Oatmeal Bake

Holy YUM!

This recipe is a meal prepper's dream!!! I had seen one of my absolutely amazing friends, Sarina, post photos of this over and over and finally I had to make it. Sarina is a sensational mom, Beachbody coach, Zumba instructor and a great friend. She is seriously the bees-knees and she knows her stuff!!! If you are interested in her coaching, etc check out her page: Sarina's Beachbody Page - what whaaaaat! This is not my brain child at all but I had to share given the ease of making this, the flexibility to make variations and how darn GOOD it was!!! This recipe is from Broke and Boujie, although I did modify the maple syrup a little (because you guys know how I feel about sugar).


Ingredients:

• 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (or Steel Cut)
• 1/4 Cup Natural Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 Cup Raspberries
• 1 Cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 Cups unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Banana, peeled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, syrup, cinnamon, baking powder, half of the raspberries and walnuts. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, egg and vanilla. Stir until the egg and vanilla are totally beaten in.

Spray a brownie pan with cooking spray or olive oil or coconut oil. Spread the oatmeal mixture out evenly in the pan.

Pour the milk-egg mixture over top of the oat mixture. Shake the pan gently to spread the liquid evenly.

Top it with the remaining raspberries, walnut and banana slices and throw it in the oven for 35-40 minutes and enjoy the amazing smell.

Let it cool before you eat it.

 

Alternate Toppings:

-      Blueberries, banana and cashew

-      Almonds, strawberry, blackberry

-      ½ cup pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice and pecans

Whole Wheat Waffles

I am a kitchen gadget kind of person. I love all of the weird things that have been developed to make cooking easier (or harder, depending on the gadget). There are some that I swear by only because they do improve the quality of your products by being tried and true; one of those products is a waffle iron. I bought my waffle iron pretty recently, about 5 or 6 months ago and I use it every week! I love mixing up a batch of batter with this or that and tasting the end result. This is a basic and delicious whole wheat waffle recipe that can be used as a pancake recipe if you don't have a waffle iron.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 cup oats (I used Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal)
2 eggs
2 tbsp cinnamon applesauce
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp melted butter- optional (Will make the waffles a little more savory)
2 tbsp oil- optional (the applesauce replaces the oil, so only add it if you are not using applesauce)

1) Preheat your waffle iron.
2) Mix whole wheat flour, oats and baking powder together. Set aside.
3) In a separate bowl, mix milk, eggs, applesauce and butter/oil (if you are using it).
4) Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing the batter well. It is okay if there are some small lumps.
5) Spray the waffle iron with non-stick spray, then pour about 1/3 cup batter onto waffle iron.
6) The waffles will be on the softer side, if you prefer more crispy waffles cook for longer.

Tips:
a) Add banana, chocolate chips, cocoa powder or fruit to change the variation of the waffle.

Healthy Hash Browns

Hi Everyone!
My schedule has been CRAZY lately but after getting a lot of requests, I had to post this super easy recipe for Healthy Hash Browns! It takes about an hour when everything is said and done but the result is a crispy, delicious version of a typically unhealthy breakfast option. I ended up eating almost the whole plate for dinner, so I guess it was brinner?? :)
The beauty is this recipe is how low in carbohydrates yet you get a nice serving of veggies and fiber! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 medium sweet potato
1 whole egg
2 tbsp almond meal
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 400F.
2) Slice spaghetti squash in half and place cut sides down on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes or until edges are browned.
3) Allow spaghetti squash to cool.
4) While squash is cooking, peel the sweet potato. Grate potato or slice potato into 6-8 sections and chop in a food processor.
5) Crack the egg into a large bowl and whip until fluffy. Set aside.
6) When squash is cooled, pull spaghetti strands with a fork. In a downward motion from the stem of the squash, scrape to pull strands.
7) When squash is "pulled", mix 1/2 into the egg bowl with sweet potato crumbles. Mix thoroughly.
8) Add almond meal and spices.
9) In a skillet, add olive oil and set to medium heat.
10) Using a spoon, drop the mixture onto the pan and smooth down. Cook until browned and flip.
11) Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Tips:
a) Feel free to double the recipe to use the entire spaghetti squash. If not, you can saute the remaining squash with vegetables, meat, or whatever you like.
b) If you have it, you can substitute olive oil with coconut oil.
c) Try cooking the spaghetti squash the night before if you have time.
d) If you mixture seems wet, add almond meal little by little to thicken it up.

Enjoy!

Paleo Pancakes!

So, one of my best friends asked me about the Paleo Diet recently. She was interested in the "clean eating" aspect and I started to look into it. The diet is basically a caveman diet, with foods consumed that are not processed, treated or filled with chemicals. It is mostly organic and low carbohydrate from the lack of breads allowed.

These pancakes are light and you won't think you will get full but all the protein makes this satisfying and so easy to make!

I started researching recipes, etc. and found an Instagram profile of a girl who follows it but also plates the food beautifully. I started following her profile and she is pretty awesome. So I took one of her pancake recipes and altered it slightly. She is pretty fantastic though and I suggest you check out her blog: www.liverightbehealthy.blogspot.com


Okay, here is my rendition of the pancakes:

Ingredients
1 banana
2 tbsp organic peanut butter
1 tbsp organic cashew butter
2 tbsp almond meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp honey
Crushed walnut optional
Maple syrup optional

In a food processor, purée banana, nut butters, almond meal, cinnamon and honey until well mixed (about 20 seconds).
Preheat a skillet and pour small saucer size amounts on to skillet.
When edges begin to bubble, carefully flip.

Cooks about 6-7 pancakes. 3= a serving

Sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle syrup if desired (not necessary though!).

So good and surprisingly filling!

Tips:
Make sure the pancakes are small because they are kind of hard to flip.
I cooked mine in an Orgreenic pan which allowed me to avoid using butter!
Next time ill cook up some apples and use that instead of syrup!

Enjoy & let me know if you make them!

Have a delicious day!

Brown Rice, Zucchini & Kale Bites

Kale is the way to my heart! <3 

Hey everyone!
I put a picture of this on my Instagram and Facebook (follow me!!!) and I got so many requests for the recipe, so here goes!!!

The recipes has several steps but overall is pretty simple. It happened to come together for me rather quickly because I already had brown rice made.

Ingredients
1.5 cups cooked brown rice
5 bushy stalks of kale
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
olive oil
parmesan cheese

A) In a large pot, steam kale with about 1 inch of water. Kale will be done when leaves are bright green and slightly soft.
B) Allow kale to cool on paper towels. On a cutting board, remove leaves from stem.
C) Chop leaves into fine pieces and place in a bowl.
D) In a separate bowl whisk eggs together with spices, flours and cheese.
E) Slowly add brown rice, kale and zucchini. Keep mixing gently to incorporate all ingredients.
*Be careful not to beat the mixture too much. If your kale is still very hot it could cook your eggs!
**If your mixture still looks very wet, add a tbsp of whole grain flour to thicken it up.
F) Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan on medium until oil begins to bubble slightly.
G) Using a spoon or spatula, scoop a golf ball sized amount of the mixture and lay it into the pan. Using the backside of your spoon or spatula, press it down to make a patty.
H) Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes before flipping. The cooked side should be a golden brown color. Repeat for other side and remove from heat.
I) Optional- Sprinkle a small amount of parmeasan cheese on top & enjoy!!!

Tips:
- Depending on your pan you can cook several patties at one time. I cooked three at a time in my 9 inch pan.
- This is a great leftover meal. If you don't have precooked brown rice, make sure your rice is fully cooled before mixing with eggs. Both hot rice and kale will definitely give you scrambled eggs before you cook!
- Quinoa, white rice and barley would also work in this recipe!
- I initially tried this with egg beaters but there was not enough binding by the eggs. You can try 1/4 egg beaters with 1 whole egg.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Let the pumpkin adoration continue! I posted a photo of my first attempt at this last week and while it was good, it was missing that sweet pie goodness! This recipe makes more than one serving so you can save for the next day or share with a friend!
So here it is: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pure canned pumpkin
1.5 cups old fashioned oats
1.5 cup almond milk
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Almond milk, oats and pumkpin!

2 tbsp applesauce
1 tbsp 1% milk
1 tsp maple syrup

1) Add almond milk and oats to a saucepan and heat at medium-high.
2) When edges of liquid begin to bubble add pumpkin, applesauce and pumpkin pie spice. Mix thoroughly.
3) When mixture begins to bubble add remaining ingredients. Cook for another 2 minutes, mixing frequently so oats don't burn to bottom of saucepan.

Serve warm and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice for added flavor!

Tips:
Don't have pumpkin pie spice? Make your own! Mix in 1 tbsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp nutmeg, 2 tsp all-spice: mix together & voila!

Pumpkin Blueberry Quinoa Bake

Pumpkin Blueberry Quinoa Baked with apple butta on the side! Mmmm!

Hey there readers!
So I know I am always making the "will blog more" promise! Sorry I have been away for some time! School and internships are very intense but I am surviving!

Below is a recipe I modified from a pin that my good friend Danielle put up on Pinterest. Of course I can never leave a recipe alone. So here is my modified bake! Please note- this is not a sweet breakfast food. Quinoa has a nutty flavor and the pumpkin is not noticeable at all. I am working on a more Autumn Friendly version of this but with oats.

Have a delicious day & enjoy!

2  cups quinoa, cooked and cooled

1 cup blueberries divided
1 cup pure plain pumpkin
2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup egg whites
1/3 cup vanilla almond milk
2 tbsp maple syrup 

2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp cinnamon 

Optional: apple butter

Optional: flaxseed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and grease 8-by-8-inch baking pan

2. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Add maple syrup (if using) and whisk.

3. Add pumpkin to egg mixture and whisk until completely mixed. 

4. Add quinoa to egg mixture. Stir with a large spoon to combine. Pour 1/2 into the baking dish and spread it around to ensure that it’s even.

5. Sprinkle in half of the blueberries and pour remaining quinoa mixture on top.

6. Sprinkle last half of blueberries on top of mixture.  Sprinkle about a tbsp of flaxseed on top if you have it.

7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until set and golden.

8. Cool completely and cut into squares. Serve with a dollop of apple butter.

** To make sweeter: you may add about a Tbsp of honey or additional brown sugar to the egg mixture. 

12 Quick Breakfast Ideas

This is a list from CookingLight.com but it features some great ideas (many of which I already do!).

1|Single-serving bowls of whole-grain cereal are packed with vitamins and minerals.


2| Pair string cheese with whole wheat crackers.



3| Hard-boil several eggs to have on hand for busy mornings.



4| Small cartons of low-fat yogurt are a good combination of carbohydrates and protein.



5| Whole-grain English muffins can serve as a base for a breakfast sandwich. Spread on peanut butter, a source of satisfying protein and heart-healthy fats.



6| Make breakfast wraps with whole wheat tortillas; roll in lean protein, such as turkey and low-fat cheese, scrambled eggs with diced peppers and onions, or peanut butter and bananas.



7| Keep low-fat cheese slices on hand for breakfast sandwiches.



8| Single-serving cartons of low-fat, low-sodium cottage cheese are a good source of protein; stir in berries or fruit for fiber.



9| Top whole wheat toaster waffles with a tablespoon of peanut butter and/or fruit preserves.




10| Try soy or lean turkey sausage patties (you can eat them alone or put them in a breakfast wrap or sandwich).



11| Stir a tablespoon or two of fruit preserves or chopped dried fruit into plain instant oatmeal to add a touch of sweetness.



12| For protein, add a tablespoon or two of nuts to your yogurt or oatmeal. Stir frozen berries into oatmeal or yogurt to boost the vitamin content.

Post- Workout Veggie scramble

I started doing the Beachbody Insanity program this week and it is so good! I normally am not a pusher of high protein diets but the scramble below is perfect for after an intense exercise bout.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites
1/2 zucchini sliced thin
1 handful of fresh spinach
Olive oil in a mister
Onion powder
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning
2 slices of low calorie multi-grain bread

Coat the base of a frying pan with the olive oil from the misto.
Add spinach and zucchini and sautee until tender.
Add egg and mix generously so the egg covers all of the vegetables.
Add seasonings to taste and let eggs cook until slightly browned or to your preference.
Enjoy with toasted bread!

This recipe is great because it is low in calories, high in protein, fiber and iron. Yum!
Have a delicious day!

My Love Affair with Pumpkin continues.....

Fibery, pumpkiny goodness!!!!

I cannot express enough how much I LOVE pumpkin sweets. This time of year offers a wide variety of sweet pumpkin treats that also pack a calorie punch! I opted to make 2 different pumpkin dishes with a large can of pure pumpkin.

I started out with Pumpkin Pecan Muffins.

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

3 eggs + 1 egg white

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup veg. oil

3/4 cup applesauce

2 cups pure pumpkin

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with liners.

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.

In a mixing bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, oil and applesauce. Mix on a low speed and add eggs one by one.

Slowly add dry ingredients until batter is thick and smooth. Fold in pecans.

Baked for 15-18 minutes or until the batter no longer comes off onto a fork when tested.

Yummy Pumpkin goodness!!

I also made a cream cheese glaze for the topping. Mix 1 stick of cream cheese with about 1/2 cup of confectionary sugar, 1 tbsp of vanilla and 1/4 cup water. Mix until smooth and drizzle over the muffins.

Nutella Oat Pancakes with peanut butter, banana and Nutella drizzle

Happy Sunday everyone! This recipe was inspired by my friend Matt! He went to a diner in Philadelphia that had a similar style pancake recipe on the menu. In the photo he posted on facebook there was more nutella and PB on the pancakes. I personally love the bready taste of pancakes so I didn't try to overwhelm them with the toppings, but add as much as you prefer based on your preferences. Here we go!

There are 2 ways to make these pancakes, the short-cut route or the from scratch way. I went a little half and half. I really like the pancake mixes from the New Hope Mills and I used the Oat Bran mix for this recipe.

Ingredients
2 cups Oat Bran pancake mix
1 3/4 cups cold water
1/4 cup egg beaters (or 1 egg)
4 tbsp Nutella
1 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp skim milk
1/2 banana

Add pancake mix, water and egg in a large bowl. Mix in 2 tbsp nutella and mix until batter turns a light brown.

Cook pancakes on medium heat until both sides are browned.

In a small saucepan add the remaining nutella with 1 tbsp milk. Warm on very low heat and stir continuously to remove lumps and prevent from burning.

Cut the banana into slices and layer on top of pancakes.

Using a large spoon, drizzle the warmed nutella over the pancakes.

Top with peanut butter and enjoy!


Tips
- When making pancakes, cover cooked pancakes with a pot lid to keep pancakes moist and warm.
- You can top this recipe with maple syrup, but taste it first because it is already deliciously sweet!
- If you want to make your pancakes from scratch, here is a good recipe . Just add in the Nutella.

- You can use any pancake mix and add in the additional ingredients.

Yesterday

I have been so busy organizing a mini-baby shower for a friend at my now ex-job, but I wanted to share my fun meals from yesterday!

I absolutely LOVE breakfast food! It makes being a healthy eater in the morning a little difficult for most, but I have some ideas to slim down some classics! Yesterday I enjoyed Chocolate Chip Banana French Toast.
 It was DELISH!!!! (I know delish isn't a real word, but they were just that good.) I made them with 35 calorie whole wheat bread, egg beaters and skim milk. I try to make everything a "one pot" meal so I actually mix the milk, beaters, cinnamon, and brown sugar into 1 bowl. Dunk the bread and grill in a frying pan. I had to take a picture of my pan because its hot pink and totally cute!
As I cooked the slices(individually) I pressed 6-8 chocolate chips into the already cooked toast. I made 3 pieces and topped them off with a whole sliced banana and a drizzle of maple syrup. I washed it all down with a cold glass of milk! Yum!!!

For lunch I ate at Wegman's and should have taken a picture of my Indian cuisine but I was starved and ate it up.

My boyfriend has been asking me to make tacos for a while so since I had some time last night, I made tacos. I sauteed a bunch of veggies (asparagus, red peppers, zucchini & onions), cooked up the ground beef and prepped several sides. The sides includes low-fat shredded mozzarella, low-fat sour cream, guacamole, and diced tomatoes. I am a vegetarian so I just ate the veggie portion but he told me the meat was tasty.

Enjoy the photos! I'll post more from my adventures tomorrow. I am baking some old family recipes with my mom and grandmom! Yay!!

Have a delicious evening!!
The HealthyAngel

Breakfast

Its been rainy and snowing around here lately so I decided to have some heart-warming oatmeal for breakfast. I mixed old-fashioned oats with a chopped pink lady apple, ground flaxseed, almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon.
It is cozy and comfy with a slight sweetness. It was very good!
See you at lunch!
Have a delicious day!
TheHealthyAngel

Slow start...

I woke up feeling a little under the  weather today so I am slow getting started and posting this. This morning I decided to follow an old tradition my mom instilled in me about being sick and eating. Her mantra always was and still is, "If you are sick, you eat light. Toast with jelly and no milk because it will upset your stomach." So I do live by this bit of advice.

This morning I toasted 2 pieces of Arnold's multigrain bread, spread some sugar-free strawberry jam on it and partnered my toast with a 2 egg scramble.

I want to also mention that this amazing mug is compliments
of my older brother! He got it for me at Disney! <3

My mom also swears by the power of Camomille tea, which I do love, but didn't have any. So today I went with Pomegranite Raspberry Green Tea to soothe my aching throat. I toss a splash of Agave nectar into the tea because I have a terrible sweet tooth.

I found a recipe I want to make for lunch, so we will see how it turns out!



I love when tea is so hot it practically burns the bacteria from your throat!
I know it's strange but I hope it works!



Have a delicious day!

~TheHealthyAngel