Strawberry Vanilla Protein Oats (Slow Cooker Style)

So is it Spring or isn't it?! Mother Nature is seeming a little confused these days. One day it's warm and sunny and the next it's gray and frigid. We had some glimpses of Springtime weather on Tuesday morning and since then have pretty much been experiencing a monsoon.....okay, so maybe I'm being a wee bit dramatic, but we've had some crazy thunder, rainy downpours and the weatherman is calling for a chance of wet snow or freezing rain today today. AWESOME {enter sarcasm here} I think we can all agree that we are done with winter and want the snow to take a hike, but it just doesn't seem to want to let us go. I bought a couple {read: five} new pairs of flats that I'm dying to wear, but I made an attempt with them yesterday and my feet received a royal soaking. Today, I'm back to boots.

My cravings have been all over the board because of this weather too. One day I'm craving fresh green salads with lots of veggies and my favourite honey dijon dressing and the next day I'm thinking about making a crockpot full of veggie stew.

Last night, I decided that I needed to make a crockpot full of steel cut oatmeal for breakfast. I decided to try a new strawberry vanilla combo, so I could get a little Springtime with the berries while at the same time getting the warm and cozy comfort of the oatmeal. This combo turned out to be delicious!

I also decided to add some protein powder to my oats, which is something I've never done before. I recently became a member of Team Vega {an entire post dedicated to this amazing company and their equally amazing products will be coming very soon} and they provided me with a sample pack of products to try - I decided that their Vega One French Vanilla Nutritional Shake powder would be a perfect compliment to my strawberry oats. This flavour is the bomb-digity of protein powders!!!!!

What I ended up with was an amazing new oatmeal that I insist you've got to try. It's Springtime meets comfort food and it is SO.GOOD!!!!!

Strawberry Vanilla Slow Cooker Protein Oats

Serves 2

1/2 c steel cut oats

1 c unsweetened original almond milk (or milk of your choice)

3/4 c water

1 package vanilla-flavoured protein powder

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 c frozen sliced strawberries (fresh would probably work)

Optional Toppings: favourite nut butter, maple syrup, coconut or chopped pecans

Note: I used my small hot dip slow cooker for this recipe. It works perfectly or you could use Janetha's instructions here for using a larger sized slow cooker.

Grease your slow cooker with coconut oil or non-stick spray.

Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir well to combine.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve and enjoy. Sometimes I like to add a spoonful of plain non-fat Greek yogourt to my oats and sometimes I eat them topped with chopped fruit, a drizzle of syrup (perfect way to add more sweetness for all you sweet lovers out there) or a big glob of melty nut butter. Either way will rock your socks off!

I prepare my oatmeal in the evening and let the slow cooker simmer away all night long. When I get up in the morning, I open my bedroom door to the mouthwatering aroma of freshly made oatmeal. It's such a nice way to start your day!

Are you craving fresh produce and all foods associated with Spring or are you still enjoy all the comfort foods of winter?

Have a great day!!

Andrea

xoxo

A Most Egg-cellent Clean Sammie

Life can get in the way of our healthy goals. I know this because it's been happening to me alot lately. I have a vision of how I want myself to look and feel and I  know that my goals are totally attainable if I could just stick to the plan I've laid out, but then life happens. Everyday I get up, pack a clean lunch with lots of healthy snacks, drink my water, head to the gym after work, get home between 7 & 8 p.m. and then stuff my face full of whatever food is ready and at my fingertips. Not. Good.

I love spending time in the kitchen trying new recipes and cooking up wholesome, healthy meals for dinner. This time of year, I'm drawn to casseroles and roasted veggies and all types of comfort foods, but I've had to accept the fact that there are some days when I'm going to have to whip up something quick and easy, so that I don't turn to junk food as a substitute for my dinner or wind up eating dinner at 10 p.m.

This sandwich has been one of my regular "go to" meals lately. It works for breakfast , lunch or dinner and I've enjoyed it at all times of the day. I got the idea from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Vegetarian Cookbook and tweaked it a bit to suit my tastes. It's easy, tastes great and most importantly it's healthy and clean and fits nicely with my goals.

All you do is scramble up 1/4 cup of egg whites in a small non-stick frying pan. Add in a few drops of Frank's Red Hot (I like lots!!!) and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Once the egg is finished cooking, I like to make my sandwich with a toasted whole grain English muffin or flatbread smothered with a whole lotta dijon mustard. Don't skip the dijon my friends, it makes this sandwich!!!

Now this is WAY healthier than the old egg sandwich I used to eat --- picture a scrambled egg on toast topped with a processed cheese slice and lotsa ketchup. Welp! I used to eat that a couple of times per week!!!

Do you have a quick and easy 'go to' meal when life gets hectic?

 

Source

Have a great day my friends!
Andrea

xoxo

Baked Cinnamon Pear Steel Cut Oats

Oatmeal is quickly becoming my breakfast obsession for the winter of 2012-13. I really don't remember what I did before I discovered the awesomeness that is steel cut oats. They're so versatile and I've been finding myself making all sorts of oatmeal concoctions in the slow cooker, on the stove top and now baked up in a warm and delicious casserole.

This, my friends, is what comfort food for breakfast looks like.  I decided to change things up a bit because I've been obsessively cooking with pumpkins and apples since September, so pears were my fruit of choice this time 'round. I combined fresh pears with cinnamon and Sucanat and the result was an ooey gooey fruit explosion tucked away under a hearty oatmeal topper.

Baked Cinnamon Pear Steel Cut Oats
Serves 4 - 5

2 large pears, chopped
2 tsp cinnamon
1 c steel cut oats
2 c almond milk (or soy milk, coconut milk, dairy milk)
3 tbsp Sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch sea salt

Preheat your oven to 400 and grease a medium-sized casserole dish.

Place the chopped pears in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the Sucanat and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Mix until the pears are well coated and pour into the bottom of the casserole dish.

Sprinkle the steel cut oats over the pears.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, the remaining cinnamon, Sucanat and vanilla. Pour over the oats and pears.

Cover your dish and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

Ooey gooey goodness.

Top your oatmeal with your fave toppings such as maple syrup, chopped walnuts, coconut or raisins. My favourite way was to top it with some plain non-fat Greek yogourt drizzled with just a teeny weeny bit of maple syrup or honey.   

Store the leftovers in your refrigerator and re-heat in the microwave for a quick, CLEAN and healthy weekday breakfast.

What's your favourite oatmeal topping?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

Make-Ahead Breakfast Strata

Hi! Sorry things have been quiet around these parts. The closer Christmas gets, the busier I seem to be.....I'm sure you can all relate, right?!

One of the things I've been busy at is menu planning. We're hosting our annual Christmas party on Saturday and our theme is the '80s, so I've been trying to come up with some '80s-themed food to serve. I'm thinking fondues, black forest cake, cake rolls and whatever other fun things I come up with this week!

Are you hosting any meals this holiday season? For me, it's all about planning ahead. I write my menu out, re-write and amend it as the date gets closer and then work away dish by dish when the big day finally arrives. Things that can be made ahead are always favourites because it helps to alleviate all the things that must be done at the last minute.

This breakfast strata is something that I often make when we're hosting a breakfast or brunch. My mom used to make something similar to this for Christmas morning, so I have a sentimental attachment to this dish, plus it's easy to throw together, can be customized with any veggies/meats that you like and can be made the night before ---- {WIN!}

Now you don't need a special occasion to make this; I made it this past weekend and now we have leftovers for breakfasts and/or lunches for the first part of this week.....and who's kidding who, Derek will be lucky to get even a bite. :-D

Make-Ahead Breakfast Strata
Serves 6

8 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
1 1/2 c baby spinach
1 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 large tomato, thinly sliced
2 c cheese
7 eggs
1 1/3 c milk
salt & pepper to taste

Choose a medium-sized casserole dish and spray with non-stick spray.

Layer your ingredients starting with half of the bread cubes, followed by all of the spinach, the mushrooms, tomato, 3/4 c of the shredded cheese and the remaining bread.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt & pepper. Pour your egg mixture over the entire casserole making sure to soak all of the bread. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the entire casserole. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

About an hour and half before you are planning to eat, pre-heat your oven to 375. Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes prior to serving.

The assembly looks something like this:

Make sure you let the casserole 'rest' before serving.

I usually give it 5 - 10 minutes before diving in.

I'm sure that you can cut it into lovely little wedges when you're serving it to guests, but we don't get too fancy and just scoop out big ol' portions at our house.

YUM!

Will you help me with my '80s menu? If you have any great dishes that were popular in that decade, give me some inspiration!!!

What's your favourite dish to serve for brunch?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

Feeling the Love Inside & Out

You guys....I've had a really, really great birthday week.

I have received so much birthday love, it's been totally overwhelming! I've received cards in the mail, texts, emails, calls, Facebook messages and lots of lunch and dinner invites.

I've been out to eat ALOT, but other than a couple of meals where I strayed a wee bit, I've completely stuck to my clean eating plan. I've been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to have delicious, clean meals without sacrificing taste & satisfaction!!

Not only have I been conscious about what I eat when out at a restaurant, but I've been playing around in my own kitchen as well. I don't want to completely give up some of my fave foods, so I'm determined to put my personal spin on some old classics to make them clean, healthy and totally delicious!!!

This recipe has been one of my most recent successes. Who doesn't love apple pie this time of year?! I put some of my fave apple pie flavours into a cool and refreshing smoothie and have been enjoying them for breakfast and post-workout snacks all week long. Adding oats to a smoothie, is a great way to give it some 'staying' power, so that you can go a few hours before the hunger beast takes hold. Between the oats and the optional addition of some protein powder, this smoothie is surprisingly filling and will easily tide you over until your next meal.

Clean Apple Pie Smoothie

Serves 1 hungry clean eating machine

1 c unsweetened original almond milk

1/4 c oats

1/4 c water

3/4 c unsweetened applesauce (my recipe works awesome minus the brown sugar)

2 tbsp plain Greek yogourt

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 - 1 tsp stevia

pinch cinnamon

Optional: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Soak the oats in the almond milk overnight.

When you're ready to enjoy your smoothie, remove the oat mixture and pour it into your blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. I like my smoothies to be silky smooth, so this one needed to be blended and blended because the oats give it a little more texture than your usual fruit smoothie.

  

This is a great breakfast or post-workout snack!

What's your fave fruit to use in a healthy smoothie?

I've definitely had received my share of love this week and now I feel the need to share some love for some great reads from earlier this week. Go check them out and leave some love for some of my fellow bloggers:

~ Jenna got engaged and she has a beautiful  engagement story

~ Kris shares her view on how our choices affect where our lives take us

~ David Kirsch did a great guest post that encourages us to make fitness and wellness a daily ritual

~ Tina had a very special celebration this week

Do you have any great reads I need to see? Link 'em up!  

Enjoy the weekend!

Andrea

xoxo

What I Ate {on my birthday} Wednesday

Good morning! How are ya?!

Yesterday was my birthday and I had an absolutely great day. Derek and I celebrated over the weekend with a special dinner, some shopping and a movie, so yesterday was pretty much an ordinary day except for the fact that I received so many birthday wishes and lots of love from the people who mean the most to me in this world.

Birthday flowers:

I feel extremely blessed to have so many amazing people ~ friends & family ~ in my life!!

We went out to eat several times over the weekend, so all I wanted yesterday was some good, CLEAN homecookin'. You know that I started my 'clean eating' journey on Monday and I really wanted to stick to it! My plan is for clean eats to become my lifestyle, it's not just some temporary diet that I'm going to follow. I need to figure out how to maintain my clean eating habits over holidays and special occasions, so I decided that my birthday was a great way to challenge myself to make a healthy, clean and delicious birthday dinner.

Here's a recap of my meals from the big day!

  Birthday Breakfast   I made one of my faves: Pumpkin Pie Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oats   

   It's a decadent way to start any morning!   In order to clean the recipe up, I submitted honey for the brown sugar. The flavour was just as delish!     Lunch   Being the good girl that I am ;-), I brown bagged it and spent my lunch break walking around the downtown with my good friend, Lisa. Afterwards, I ate my lunch at the office.   Roasted Sweet Potato Salad Clementines Pumpkin Amazeballs  

    Birthday Dinner   Plant Power Pumpkin Alfredo with brown rice pasta and a Greek salad  

  Dessert: An Edible Arrangement that my parents had delivered to me at work!  

{oy, please excuse my very messy office!}

   Thank you, as always, to Miss Jenn for continuing to host our weekly Wednesday party.  

Do you like to go out or eat in on your birthday?

 

Enjoy your day!

 

Andrea

xoxo

 

 

   

Pumpkin Love + an Oatmeal Recipe

Hiya!

I know that we are completely flooded with all things pumpkin this time of year, but I hope you aren't quite sick of it yet!

I bought a sugar pumpkin a few weeks ago with the intention of making my own pumpkin puree and finally got around to doing just that on Sunday afternoon. For a great photo tutorial on how to roast a sugar pumpkin and make your own homemade pumpkin puree, check our Ange's post here. I spent $1 on the pumpkin and it ended up making about 2 1/2 cups of puree....not too shabby considering a can of pumpkin puree can cost up to $3.99 around here!

Not only do I luuuurrvvvee the flavour of pumpkin spice anything, I absolutely adore pumpkin for all of it's health benefits too:

 * 1 cup of pure pumpkin puree has over 200% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin A
 * pumpkin is rich in carotenoids, including beta carotene (antioxidant!!)
 * pumpkin in a good source of fibre, packing 7g into each cup
 * pumpkin is packed with potassium (move over bananas)
 * pumpkin aids your pooch if he/she is having some trouble with *ahem* the scoots
 * the seeds are rich in calcium & zinc
 * pumpkin is low in fat and calories
 * every part of the pumpkin can be used in some form, so there is absolutely NO waste

- check out Gina's tips on how to use an entire pumpkin from seeds to skin here

As soon as the pumpkin puree was made, I gave each of my poochies a big ol' scoop with their dinners and got to work making myself a breakfast for Monday morning.

Um....I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but there is seriously no better way to start your morning than with this oatmeal. It takes 5 minutes to make and is absolutely delicious!

Pumpkin Pie Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oats
Serves 2

1/2 c steel cut oats
1 c unsweetened almond milk (or regular milk)
3/4 c water
1/2 c pumpkin puree
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp Earth Balance (or butter)

Place everything into your crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours.

I used my little dipper crockpot again, which is the perfect size for this oatmeal recipe.

I topped my bowl of oatmeal with chopped walnuts.

Hands down the best oatmeal recipe that I have ever made.

If you love pumpkin as much as I do, I'm pretty sure you're going to love these recipes too:

 - Jenna's Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
 - Angela's Vegan Pumpkin Mac N Cheeze
 - Jessica's Roasted Pecan Pumpkin Butter
 - Sommer's Southwest Spicy Pumpkin Soup
 - Sarah's Pumpkin Streusel Swirl Loaf

What's your favourite Fall flavour?

Have a great day!

Andrea
xoxo

Quick & Easy Breakfasts + an Oatmeal Recipe

Hi and Happy Friday!

You may have noticed that there's been a lot of talk about healthy and packable lunches recently due to the start of the new school year. I've loved checking out the ideas and I'll be trying out some new lunches for Derek and I just to mix things up a bit. I cannot eat the same thing day after day!!

For me, BREAKFAST is where it's at. Hands down it's my favourite meal of the day. I get up each day looking forward to a delicious and satisfying breakfast and on the weekends, there is nothing better than heading out with family and friends to a leisurely brunch. I just love, love, love it!

You've probably heard before that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After a rest period of several hours during the night, our bodies need fuel, so that our muscles and brains are able to function at their best. Eating within the first hour of waking is a great way to give your body the energy it requires to start your day off on the right foot.

Breakfast doesn't have to be complicated. It doesn't have to be made up of some sugar-laden processed cereal, pastry or bar either. I've compiled a list of my favourite breakfasts that are quick, easy and healthy. I eat breakfast every single day and I am that girl who is always running 5 minutes late for work. If I can make time, then so can you!

Greek Yogourt with Fruit and Granola

Overnight Baked French Toast

Toasted Multigrain Bagel with Light Cream Cheese

Bananarama Protein Pancakes

Classic Green Smoothie

Toasted Egg and Cheese Sandwich

Egg White Scramble with Veggies

Breakfast Burritos

Toasted Tomato Sandwich

Breakfast Cookie

Peach Vanilla Chai Smoothie Bowl

Toast with Peanut Butter and Banana Slices

Overnight Oats in a Jar (OOIAJ)

Healthy Monkey Bread (this is a new one that I am SURE is awesome!)

Cottage Cheese with Chopped Fruit (I like peaches) & cinnamon

Breakfast Tostadas

Leftover Pizza ;)

Kashi Go Lean with Lowfat Milk or Almond Milk

Banana Coconut Slow Cooked Oats

*Some of these ideas are mine and some originally came from other bloggers who I respect and follow regularly. I have added the links wherever applicable.*

As you know, I've been loving oatmeal lately and cooking up a batch of steel cut oats in the slow cooker is such a great idea during the week. It takes about 5 minutes to throw your ingredients together before you go to bed and when you wake up, you have an a healthy and delicious breakfast ready and waiting.

Here is my latest oatmeal concoction ~

Zucchini Bread Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oats
Serves 2

This recipe was inspired by Janetha's Slow Cooked Apple Cinnamon Oats and Angela's Zucchini Bread Oatmeal. It is a perfect breakfast for a cold Fall morning. It's hearty and delicious and will keep you satisfied for hours.

1/2 c steel cut oats
1 c unsweetened original almond milk (you could use regular milk)
1 c water
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp Earth Balance (or butter)
1 c grated zucchini

*Note: I used a small hot dip crockpot for this recipe. If you don't have one, see Janetha's instructions here for using a larger crockpot*

Place all of the ingredients into your crockpot and stir to combine.

Turn your crockpot on low and cook for 8 - 9 hours.

Spoon into your bowls and top with chopped walnuts, cinnamon and an additional dab of Earth Balance (as per Angela's instructions). Serve and enjoy.

This is a 'stick to your ribs' kinda breakfast that will keep you satisfied for hours.

Sticky, sweet zucchini bread awesomeness in every bite!

What's your favourite breakfast for days when you are on the go?

Have a GREAT Friday!!

Andrea
xoxo

Zucchini Cheddar Egg Muffins

Morning, friends! Welcome to the last Tuesday of August. Crazy right?!

Lately you've seen many ramblings and brags about my garden and finally we are seeing the produce that I've been very (im)patiently waiting for. Lettuce, green beans, cherry tomatoes and boatloads of zucchini are what's in season at my house right now. I've been able to share the lettuce, beans and tomatoes with family & co-workers, but the zucchini count is starting to get a wee bit out of control.

So far, I've made ~

- my favourite zucchini bread

- Courtney's light & tasty zucchini casserole and zucchini latkes

- my dad's goulash

I still have 2 1/2 zucchinis at home and several little baby ones growing away in the garden. Is anyone in need of zucchini?? I would be very happy to share! :-)

On Sunday, I did a little meal prepping for the week and one of the things that I cooked up was a batch of egg muffins. These are great because you can make them on the weekend and store them in the refrigerator for a week. I often pack them in my lunch or pop a couple in the microwave for breakfast on the go. I got the idea after I made Courtney's zucchini casserole. I mean really, can you go wrong when you mix zucchini and cheddar together?!  I think not.  

Zucchini Cheddar Egg Muffins
Recipe adapted from He & She Eat Clean

Makes 12 egg muffins

1 1/2 c shredded zucchini
1/2 c mushrooms, diced
1/2 c onions, diced
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
14 egg whites
1 tsp Italian seasoning
sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375. Grease your muffin tin well.

Place zucchini, mushrooms & onion in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Scoop the veggie mixture into the muffin tins. Fill each cup about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs & egg whites. Stir in your spices.

Pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture filling each muffin cup. Leave a little room because the egg will puff up & expand as it bakes.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over the egg mixture in each muffin cup.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes.

Slide a knife around the edges of each egg muffin and carefully remove each one and place it on a cooling rack.

Once the egg muffins are completely cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge.

I know this muffin tin is old and ugly but that's because it's been well loved <3

One thing I would caution is that non-stick spray is not the most effective when trying to get these little muffins out of the tin. Even though I used a knife to cut around the edges and a fork to oh so gently lift the muffins up and out, several of them came out with a messy looking bottom. Lucky for me, the ugliness did not affect the taste - these are tasty little bites if I do say so myself! Next time I'm going to grease my pan with shortening and I hope that will make the whole muffin removal procedure a little easier and more successful.

Here are some other zucchini recipes on my radar to try over the next couple of weeks ~  

- Jessica's Whole Wheat Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins 

- Summer Squash & Ricotta Galette

- Jenna's Portobello & Zucchini Lasagna

- Angela's Zucchini Bread Oatmeal 

Do you have any great zucchini recipes that I should try? Please leave your link below.

Enjoy your day,

Andrea

xoxo

Peach Vanilla Chai Smoothie Bowl

Mmmm Breakfast.

The most important meal of the day.

It is so important to eat your first meal shortly after waking. I usually eat within the first hour, so that my body is fueled and ready to tackle the day. Eating a healthy breakfast not only gives your bod the kickstart it needs to start performing for the day, but it also gives your metabolism a kick in the butt to get working and we all want that metabolism to be working to its fullest potential, right?! :-)

I've always been a breakfast eater. When I get up in the morning, the first things I think are *get me mah coffee* and *what's for breakfast* --- you may notice that I often speak from the tummy ;-)

Usually I prefer warm savoury breakfasts, but we've had such a warm summer that I've found myself craving foods that are cool and refreshing.

Smoothies fit right into those requirements, but I never feel like a drink is enough to fill me up, so I decided to try my own 'smoothie in a bowl' combo and see if I could add a little bulk to make my smoothie 'stick to my ribs' a little longer. As bulk, I added oats, chia and some Vega One Vanilla Chai shake powder. I ended up make a huge, THICK shake and it was awesome! I ate half before I left for work, half when I arrived at work and was satisfied until noon.

I had some Niagara peaches left that were starting to get too soft, so I used them in my smoothie, but you can certainly use any fruit/veggie combo that suits ya.

Peach Vanilla Chai Smoothie Bowl

Makes one big-ass smoothie bowl for one hungry gal ;-)

1 large peach, chopped into chunks - I froze mine the night before

1/2 - 1 large frozen banana

1 serving Vega One Vanilla Chai nutritional shake powder *optional

1/4 c oats

1 tbsp chia seeds

3/4 c almond milk (or milk of your choice)

1/2 c water

1/2 tsp pure vanilla

*Note: If you do not use a protein powder that is naturally sweetened, you may want to add some sweetener or use vanilla sweetened almond milk - stevia or maple syrup would also be good sweetener options for this smoothie*

Place all your ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. Pour into your fave cereal bowl, top with your fave toppings (chopped fruit, nuts, coconut, granola) and eat 'er up!

I got this as a free sample in the mail {score!}

This all-in-one shake mix has a great flavour and doesn't leave a chalky taste in your mouth. It is one of the few powders that I really, really like!

Thick enough to eat with a spoon - yummers!

 

Cool - check!

Refreshing - check!

Filling - check!

Healthy - check!

Oh so Delicious - check!

This is a new fave of mine for sure!

What is your favourite summertime breakfast?

Have a great day! TGIF!

Andrea

xoxo

Bananarama Protein Pancakes

Hi there! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty lowkey, which was really nice and unexpected for the middle of summer. Next Saturday is jam-packed with plans, so I enjoyed the downtime in my sweats chillin' at the homestead.

Somtimes it feels so go to be a homebody for a day  :-)

Source: Pinterest via Wendy Adam-Vila

Yesterday I had our lunches made, laundry folded, this blog post prepared and all my food prepped for the week by 2 p.m. The rest of the day was spent watching James Bond movies, drinking coffee and perusing my favourite blogs. It actually felt quite decadent!

Part of my food prep included making a batch of protein pancakes that I can toast up for breakfast or a post-workout snack throughout this coming week. I seem to have developed a bit of an obsession for these pancakes recently. I've been experimenting with all sorts of different recipes and today I decided to give my own combo a try. I must say they turned out to be fabulous --- they're dense and healthy and packed full of protein. I'm actually having a hard time keeping them in the fridge without diving in for one every few minutes --- ah, the dangers of successful recipe creation ;-)

Bananarama Protein Pancakes

Makes 10 3" pancakes

1 c old fashioned oats

3/4 c 1% cottage cheese

3/4 c egg whites (6 egg whites)

1 banana

1 scoop vanilla protein powder ~ I used Vega Vanilla Almondilla*

1 tbsp chia seeds*

1tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp sea salt

*The protein powder and chia seeds are optional --- if you omit the protein powder, you may want to taste test your batter and add a little sweetener (sugar, stevia, etc.) to your tastes.

Add all of the ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth.

Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Spray with cooking spray between each round of pancakes. Pour the batter into the skillet to make 3 to 4" round pancakes. Cook on the one side until the edges start to look dry. Flip the pancakes and cook until cooked through.

Serve with a bit of Earth Balance (butter), some pure maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon or whatever pancake toppings rock your world!

The chia causes the batter to get really thick as it sits, so be ready to cook the pancakes as soon as the batter is made for easier pouring.

Cook slowly on medium heat.

Come to momma... 

I cool the leftover pancakes on a wire rack and then store them in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator so that I can eat them all week long.

Enjoy!

What is your favourite pancake topping?

What do you love to do when you spend a day hanging out at home?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

Pumpkin Harvest Oatmeal

Happy Monday Morning.

Did you all have a fabulous weekend? Our weekend didn't go quite the way that I expected, but it still turned out to be pretty darn good. Yesterday we were supposed to put up our Christmas decorations, but sadly it was pouring rain and very muddy and we decided to put if off a few days because all of our decorations are stored in the shed in the backyard. Derek has some down time this coming week, so fingers crossed that our house will be completely "Christmas-fied" by the time next weekend rolls around. Have you decorated your house yet???

Since decorating was delayed, I decided to get busy in the kitchen and make a couple of things that had been brewing in my head. The first thing I did was to get a baked potato soup together in the crockpot for dinner. It  was really yummy and I'll be sharing the recipe with you later this week.

Once the crockpot was ready and simmering away, I got busy making a new granola. It's been a while since I did a batch and I've been dreaming about a pumpkin-flavoured granola since I was at my parents for Thanksgiving. So, I pulled out everything I had that would go great together and got to work.

Pumpkin Harvest Granola

This is a great granola that encompasses all the flavours of Fall. The nice thing about granola is that you can customize it to include anything you have in the cupboards. You also can sweeten it up to your liking and use any add-ins that make your mouth water ;-)

3 c old fashioned rolled oats

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp dried cranberries

1/4 c pepitas

1/4 c. pecan pieces

1/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

1.5 tsp cinnamon

heaping 1/2 c pumpkin pie filling*

1/4 c tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

*Note - After posting this recipe, I've made a couple of minor changes to make it even better! I increased the amount of wet ingredients because I found that the granola wasn't quite as sweet and sticky as I would have liked. The recipe now reflects my changes.

 

Pre-heat your oven to 325. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine your dry ingredients (oats, chia, cranberries, pepitas, pecans, coconut & cinnamon) in a large bowl. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the  wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until well combined.

Pour your granola into your baking pan and spread out evenly.

Bake for 25 - 35 minutes. I've had many accidental granola burnings so I bake my granola at a low temperature and I stir every 5 to 7 minutes. It's ready when the granola is baked to a golden brown.

Store unused granola in an airtight container.

*Note - I thought that I bought pure pumpkin, but discovered it was actually pumpkin pie filling. You could easily use pure pumpkin and your own spices, but then you would have to sweeten it up with more maple syrup.

I'm really looking forward to eating this granola on top of some Greek yogourt sweetened with honey. Breakie is going to be goooo-ooood this week!!!

This would also make a great hostess gift if you stored it in a mason jar wrapped up in your fave ribbon.

Don't you love my fabric/ribbon choices???

This is a hint of what my new garland looks like :-D

Have you ever made your own granola before? If you have, what's your fave add-in?

I hope you have a fabulous start to your work week!

Andrea