Blueberry Muffin Baked Oatmeal

Good morning!

Now that summer has arrived, I finally have time to make breakfast again.  During the work week, usually all I have time for is a quick bowl of cereal before hitting the road.  I absolutely LOVE having more leisurely mornings to eat a good breakfast and sip coffee for as long as I want.

We have a lot of food to eat up before we leave for Alaska tomorrow (!!), so yesterday morning I put together a baked oatmeal dish (similar to my beloved banana version) that included lots of blueberries, since that's what we needed to use.  The result was somewhere between a regular bowl of oatmeal, a hearty blueberry muffin, and a not-so-sweet blueberry crisp.  The crunchy brown sugar on top really makes the recipe.  It would be amazing with a spread of peanut butter at the end.

Blueberry Muffin Baked Oatmeal
(serves 3-4)

Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup (heaping) blueberries

2 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nuts.

3. Combine egg, milk, vanilla, and honey.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Add blueberries.  Mix well

5. Line an 8″ pan (square or round) with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan.

6. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

7. After 25 minutes, increase heat to broil, sprinkle with 2 tbsp brown sugar, and broil for 2-3 minutes. (Careful not to burn!)

8. Serve and eat!

Although we have been done teaching for a little over a week now, I feel like our pace of life is just now starting to finally slow down.  Jay and I both had some work meetings to attend last week, plus tons of other to-dos that seemed to keep us busy non-stop.  Makes me wonder how we ever had time to work!  I can't wait to get to Alaska and really start enjoying our summer break!

I don't know how much internet access we will have throughout our trip, but I will try to pop in with an update at some point.

See ya later!

Building a Perfect Bowl of Oatmeal

Hello there!  I hope you were all able to enjoy an extra day of weekend yesterday!  Jay and I spent most of our weekend in Kansas City.  We drove up to surprise one of my BFFs on her 30th birthday!

It was so much fun to celebrate with Eva and catch up with lots of old friends.

The weekend ended back in OKC with more friends + a tasty black bean soup courtesy of my Peas and Thank You cookbook (an excellent vegan resource!).

My two girlfriends and I were lucky enough to dine with a hot date.  Hola Juan Pablo.  : )

I also had a chance to enjoy a fantastic oatmeal breakfast yesterday morning, which brings me to the main topic of this blog post.

I love oatmeal because is tasty, healthy, and keeps me full for hours.  It can be doctored up in so many fun ways - I hardly ever eat the same bowl twice.  I do, however, follow a similar formula every time I make a batch of oats.   It is a surefire way to end up with a delicious and filling breakfast!

Step 1: For one serving of oatmeal, bring one cup of water plus a very small pinch of salt to a boil.  Stir in 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats and reduce heat to medium.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all water is absorbed.

Step 2: Add your mix-ins.  This is the fun part!  I like to include the following:

• Nuts - Nuts are a great way to add protein and healthy fat to your breakfast.  Jay and I always buy whatever's on sale in the bulk bins at the grocery store and add them into a big jar in our pantry.  (Buyer beware - nuts are heavy, so it is easy to rack up a big tab quickly!)  We usually use a mixture of walnuts, pecans, cashews, and almonds.  
• Seeds - We keep another jar stocked full of a chia seed/flax seed mixture.  Did you know that chia seeds absorb 10 times their weight in water?!  They expand in your stomach, helping you feel full for hours.  And chia seeds and flax seeds are both extremely high in omega-3 fatty acids. 
• Nut Butter - Another source of healthy fat and protein, nut butters add amazing favor and texture to oatmeal.  For me, this ingredient is non-negotiable! 
• Fruit - Berries are delicious in oatmeal and pack the highest nutritional punch, although bananas and pumpkin are also some of my faves.  Dried fruits, like raisins, dried cranberries, and shredded coconut, are great additions, as well. 
• Spices 
• Cinnamon - I always load up my oatmeal with tons of cinnamon.  It tastes delicious and helps to control blood sugar throughout the day.
• Turmeric - Lately, Jay has been experimenting with some other spices in his oatmeal, the weirdest one being turmeric.  Turmeric is arguably the healthiest spice on the planet, so we try to incorporate it as much as possible.  I was pretty skeptical about using it in oatmeal, but Jay insisted that it was really good.  I tried it out a couple mornings ago using a pretty generous amount, and I have to say it wasn't half bad.  I was afraid it would leave my breakfast tasting like a spicy Indian curry dish, but the flavor was actually very subtle and slightly exotic.  Since then, I have continued to add in a pinch of this powerful spice!
• Natural sweeteners - I sweeten up my oats with a bit of local honey, pure maple syrup, or all-fruit jelly. 
• Coconut Oil - This ingredient is definitely optional, but adding a small scoop of this healthy oil into warm oats really ups the creaminess factor! 

There you have it - the formula to making a great tasting and nutritious oatmeal breakfast!

Hooray for tomorrow already being Wednesday!  Have a great week!

Let It Snow

In my opinion, there is nothing in the whole wide world better than a snow day.  An unexpected day off with no plans and nowhere to be?!  Yes, please!

The snow started coming down hard yesterday afternoon, and, with the temperatures only in the 20s, the roads were quickly covered. It was quite a treacherous drive home! Jay and I both received word yesterday afternoon that our schools were canceled for today before the second round of weather even came through. We immediately turned off our alarms, poured some wine, and put in a movie. It was the best feeling!

This morning I've had no trouble entertaining myself around the house.  I'm pretty sure I could be snowed in for a month and not get bored.  

I started the day off by completing some Christmas shopping online and making one of my favorite breakfasts: baked banana oatmeal.  I base my recipe off of one from KathEats that can be found here.  It only takes about five minutes to throw the ingredients together, and it is warm and comforting on a cold winter morning!

Baked Banana Oatmeal

(serves 3-4, although Jay and I managed to eat the whole thing ourselves)

2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon (plus more to sprinkle on top)
1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 egg, beaten
2 bananas (mash 1.5, save the rest for topping)
1.25 cups almond milk
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

3. Combine mashed banana, egg, milk, and vanilla.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix well.

5. Line an 8″ pan (square or round) with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.  Pour batter into pan. Slice up remaining bananas and layer on top. 

6. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. 

7. After 25 minutes, increase heat to broil, sprinkle with 2 tbsp brown sugar, and broil for 3-4 minutes.  (Careful not to burn!)

8. Top with additional cinnamon, serve, and eat!

I also got around to some other tasks that I have been meaning to do for FOREVER, like cleaning my make-up brushes.  They say you are supposed to do this about once a month...I'm pretty sure I do it more like once a year. 

I just used 1 cup of warm water, 1 tbsp of vinegar, and 1 tbsp dish soap.  Swirl brushes around in solution, then rinse, reshape, and let dry.  Mine were so dirty I had to do it twice!  At least they are clean now! Until next year...

I also took the time complete another long overdue task - cleaning out the coffee maker.  To do this, just pour equal parts vinegar and water into the water chamber and begin to brew.  Halfway through, turn off the coffeemaker and let it sit for about an hour. Turn it on again to complete the cycle, then run several cycles with clean water.

 

It's so easy, I have no idea why I don't do it more often!

I'm off to go enjoy the rest of my snow day.  The afternoon is wide-open!