• Making the bed in the morning - I used to be terrible at this because whenever I made my bed, it never looked perfect... But now, I actually take this "chore" as a relaxing habit in the morning. It bugs me now when my bed isn't made before I leave for work. 
• One cup of coffee a day - There are still days where I'll have max two cups, but I'm getting much better. One cup in the morning and I drink water/tea/lemon water throughout the rest of the day. As with the gum chewing, I drank coffee out of boredom, like an automatic tick. 
• Flossing twice a day - Professionals have differing opinions regarding the number of times you need to brush and floss your teeth in a day. Though I've always integrated flossing in my dental hygiene routine, either I skipped it in a day for convenience purposes or I rushed through it. One day, something just clicked, why was I being such a lazy bum about this easy activity? I couldn't rationalised that for the life of me and so now, I'm a changed woman. Go figure.
• Laptop & iPhone off the bed - No other explanation needed for this. I need my sleep. And I need better ways to deal with boredom as I try to sleep.

What I need to work on:

• Putting off tedious chores - It's not out of sheer laziness, but I think it's usually always a case of inconvenience. My brain works funny at times. I think of my to do list at the weirdest hour of the day, which leads to a lot of putting off chores because, heck, do you really see yourself ironing your clothes are 11 pm? (Maybe you do, but I really need to be in bed by then.) Now, with the help of many podcasts and self-betterment books I've recently been reading, I ask myself "Why not now?" Sure I still succumb to the idea of "later I'll have more time for these chores," but at least I do try to be more mindful. 
• Mindless Netflix marathons - Most of the time, I'm not even watching whatever is on. It's like background noise, but then I end up wasting to much time trying to figure out what was actually going on. On the one hand, I'm a natural multi-tasker (it's not always ideal) and on the other hand, since I have a day job and I have a lot of time dedicated to preparing my lunches/working out/other chores, I feel as if I "deserve" some quiet time that apparently involves Netflix... (True story, it's usually just another rewatching of Gilmore Girls/Friends/Sherlock/Grey's Anatomy. Total waste of time...) This time around, I'll channel the time to do something productive or an activity I actually do enjoy. 
• Being too much of a homebody - Look, I love to bake and cook. My kitchen is my sanctuary. I've de-stressed more times in my kitchen than on my yoga mat. That's just how it is. I'm also not the most social person, which translates to my preference of staying in on a Friday night instead of painting the town red with my girlfriends. BUT I do acknowledge the necessity to be out in the world and be with people. And so, I'm trying. 

There's more, of course, that I need to work on, but it's time to get on with the recipe.

Amidst the craziness of the holidays, my creative button was left off, which meant lots of Google searches for recipe ideas. As with most things I bake, I make tweaks just because I can. This is now my mother's new favourite cookie (and she doesn't really like cookies). The texture is soft and chewy plus if you like pistachios and/or chocolate, you're in for a treat. Check the original recipe here.


Vegan & Gluten-Free Pistachio Cookies
Makes 15-17 cookies 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2-3 tbsp of unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend 
• 1/4 cup ground cashews *
• 1/4 cup ground pistachios
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup coarsely ground pistachios
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Grind the pistachios and cashews and set aside.

Mix vegan butter and sugar together until creamy using an electric mixer (can be done without a device as I did as well). Add the applesauce and mix again.

In a separate bowl, sift together flours, ground cashews, ground pistachios and salt. Add to liquid mixture in small batches and mix until combined.

Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour (the longer, the better).

Once chilled, roll dough into balls and flatten a bit before baking. Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cookies.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the chocolate, melt either in the microwave or using a bain-marie. Spread the melted chocolate over half of each cookie. Top with ground pistachios. Let the chocolate cool before serving.

Enjoy! xx

Notes:
* You can omit the cashews and add more pistachios. Or use any nuts you have in hand, which I did.