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

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

What I Ate (at the end of Summer) Wednesday

Howdy! And welcome to the last What I Ate Wednesday of summer! Okay, okay I know it's not technically the last day of summer, but the end of August means cooler nights, shorter days and sending the kiddos back to their regular school routine.

It also means that my body is a hot mess of cravings: I'm trying to make the most of the few precious weeks we have left of fresh, local produce, but my belly is CRAVING comfort food in a really bad way! So far I've managed a pretty good balance of the two, but if I'm being really honest, I have to admit that I can't wait for the aroma of veggies roasting in the oven or of baked casseroles on a Sunday afternoon

{excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin}

Here's a peek of my eats from yesterday:

Breakfast

Monica's Banana & Coconut Steel Cut Oats (another slow cooker recipe!)

Lunch

Half a toasted tomato sandwich with a side of cottage cheese and Baked Lays creamy dill chips. One of my co-workers is always tempting me with tasty treats and snacks. I took one bite of these chips and now I'm hooked. She brought me some in today and I inhaled them ;-) I've promised myself that I shall not buy a bag to bring home because it will be G.O.N.E. before I get in the door!

Dinner

One of Jenn's Triple Bean Veggie Burgers (go make these right now!!) dressed up with a little tzaztiki and some baked sweet potato rounds. This meal was amazing!

I didn't catch pics of yesterday's snacks, but all I ate was a peach in the morning and that was it! 

What was your favourite meal from yesterday? If you have foodie-block and need some  meal inspiration, head on over and check out Jenn's What I Ate Wednesday page for tons and tons of ideas!!

Are you still in summer eating mode or have you started to crave the warm, savoury comfort food of Fall?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo