a walk, read, or listen to an inspiring podcast. There are so many different things you can do to detox your mind and reground yourself. Life is crazy and busy as hell which makes it even more important that you take the time for yourself. Be selfish in the act of self care.
Self care for your soul:
Get a night routine going that includes going to bed early
Keep your sleep schedule as consistent as possible
Fill your body with the nutrients it needs to perform the best it can
Take time to reflect on how you're feeling
Speak to yourself with kindness and patience, you're doing the best that you can
Slapping on a face mask and eating a pint of ice cream might make you feel better for a little while but it will not solve your problems long term.
Take care of your soul first. Take care of the essence of your being first. How you treat you mind will reflect in the success of your life. Take your self care seriously. Find a balance.
You got this.
XO,
Dani
(@dthardy_)
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