Tag: Oats

Slow Cooker Granola

I am a big fan of my slow cooker (I have 50+ slow cooker recipes on my blog); especially recipes I can set them and walk away (or leave my house) for 4 to 8 hours. But like a lot of people, I’ve been home quite a bit more, given the pandemic, so I decided to try to make a recipe that requires you to stay a bit closer to your slow cooker – Slow Cooker Granola.

My mother-in-law mentioned making granola in her slow cooker, and how great the results were, so I wanted to try to make my own version!

This recipe is very adaptable, you can substitute in any nut, oil, liquid sweetener, and dried fruit you prefer. This recipe also makes a good amount of granola, but if your house is anything like mine, it will be gone before you know it!

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray
  • 5 cups old fashioned rolled oats (use gluten-free oats to ensure this is gluten-free)
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds (or any nut you prefer; omit to make nut-free)
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of
    • ground cinnamon
    • ground nutmeg
    • salt
  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup agave (or maple syrup or honey if you prefer)
  • 1 tablespoon almond extract (or vanilla extract to make nut-free)
  • 1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit you prefer)

Continue reading Slow Cooker Granola

Chia Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

NOTE: I was sent a container of BetterBody Foods Organic Chia Seeds in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone. 

Breakfast cookies. Those should totally be a thing, right? I was recently sent Organic Chia Seeds from BetterBody Foods, and I wanted to try to use them in a way I haven’t already, so Breakfast Pudding, Chocolate Pudding, Jam, and Muffins were out. But for whatever reason, I tend to think of Chia Seeds as a breakfast food, so I started thinking about some of my other favorite breakfast ingredients, and these Chia Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies were born!

Chia Seeds also can be used as an egg substitute when baking, so I decided to make these cookies both vegan and gluten free.

These little guys have a ton of flavor and are surprisingly filling! Chia seeds have a ton of fiber; when eaten with peanut butter and oats, it’s a great way to help feel fuller longer.

Ingredients (makes about 3 dozen cookies):

  • 4 tablespoons chia seeds, divided (I used BetterBody Foods Organic Chia Seeds)
  •  1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (check the label to make sure they are gluten free)
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips (check the label to make sure they are vegan)

Continue reading Chia Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

Not going to lie. I never thought I’d post a recipe for lactation cookies on my blog. (And no, I haven’t hidden the pregnancy and birth of my first child from you. I made a batch of these cookies, or more correctly, the cookie dough, for my sister-in-law.) But, here I am sharing a recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies.

So, why am I sharing these? Because they are GOOD. Like. Really good. Also, these are perfectly acceptable to have even when you’re not nursing. (What? I had to sample them before giving them as a gift!) But if you want other cookie options, I have plenty to choose from as well!

Oats, brewers yeast and wheat germ are ingredients that not only promote lactation, but have a bunch of other great benefits:

  • Brewer’s yeast helps maintain a proper digestive tract while also enhancing energy and strengthening the immune system. It’s also a source of protein, potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium.
  • Wheat germ is a good source of magnesium, zinc, potassium, folic acid, and vitamin E. It also can boost your immunity, reduce the risk of heart disease, and help maintain a healthy weight.
  • Oats are high in fiber and iron, protein and complex carbohydrates.

After that lesson, I think we all deserve a little treat!

Ingredients – makes about 2 dozen cookies (get all ingredients here):

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons brewers yeast
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons wheat germ
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (I like to use a mixture of milk and dark chocolate chips)

Continue reading Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies

I’ve mentioned before that my husband is an avid runner. He’s currently training for a marathon, so I’ve been trying to support his training with more food geared toward fueling him both before and after his runs. It’s important to fuel up with  something protein rich after working out to help promote muscle recovery.

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies are a yummy choice after a long run, while still satisfying my husband’s sweet tooth.

The cookies are made with peanut butter, protein powder and almond flour, so they are surprisingly filling too.

Ingredients (makes about 30 cookies):

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup vanilla whey protein powder (paid link)
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips (check for vegan chocolate chips for dairy-free)

Continue reading Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MySmoothie #CollectiveBias

My weekends have become so busy lately as my wedding gets closer. We are now just 2 months from the big day, and every weekend I feel like I have something wedding related I have to attend to.  Because I am always on the go, it has become kind of difficult to get a good breakfast in on weekends, so my go-to breakfast of choice are smoothies, like this Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie!

I love smoothies, but some smoothies don’t keep me full long enough to really be worth making them. So I’ve amped up this smoothie with a few ingredients I picked up at Walmart to keep me full longer.

The base of this smoothie is Oikos Vanilla Triple Zero Greek Nonfat Yogurt, which has 15 grams of protein per 5.3oz which helps me stay full longer. The yogurt also has 0 fat, 0 added sugar,* and 0 artificial sweeteners.

I’m a firm believer that peanut butter makes smoothies taste so much better, so I also used Jif™ Peanut Powder  to add peanut buttery goodness. The Peanut Powder has 85% less fat that traditional peanut butter and no sugar added.

Note: right now there is an Ibotta offer for $1.50 cash back on the combination of Jif Peanut Powder and Oikos (Vanilla) Triple Zero Greek Yogurt OR $1.50 cash back on the combination of Jif Creamy Peanut Butter and Dannon Vanilla Yogurt

*not a low calorie food

I also added in old fashioned oats, a banana, and some milk to make a super tasty and filling smoothie that I can take on the go!

 

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 1/2 cup skim milk or almond milk
  • 1/2 cup Oikos Vanilla Triple Zero Greek Nonfat Yogurt
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (uncooked)
  • 2 tablespoons Jif Peanut Powder
  • 1/2-1 cup ice
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Continue reading Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

Blueberry Breakfast Bars

I have a coworker who absolutely loves blueberries. She is retiring this week, and I wanted to make her a blueberry treat before she left. I adapted this recipe for Blueberry Breakfast Bars on The Kitchn, with the original recipe coming from the Whole Grain Mornings cookbook by Megan Gordon.

My version uses quite a bit of substitutes and including using sprouted spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour because I could not find my whole wheat flour when I went to make these (I guess I need to clean out my pantry!) I also have more blueberry filling in my version, and used a different sized pan. Be sure to check out the original version on the kitchn to see if you prefer their method!

Ingredients:

Blueberry filling:

  • 4 cups fresh blueberries, divided
  • 1/4 cup natural cane sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • the juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon water

Crust:

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup original wheat germ
  • 3/4 cup sliced raw almonds
  • 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
  • 1 cup sprouted spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Continue reading Blueberry Breakfast Bars

Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I never seem to eat all my bananas before they get too ripe. I know the go-to saver for over ripe bananas is banana bread, but I wanted to use them for something a little different. Cooking Light had a great cookie recipe that used ripe bananas, so I tried it out.
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 medium)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 3/5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • Cooking spray (or parchment paper)
Click to see savings
Continue reading Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rhubarb Crisp

Another offering in my CSA share this week was rhubarb. I had no idea what rhubarb was, let alone how to cook it. So for those that are in the same boat as me, rhubarb “have large leaves that are somewhat triangular-shaped with long fleshy petioles. Although the leaves are toxic, various parts of the plants have culinary and medicinal uses. Fresh raw stalks are crisp (similar to celery) with a strong tart taste; most commonly the plant’s stalks are cooked and used in pies and other foods for their tart flavour.” (Thanks Wikipedia) Thankfully, the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative must have assumed people would need help, and posted a recipe on their blog for rhubarb crisp.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing pan
5 to 6 cups rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces, tough strings removed
¼ cup turbinado sugar (raw sugar) — This is just what I had on hand
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste
pinch salt
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, or use some butter to grease the pan. Prepare your rhubarb by cutting it into 1.5 inch pieces.
Toss prepared rhubarb with turbinado sugar (or whatever sugar you have), orange juice, and orange zest. Spread in the baking dish.
Add butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt to a food processor. Pulse for 20 to 30 seconds, or until it begins to clump together. Add oats and pecans and pulse until combined.

Crumble the pecan oat topping over the rhubarb mixture.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until brown and bubbling.

I dare you to put that much sugar in any dessert and make it taste bad. It was really sweet (obviously), and honestly might have needed a  bit more acid. Maybe a squeeze of lemon? The oats and pecans stayed nice and crunchy, while the rhubarb softened so that it could easily be cut with a spoon. Yum!
Exit mobile version