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Author Archives: Lauren Smith
White Chocolate Cranberry PB2
I’ve been making many PB2 recipes lately. One day I was sitting on the L Train platform at Bedford Avenue, waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
And then I thought of a PB2 flavor. I added it to The List. I thought of another. Added it The List. Thought of another. And another. And another.
By the time the train showed up, I had almost 20 PB2 ideas on my phone.
And this one’s the best.
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Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal
Confession: when I buy a bag of chocolate chips, they’re usually gone within a week or two. That’s why I will go such long stretches without chocolate chip recipes. If I had a bag in my kitchen all the time, I would go through about six a month. I just can’t keep my hands out of them!
So you can imagine my surprise the other day when I was digging for something in my cupboard and found the final few tablespoons of chocolate chips in a forgotten bag stuffed in the back. Since I had some mashed sweet potato prepared for oatmeal meal prep left in the fridge, I set to work on this recipe. (more…)
Chai-Spiced Pineapple Oatmeal
A couple weeks ago, I stated that I was done with the pineapple recipes for a while. Apparently, “a while” is only a couple weeks. ? Once I thought of this recipe, I couldn’t wait to make it.
5 Ways to Meal Prep Oatmeal for Easy Breakfast Every Morning
Weekend meal prep has solidified itself as an important ritual in many people’s tight schedules in the past year. It boasts many perks: prevents you from needlessly eating out or ordering delivery, saves money by avoiding “convenience” items (e.g. precooked rice or prediced onions), saves you time during busy weekdays, and encourages you to stick with healthy choices—even after an exhausting day at work or school.
Meal prep is often discussed in regards to lunch and dinner, but preparing breakfast ahead of time is just as useful, if not more. I’m willing to bet most of us are sleepy and desperate for every minute in the mornings. Even if you insist on cooking your oats on the stove every morning, there are some tricks to save yourself a few minutes or allow you to experiment with recipes you otherwise wouldn’t have time for. (more…)
Salted Fudge PB2
Continuing yesterday’s sweet-and-salty trend, and last week’s flavored PB2 trend, let me introduce you to my newest creation:
Salted Fudge PB2!
This recipe is admittedly fussy when it comes to pairing it with the right oatmeal base (not every recipe enjoys being paired with salt!). I had this on Sweet Potato Fudge Oatmeal, but I could see it working in a few others, too. One that immediately comes to mind is Chocolate Chip Cookie Baked Oatmeal. I love salted chocolate chip cookies. It would be nice as the frosting on top of Brownie Baked Oatmeal as well! (more…)
Sweet Potato, Bacon, and White Chocolate Oatmeal
. . . BECAUSE IT’S MY BIRTHDAY.
Before making this, I thought to myself, “Bacon? Or white chocolate chips? Bacon? White chocolate chips?”
“. . . OR BOTH.”
It felt a little bit wrong to celebrate my birthday without peanut butter–although I assure you I had it later in the day–but once I came up with this idea, it seemed like a worthy alternative. The sweet potato base is cozy and earthy, the white chocolate chips add sweet and gooey bliss, and the bacon is–well–BACON. ‘Nough said. The three components together create a sweet-yet-salty, creamy-yet-crunchy, healthy-yet-indulgent combo.
You can use whatever bacon you want, but I highly recommend Sweet Earth “Benevolent Bacon” if you can find it. The BEST vegan bacon on the market, if you ask me (and no piggies harmed ?). Om nom nom. (more…)
Apricot Pineapple Overnight Oatmeal
Happy Friday! Here’s my final recipe for this random pineapple series. ? Pineapple is shockingly versatile, pleasantly sweet, and wonderfully flavorful, but I’m all pineappled out for a while.
Next obsession, please!
Once again, I used the Kite Hill yogurt (I made this at the same time as I made the Blueberry Pineapple Overnight Oatmeal, to be honest). Unlike the blueberry version, I added a pinch of cinnamon to this recipe, and it worked surprisingly well with the yogurt. I think almond milk yogurt (especially this brand) is a little less tangy than you would generally think of yogurt, so the cinnamon works with it and not against it.
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Salted Pretzel PB2
Assembling that peanut butter post last month really made me crave some fancy nut butters. But daaaaang, they’re so expensive! I’ve found some jars for nearly $20. No thanks. Especially not on my measly student loans.
I’ve recently started consoling myself by making my own fancy flavors. Technically, you can do this with any nut butter, especially a brand that stirs easily. However, PB2 is easy to work with because you can make it as thin or thick as you’d like, so it’s super easy to mix in other ingredients. Or, you can do what I like to do: use half-PB2 and half-traditional peanut butter. Boom. (more…)
10 Recipes for Valentine’s Day
On Wednesday, I put aside my disgust with Valentine-themed recipes. Today, I continue that brave step forward. It’s not that I have let go of my hatred of the holiday. I assure you that I hate the holiday just as much as I ever have. However, I do love red fruits, so if cherries and strawberries count as a Valentine’s Day breakfast, then Happy Valentine’s Day to me. ?
How did I pick these recipes? Simple: I looked for ones that reminded me of chocolate-covered strawberries. ? That’s valid, right?
10 Recipes for Valentine’s Day
Berry Oatmeal with Coconut Butter and Pomegranate
Luscious coconut butter and jewels of pomegranate? It’s basically an aphrodisiac. (more…)
Berry Oatmeal with Coconut Butter and Pomegranate
Well, my least favorite holiday is coming up. I am the Scrooge of Valentine’s Day. I just don’t appreciate gift-giving holidays; there’s too much pressure. It’s the same reason I prefer Thanksgiving over Christmas–no gifts! 🙂
However, in the past couple of years, my rigid refusal to participate in holiday-themed recipes has waned. I can’t even remember why I was against them in the first place. I’m actually such a festive person! (more…)
