Pumpkin Pie Baked Oats

You might know by now, based on my recent posts, that I have a bit of a problem (read: addiction) to baked oats.  I have to say, though, that with all the things out there in the universe that I can be addicted to, baked oats is probably a good thing.  Benefits:  it keeps my blood sugar stable for hours, it fuels my workouts and my busy days and I feel like I'm eating a treat most days (mini non-dairy chocolate chips...a tablespoon is like heaven.)

These Pumpkin Pie Baked Oats are one of the best I've ever made.  Seriously.  And, because I didn't make pumpkin pie yesterday for Thanksgiving, these totally filled that sad, little hole in my heart.  The best part - they are super easy to make!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats, pulsed in food processor (I use Trader Joe's)
3/4 to 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3T pumpkin puree (I used organic) *not pumpkin pie filling*
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1T mini non-dairy chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pulse the oats in a food processor to grind them down a bit, but not too much.  I do larger batches of this each week and store it in an airtight container in my fridge so that I can alleviate this step each time I make oats during the week.  In a bowl mix the oats and coconut milk. Add the spices and stir.  Last, add the pumpkin puree to combine.  Transfer to an oven-safe crock or bowl and bake for 25 minutes.

This was such a nice treat and didn't feel like a breakfast at all.  Win!  Try it - it's REALLY good!

Peanut Butter, Banana, Chocolate Baked Oats, Oh My!

Peanut Butter, Banana, Chocolate Baked Oats

Here's another recipe for my Baked Oats!  I made it a little differently today so I thought I'd share what I did with the oats before I mixed & baked them.

Recipe:
~ 1/2 cup gluten free oats
~ 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
~ dash cinnamon
~ pinch Himalayan sea salt
~ 1T chia seeds
~ 3/4 small banana
~ 1.5T peanut butter
~ 1.5T mini chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients except banana & peanut butter in a bowl.  Pour into an oven safe bowl.  Slice the banana and layer the slices into the oat mixture.  Add the dollop of peanut butter right in the middle of the mixture.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Let cool for about ten minutes before eating.

I like my oats to be somewhat smooth, so I ground them in the food processor.  I do this in big batches (maybe 3-4 cups) and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.   Pulsing the oats in the food processor doesn't make them into a flour (although it's easy to grind them into a flour for something like a mug cake) but rather gives a finer texture in the baked oats when they're ready to eat.

My favorite brand of gluten free rolled oats

Here's what the oats look like in the bag

Here's the oats after pulsing in the food processor

Blueberry Chia Baked Oats - Easy Breakfast Bowl

As promised, or rather, as I committed to myself...I made my oats for breakfast today!  I'm working on more balanced breakfasts in place of a grab and go Larabar.  I do love my Larabars, don't get me wrong.  But, I need to reserve them for an occasional treat, not breakfast every day.  My commitment is to make time to eat a healthy, balanced breakfast every day, even if I am in a rush.

Today's baked oats were good.  I will tweak them next time because I made them too watery today.  Sometimes eyeballing the ingredients doesn't always pan out!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gluten free Rolled Oats
• 1 cup coconut milk (start with 3/4 cup and add more if needed)
• 1T chia seeds
• 1/3 cup frozen organic blueberries (no need to thaw)
• pinch of sea salt
• dash of cinnamon
• optional: 1T mini chocolate chips (I added them today - Enjoy Life brand mini non-dairy chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all ingredients in oven-safe bowl.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on how much milk you used.  I needed the whole 30 minutes today.  Let it cool for a bit before eating.

When I stirred the oats before baking, they turned blue!

YUM!!

Baked Quinoa Flakes - Gluten Free, Vegan Breakfast

Baked Quinoa Flakes Breakfast Bowl

Gluten Free & Vegan Breakfast

Baked Quinoa Flakes Breakfast Bowl

It's finally that time of year when I want warmer breakfasts.  Too cold to have a shake first thing in the morning, I have been being super lazy and having some kind of bar in the morning, and usually not until around 10 or 10:30.  Gasp!!  I know, right??  The girl who encourages people to eat within an hour of waking - a good, balanced meal that will stabilize blood sugar for the whole morning.  Yeah, I surely have NOT been taking my own advice.  And I *feel* it.  It's not a great feeling.

Therefore - it's baked oats season, friends!!  I am committing to having a balanced breakfast every morning going forward.  I know that it will set me up for a good nutritional day, AND will also keep my mood more stable without those emotional dips that go hand-in-hand with blood sugar dips.

Back to my pantry raid this morning.  I searched all over for my gluten free rolled oats from Trader Joe's and - AHHHHHH - there were NONE!  Yikes, add that to the list, ASAP.  I did, however, find a box of Ancient Harvest quinoa flakes hiding in there with my other gluten free pastas and such.  I figured, hey, it's a hot cereal like oats, so WHEEEE let's do it!

You might know enough about me to know that I create recipes all the time...but I rarely measure anything.  I'm big on eyeballing my ingredients.  Therefore, the following is an approximation.  My advice is to make it according to how I have it noted, then adjust as necessary.  It will most definitely thicken during baking time, so it needs to look watery when you put it in the oven.  I didn't take pictures during my prep today, but you can check my Baked Oats recipe for step by step pictures where it shows what the bowl looks like when it goes into the oven.

Baked Quinoa Flakes Breakfast Bowl:

• 1/3 cup quinoa flakes
• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (or water, your choice!)
• dash of sea salt
• generous pinch of cinnamon
• 3 strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1T natural peanut butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Whisk quinoa flakes, coconut milk, salt & cinnamon in a bowl.  Add to a non-stick ceramic crock or bowl.  Layer in the bananas and strawberries.  Add the peanut butter in the center (it gets gooey and it's perfect to get a little bit with each bite!)  Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and firm.  Let it cool a bit before serving.  It WILL be super hot!

If you make this, leave me a comment and tell me what you substituted to make it your own!

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Very Veggie Scramble with Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Very Veggie Scramble with Sweet Potatoes

I like making my Very Veggie Scramble because, well, I'm still not a big fan of eggs and this scramble is great for masking the eggy flavor.  Whatever works, right??

I grabbed the handful of veggies I had on hand for today's scramble.  This time of year it's easy to find prepped sweet potatoes at most grocery stores.  Sometimes I pick these up when I know I can use them quickly and easily in my recipes.  Today was a good day for it because my kids are all home from school.  I couldn't spend too much time doing prep work in the kitchen.

Very Veggie Scramble:

• 2 cage-free eggs
• 1/3 cup chopped bell pepper (I used orange - opt for Organic)
• 1/2 cup chopped white mushrooms
• 1/3 cup chopped vidalia onion
• 1/2 cup chopped broccoli
• 1/2 cup chopped baby spinach (opt for Organic)
• 1T coconut oil
• Spices (I used garlic salt, cumin & Mexican Fiesta seasoning)
• Optional: goat cheese, chopped avocado, chili sauce

Beat eggs in a bowl with your spices, then add all veggies.  Mix to coat veggies evenly.  In a shallow pan over medium heat, add coconut oil and let it warm.  Add your veggie & egg mixture and scramble it until your desired doneness.  I like mine to brown up, so I cook it for several minutes.  Serve hot, sprinkled with goat cheese, avocado, chili sauce or whatever floats your Very Veggie Scramble boat!  I added goat cheese to mine.

Pan Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes:

• 1 and 1/2 cups cubed sweet potato, peeled.  (I bought mine pre-prepped)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1T coconut oil
• Spices to your liking (optional - I did not use any)

Heat a shallow pan over medium heat and add coconut oil.  Once it melts, add the sweet potato and onion.  Stir to coat evenly and allow it to cook for ten minutes or so.  I covered mine during cooking so it would cook a bit faster.

All veggies - washed, cut & ready to go!

I love this Artisana coconut oil!

Opt for cage-free eggs (and local!) whenever possible

My favorite spices - I use them in everything

I have WAY more veggies than egg in this scramble.

KK approved!

She liked the goat cheese and mushrooms the most

Very Veggie Scramble with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Meal Prep Monday...or, Tuesday

In an ongoing effort to simplify my day and eliminate time wasting (which, for the record, I am pretty fabulous at doing), I made a commitment that once I got back from vacation, I would start doing some batch meal prepping.  When I did this before and created entire meals (grilled chicken breast, half of a sweet potato, steamed broccoli, sliced peppers), I got bored and let some of the meals go to waste.  

Today I decided I would prep specific foods, but not combine into set meals.  This gives me the time benefit of having foods already cooked and prepared, but still allows me the flexibility to create a few different meals with the same base ingredients.

I browned two packages of ground bison meat.  Have you ever tried it?  It taste just like ground beef (no gamey taste like you might get from venison or other such meats) but it's leaner and buffalo are raised more humanely than cows - there are no anti-biotics or hormones used and in many cases, the buffalo are pasture raised.  Do your research on the brands your store carries.  If you happen to live near a farm that sells buffalo meat, check that out and support your local agriculture.

I also cleaned and prepped two packages of Brussels sprouts.  I'm not a big fan of steamed Brussels sprouts, but I still want the health benefit of eating them, so I lightly tossed in extra virgin olive oil and organic garlic sea salt, then baked in a single layer on a baking sheet at 450 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Tip:  if your sprouts are of varying size, slice the larger ones in half to ensure even cooking.

Lastly, I simply steamed two washed & prepped bags of organic Broccoli.

Today's lunch, post-gym, was chopped raw baby spinach with the broccoli & Brussels sprouts topped with 1/2 cup cooked ground bison meat.  I then added 1/2 sliced avocado and topped with a little drizzle of Organicville Gluten-free chili sauce.  It was a fabulous lunch!  Stay tuned tomorrow to see what I make with my prepped food.

Glass Dharma Glass Straws Review & Giveaway - Sweet!

Oh my word, friends.  This is one awesome giveaway!!  My friends at Glass Dharma: The Original Glass Straw have gifted me four amazing glass straws - one for me to use and review and THREE to give away to my followers.  What?!?  Yes, I said it.  THREE straws - which means YOU have three chances to grab one!

First, I'd really like you to check out my review.    I opted to keep the Amber Decorative Dots 9.5mm x 9" straw because the length works well in my 24 ounce Ball mason jars and I like the design.  The straw is thick - therefore it's super resilient as long as I take care of it.  I dropped it in the sink the other day when I was cleaning it and it withstood the drop!  I always wash it soon after using it...with dish soap and a cleaning brush.  (No dishwasher!!)  This handmade (in the USA!) straw is perfect for my juices, smoothies and infused waters.  The design is eye catching but it also serves a great purpose.  If I place my straw on the counter or another flat surface, the amber dots keep the straw from rolling.

We are in a time where plastic is used in EVERYTHING.  Yes, it's great that so many of us recycle.  But there's actually a lot of plastic that either doesn't get recycled at all - or is "down-cycled" (see >> THIS LINK << on Glass Dharma's site for more info on how plastic bags, straws & bottles make up the bulk of our plastic recycling in the US and are the prime culprits in beach cleanups).  There are so many unnecessary items made of plastic that are overloading our landfills, polluting our planet and endangering our environment.

Why not make a few small changes and reduce your carbon footprint?  That's just what I started to do a few years ago.  I started using reusable grocery bags at the store - then worked my way up to large tote bags and insulated bags for grocery trips and other store visits, such as Target, Old Navy, and pretty much anywhere else I shop.  I also swapped my old plastic water bottles for glass Ball mason jars.  I use them for water, smoothies, green juices and even oatmeal.  I found a great company, EcoJarz, that makes lids and metal straws for the jars and I use them often.  When I was contacted by Glass Dharma, I was really excited to give glass straws a try so that I could eliminate the long plastic straws I would grab from Starbucks.

What I love about the glass straws is that first, they're eco friendly.  They're also strong, easy to clean, and they look pretty sweet in my jars.  The edges are rounded and smooth so I have never had an issue with sharp edges on my tongue or lips.  I love the metal straws I have, but on occasion I have experiences a slight tinny feel to them.  With the glass straws, It's a very easy pull with no taste other than what's in my glass.

Cleaning my straw is simple and quick!

I use my Amber Decorative Dots straw pretty much every day!  I love it so much that I want to share these three with YOU - and yeah, maybe purchase a few extra for myself too!

Giveaway:
1 x Simple Elegance 12mm x 9" straw
1 x Beautiful Bends 9.5mm x 9" straw
1 x Decorative Dots Sipper 7mm x 6.5"

Here are two ways you can grab one of >>these amazing straws<< ~ You can choose one or both options.  If you do both, you have a greater chance of being selected!

Facebook:
1. Like their page on Facebook:  click here >> Glass Dharma
2. Like my page on Facebook:  click here >> Fit & Healthy Mommy
3. Share the photo from my Facebook page on your personal page - tag my page and Glass Dharma's page AND tell me why you'd like to have one of these glass straws!  If you're so inclined, tell your friends to check it out too.  If they tag you in their repost/share - you will get an extra entry into the number generator!


Instagram:
1. Follow their page on Instagram >> @GlassDharma
2. Follow my page on Instagram >> @FitHealthyMommy
3. Repost the giveaway photo on my IG page (use InstaRepost app or take a screen shot pic and share) - tag me @FitHealthyMommy and hash tag #FitHealthyMommyGiveaway AND tell me why you'd like to have one of these glass straws!  Ditto if your friends repost and tag you - you'll get an extra entry for each friend that tags you.  Don't forget the hashtag #FitHealthyMommyGiveaway.

That's it - Easy Peasy!

**Three winners will be chosen by random number generator on Sunday, July 28th on or around 7 PM EST**  Shipping only to winners in the United States. Good Luck!!

Batch Meal Prep - Clean Eating

Hey friends!!  I haven't blogged in awhile - yikes!  Summer's here and all of my little princesses are home with me.  It probably goes without saying that my days are pretty busy and these kids are wearing me OUT!  Phew!

Today's post recaps my very first Batch Meal Prep!

6 portioned meals for the rest of this week & weekend

I'll save a lot of what I want to share for another post and keep it simple today.  In short, I am feeling unbalanced and not entirely healthy these days.  My stress levels are a bit higher with my girls home (more fighting, whining, crying, etc) and my adrenal fatigue is wearing on me.  I had been upping my cardio the past few weeks and it really did me in.  It put my adrenals into hibernation for a bit. Therefore, I decided that trying meal prepping & portioning might be in my best interest in order to keep my food intake on track...and also eliminate the stresses of making meals for myself and my kids, three times a day.

After some great inspiration from Instagram and a few Google searches, I came up with a quick (okay, it took me a few hours) and easy plan for the next 4 days or so.  I learned a bit and will plan better and more accordingly next week.  But this works for me right now!

My awesomesauce husband, Josh, picked up 3 organic, hormone-free chicken breasts from The Fresh Market the other day.  I rinsed and patted them dry, laid them on non-stick foil on a baking sheet and sprinkled them with salt-free Mrs. Dash.  Tossed them in the oven and baked at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes.  They were thick, hence the baking duration.

While the chicken was baking, I added a dish with 5 really small sweet potatoes and let those bake for about 50 minutes.  Halfway through the sweet potato baking time, I also put in a baking dish with asparagus.  I left it plain - no oil, no seasonings.  I left that in there for about 25 minutes.

I really liked being able to time out these three foods and use the oven for all of them at the same time.  It reduced energy used, and also cut down on my cooking times.

While the chicken, sweet potatoes and asparagus were in the oven, I steamed 2 heads of broccoli (plain) and a package of pre-washed green beans.  For a snack, I sliced up three bell peppers (yellow, red & orange).  I portioned these out into 6 containers - each had half of a chicken breast (sliced), asparagus, broccoli and sweet potato (some whole, some halved, depending on size).  I left the green beans & peppers in separate containers for snacks or meal additions.

Pictures follow - they show how I portioned everything out.  Hope this is helpful for anyone else who might want to start food prepping & portioning!

So pretty!  Lots of health benefits in different colored produce!

Seasoned chicken, prior to baking

Baked sweet potatoes 

I fully admit that I totally cheated and steamed these right in the bag!

Steamed broccoli

Chicken - after baking

Asparagus - baked plain, no oil or seasoning 

Here's a look at the 6 portions plus green beans & bell peppers

close-up of one of my portioned meals

Shredded Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Hey friends!!  This is part one of a two-part blog post.  I made two separate but awesome foods for dinner tonight (the other one was Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce) and I feel like they deserve their own posts.  Therefore, this is part one...Shredded Chicken Stuffed Peppers.

I visited one of our local farm stores today and picked up three chicken breasts.  I know the chicken is from PA, just a hop, skip & a jump away from MD - and I know that it's humanely raised with no hormones or anti-biotics.  I pretty much always buy my chicken from this particular farm store.

I tossed the chicken in the crockpot and added a mixture of about 1/3 cup of my FAVE chili sauce by Organicville and 1 cup water, then I sprinkled a Mexican spice mix over top.  The chicken cooked on low for about 6 hours and it shredded with just one fork (can't beat that!)

Ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cup shredded chicken
1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
6-7 lacinato kale leaves, chopped
1T coconut oil
2 large green bell peppers
garlic powder
taco seasoning or Mexican spice mix
Daiya cheese, 3T chopped (or any dairy or non-dairy cheese of your choice)

Heat oven to 425.  Cut the tops off of the green peppers and scoop out the insides (pic 2).  Place in baking dish and bake for about 10 minutes before stuffing (pic 3).  Meanwhile, heat a pan on stove over medium heat and add 1T coconut oil.  Add red pepper and onion (pic 8).  Once those turn translucent, add the chopped kale (pic 9).  Cook for two minutes, then remove from heat.  Mix veggies in a bowl with the chicken and cheese.  Spoon half of the mixture into each green pepper (pic 12).  Put back into oven and cook 10-15 minutes (pic 13).

Let cool and serve with Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce (part 2 of this blog post).

Now - step by step pictures!

1. Organic, fresh bell peppers 

2. Cut off tops & scoop out seeds

3. After pre-baking for ten minutes

8. Red Pepper & onion, sauteed in coconut oil 

9. Sauteed veggies with kale added for final 2 minutes

10. Shredded chicken

11. Daiya Jack - my favorite cheese substitute

12. Before baking

13. After baking

Serve alongside my Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce