Sylvania woman makes cookies with TV’s Dr. Oz

Tinney makes his 'new favorite whole-grain dessert'

Sarah Shew, left, and Kendra Tinney show off quinoa chocolate chip cookies, which Mrs. Tinney made with TV’s Dr. Oz in a show that will air today.

Inside Kendra Tinney’s refrigerator is a box full of no-bake chocolate chip cookies, marked with a warning: Do Not Eat.

The Sylvania resident put the hands-off sign there to keep her family from snacking on the treats because they are more than just a normal homemade cookie — they are television personality Dr. Oz’s “new favorite whole-grain dessert.”

Mrs. Tinney was invited to present the cookies to viewers, making them with him at his New York studio. Along with her friend, Toledo resident Sarah Shew, she appeared during a Feb. 20 taping of The Dr. Oz Show.

The ladies are scheduled to appear in the show titled Dr. Oz’s Ultimate Anti-Aging Guide: 7 Days to Boost Your Energy, slated to air today, a show publicist confirmed.

When Mrs. Tinney, a fitness instructor at LA Fitness in Sylvania Township, was contacted by the show, she was excited to be invited on stage to make the quinoa-filled cookie with Dr. Oz.

A vegetarian whose fitness career began in the 1980s, Mrs. Tinney said making an alternative to the chocolate-chip cookie was “right up my alley.

“They have less calories than a regular chocolate-chip cookie and are healthy with the quinoa,” she said.

Ms. Shew, a certified massage therapist, had a more personal experience with the doctor. He measured her waist and hip for a segment about accurately assessing body mass index. The measurement is touted as an alternative for women who fear getting on scales.

The ladies snagged their national spotlights through their effort to attend television-show tapings during their February trip to New York. Mrs. Tinney had never been there, and the pair wanted to soak up a total Big Apple experience.

“Kendra said. ‘Let’s make something happen,’ ” Ms. Shew said.

Mrs. Tinney applied for free tickets to every show available via a Web site, from Dr. Oz to Jimmy Kimmel Live.

After receiving a ticket confirmation for the Dr. Oz taping, a show producer wrote saying “You know Dr. Oz LOVES calling fun ladies down from the audience during the show. ... That could be you!”

“I responded back, ‘Yes, we are fun and exciting ladies, and we want to be on the show,’ ” she said. Shortly after that, the producer called to review the segment they would appear in.

As soon as they touched down in New York, Mrs. Tinney found the cookie ingredients and made them to bring to the show. Once they arrived at the studios, they were ushered to dressing rooms, where professionals made them up and styled their hair.

“It was so much fun,” Ms. Shew said. With no script, and only a 10-minute “pumped up” briefing, they were ready for the camera.

Dr. Oz made them both feel at ease.

“He is real laid-back and seems like a regular person,” Mrs. Tinney said. “He just looked over his cue cards for a minute or two, and then looked up at the camera guy and said, ‘OK, I’m ready,’ just before they started taping.”

For the no-bake Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, visit www.doctoroz.com.