BWB Staff Favorites
Happy Holidays! We wanted to dedicate this blog post to our readers during a time of indulgence. Typically, our Beine Wellness Building team is encouraging and guiding athletes, coaches, and individuals to eat healthily, to avoid foods high in processed sugar and Omega-6 fats, etc. In thinking back to our last three posts, one on eating a healthy Thanksgiving meal and two on where and what to eat on the road at big meets that were taking place, it is important for us all to remember we cannot be perfect. It is not necessary, expected, or rational to believe that we can go every day eating the perfect and most nutritious foods. We shouldn’t feel guilty for having a cookie or piece of cake to celebrate special occasions, especially when competition is not involved near that time. So, against our normal advice, enjoy some sweet treats and delicious foods that are not on your everyday menu this winter break.
We wanted to highlight our BWB team and their favorite holiday meal or treat. We also wanted to share some of their favorite Christmas memories so you can get to know everyone a little better. Cheers!
Erica Beine
Founder, Owner & President
Recipe: No-Bake Oreo Truffle
Oreo Truffles
One of Erica’s favorite Christmas treats is a no-bake Oreo truffle, introduced to her by a neighbor a couple of years back. Erica stated, “They are amazing! But, super unhealthy.” She will, no doubt, allow herself to enjoy a truffle or two, even still. A dessert she only makes a couple of times per year makes them a truly special treat.
Memory: “My favorite holiday memory is probably as a young kid, seeing all my cousins and getting to play with them, as we didn’t see them extremely often. There are still things we did while running around our grandparents’ houses that I remember even to this day, decades later. My grandma Janssen always made wreath cookies that were in plenty during Christmas. A totally unhealthy cookie, but they were fantastic. No one has ever been able to replicate the Janssen wreath cookie.”
Ali and Gabby DeLoof
DNA Analyst’s
Recipe: Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
- Bag of Hershey’s kisses
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cup flower
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Additional granulated sugar for coating cookies before baking
Put the oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together with a spoon or electric mixer. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in additional granulated sugar. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 mins or until the cookies are light golden brown. Put a Hershey kiss on top of each bookie after baking. Enjoy! A staple Christmas Cookie! You cannot pass up Ali and Gabby’s favorite treat over the holiday season.
Memory: A family Christmas tradition we have is that our parents would always let us open one Christmas present on Christmas Eve. They would always get us matching pajamas so that when we woke up on Christmas morning, we would all be matching for Christmas morning photos and opening presents! Also, we still get matching pajamas!!
Ariel Hulme
DNA Analyst
Recipe: Homemade Chili
- 1lb grass-fed ground beef
- 12 ounces of homemade bone broth
- 2 cans black beans
- 2 cans tomatoes
- 1 can red kidney beans
- chili seasoning to taste
Take the ground beef and brown it slowly in a pan. Take bone broth and heat to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add in beans, tomatoes, and chili seasoning and mix. Once the beef is browned, add to the saucepan and mix. Let everything simmer for 30 minutes and enjoy!
A favorite winter meal for Ariel and her family is some homemade chili! This meal is healthy, to boot! Perfect to stay warm during the winter months or to enjoy while watching some football on Sunday.
Memory: “My favorite memory is playing bingo with my family on Christmas Eve. Having some swimmers in the family, of course, it was competitive!!”
Dave Griffore
Director of Development
Recipe: Meat Marinade
Dave’s favorite meal to make during the holiday is to marinate a good cut of meat in Worcestershire sauce and/or spicy mustard for 8 hours. He then grills it (time and temp varying on type of meat and amount). He recommends adding a side salad with homemade cut fries.
Marinade: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/242401/homemade-worcestershire-sauce/
Home cut fries: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/hand-cut-french-fries-recipe-1952646
Memory: “My favorite holiday memory was going to cut down the X-mas tree with my family every year, I had 3 brothers so you can imagine that process was probably stressful as heck for my folks! Now I carry that tradition on with my daughter each year. Since we moved to Florida, however, we now just go pick it out as it’s already cut.”
Sarah Collins (me!)
Director of PR & Communication
Recipe: Spritz Cookies
I must say I agree with the DeLoof’s. My mother asked me if there were any cookies I wanted when my husband and I go to visit my parents this year in Pittsburgh. The only ones I asked her to make were the Hershey Kiss PB Blossoms!! Spritz cookies are a close second for me.
- 2 sticks of butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spoon and level)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Optional: sprinkles, chocolate chips, melted chocolate topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Next, add in the flour and salt until completely combined. I recommend a cookie press. If you do not have one and need a recommendation, see an affordable option that I use, below! Press the dough into the cookie press and push out cookies 2 inches apart on the parchment paper/tray. Cook for 7-9 minutes.
Memory: My favorite holiday memories include attending my parent’s Christmas party on X-Mas Eve, which they hosted for over 20 years. The first parties they did not host were the last two years due to COVID. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, friends, and significant others all have attended regularly and through the years. We would play past the present as young kids, which turned into a more fun gag gift game as adults. Another was decorating our tree as a family, watching a Christmas movie while drinking eggnog, and eating cookies!!
This wraps up our holiday blog favorites and recommendations. We would love to hear some of your favorite winter recipes and holiday memories. Hit us up in the comment section! We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and a happy new year. See you in 2022!