Remember how I bought almond butter and managed to not demolish it within seconds? Here is another recipe I created with it. Seriously, what could be better than a robe of almond butter smothering a baked oatmeal cake? Nothing, that’s what.
To see how I made it, scroll to the bottom. I’m about to do some sappy reflecting. Continue reading
Hello fellow oatmeal fans. I have to say it’s my great pleasure to be a part of the Oatmeal Artist blog this month. In fact it’s particularly special to be the Oatmeal Enthusiast this month because it’s my birthday month. I am a licensed social worker, therapist, and health coach. I am equally passionate about working out as I am with the food I consume.
On my journey to live a healthy lifestyle, I really got into the science of food and nutrition. As you may already know, oatmeal is one of the healthiest items you can consume for breakfast, packed with whole grains and even some protein. If you add some healthy fats and a little fruit you have a complete meal. I have been eating oatmeal for breakfast for years. My favorite way to make it is with (almond) milk, bananas, peanut butter, cinnamon and honey or golden raisins (later discovered through the blog that was Elvis’s Oatmeal recipe; who knew we shared this in common?) After sticking to this recipe for who knows how long, I decided it was time for some variety.
As of late I have been turning recipes from all three versions into oatcakes, and I am totally hooked! Topped with fruit, greek yogurt icing and or peanut butter mousse; like Lauren I use a lot of Peanut Butter & Co. varieties because they are truly awesome (and I make sure I visit their shops whenever I travel to NY.) I also discovered an up-and-coming brand Wild Squirrel; they have some really great flavors that are all natural and Non GMO certified.
Without further ado, the oatmeal recipes of the week:
Day 1:
Sunday had to be a little special, so I really went the extra mile for this one. Here we have oatmeal whole wheat waffle topped w/ maple pb, spiced apples, and of course bananas. This was quite delicious and a wonderful way to start the week.
Day 2:
Monday I was still feeling the theme from Sunday so I went with waffles again. Just to add a little twist I combined the gingerbread oatmeal recipe with the caramelized bananas recipe. I don’t have to tell you how incredible this was.
Day 3:
Tuesday I changed the whole format and cooked my oats right on the stove. I usually have carrots to snack on and carrot cake is easily one of my favorite desserts, so it wouldn’t be long before I made the carrot cake oatmeal happen. I recall Lauren writing the ambitious version had greek yogurt frosting so mine had to have that as well.
Day 4:
Wednesday I guess I will still craving beta carotene, but had some leftover sweet potatoes from dinner and still plenty of shredded coconut from my last Co-op visit. When I looked down the recipe list, coconut sweet potato oatmeal seemed just right.
Day 5:
Thursday I wanted to try this recipe for awhile but never seemed to have all the ingredients on deck at the same time. Once I finally did I knew this would easily be one of the best. Berry and cream cheese baked oatmeal recipe is highly recommended if you haven’t tried this one as of yet!
Day 6:
Friday…still thinking about the berry and cream cheese baked oatmeal. Recreated into oatcakes. Basic recipe for oatcakes added half a scoop of vanilla whey protein and some strawberries to the batter. For greek yogurt icing used another ½ scoop of whey, 1oz of low fat cream cheese, 2 oz greek yogurt and 1 tbls of almond milk.
Day 7:
If you’re lucky on Saturday, things slow down a little but and you have a little extra time and desire to make something really awesome for breakfast. I used Lauren’s recipe for german chocolate baked oatmeal added a ½ tsp (rounded) of baking powder and voila german chocolate oatcakes w/ coconut pecan butter.
So there you have it my oatmeal recipes for the week. I strive for the trifecta of healthy, filling and nutrition in all meals I prepare. Lauren has definitely aided me in this mission; thanks again for having me.
Isaiah
TOA: Happy Saturday, everyone! I have spent all week moving into my beauuuutiful new apartment that I love so much. Considering all the hauling, pushing, pulling, packing, unpacking, and building IKEA furniture (ugh) I’ve been doing, I took a pass on running this week. I was sweating enough as it was!
I always enjoy when I accumulate exercise without having to “exercise.” I think that’s how it should be: our lives should be so naturally active that we don’t have to do absurd things like run in place on a treadmill.
This week, I asked Crystal to share with us her favorite ways to stay fit without having to run or lift weights!
10) Zumba Anytime I’m feeling bored with my interval sprints, I change it up by taking a Zumba class. Dancing to Latin and salsa music reminds me of my trips to Spain, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. The class always goes by quickly and is so much fun that I forget it’s a workout!
Here are FOUR recipes for the FOURTH of July (ha…). Have you tried any of these yet? Which is your favorite?
Honorable Mention: Not in the mood for berries? How about some American–as-Apple-Pie Oatmeal?
**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account! You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!
The irony of this post is that I’m actually one of the least patriotic people you will ever meet. It’s not that I’m not happy to be in America; I just don’t care to celebrate it with some of the most annoying songs ever and the most obnoxious outfits of all time. Like seriously, calm down, Toby Keith.
(I should clarify that I by no means take my liberties for granted or do not respect those who protect our country; I just think that our flaunting of patriotism is what gets us so much flack from the rest of the world! Why do you think nobody likes Gretchen Weiners?)
However, I do like berries, and if eating berries means celebrating ‘Murica, I’ll be a little patriotic today. Here’s to living in a country that provides me easy access to my favorite foods with minimal effort! Thanks, Founding Fathers! Continue reading
The frustrating part about moving is having such limited groceries. I’m trying not to purchase any excess food before moving day, which means I’m stuck making oatmeal solely from pantry items. Luckily for you AND me, this gave me a reason to finally share a recipe I’ve been hoarding recently.
It’s easy for me to say that this oatmeal can be whipped up without making an extra trip to the store, but it would be delusional of me to think that everyone keeps chocolate nut butter and cherry jam on hand at all times. I do. ^_^ Thus, when I had no fresh fruit this morning, this was the perfect oatmeal to make.
I must share a story with you.
This is my last day of school as a first-year teacher. On one of the days earlier this week, a student (whom I love, of course) brought goodies for the teachers. My colleague came into our workroom holding a bag of cookies and encouraged me to check out my mailbox because the student had left treats for each of us, along with personalized drawings for gift tags. Like every time a student brings gifts, I felt the same mixed feelings: flattered, but disappointed. Nine times out of ten, I end up giving away the non-vegan food item to a coworker (but appreciate the thought nevertheless).
I hustled to my mailbox anyway, eager to see the drawing this student left me. What did I find?
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Happy Tuesday! Happy last week of school for me! Happy birthday to my older brother, Christopher!
There are so many reasons to be happy this week. One of the reasons includes starting every morning with this oatmeal. The inspiration actually came from my dislike of the appearance of fresh figs. Why are they so unattractive? Thus, I thought to myself: maybe if I stew them or make a compote, I can enjoy the flavor of figs without the ugly appearance.
Well, it turns out that stewed figs are, in fact, uglier than a regular ol’ fresh fig. Bummer.
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Yay! Oatmeal! You love oatmeal! I love oatmeal! Let’s roast some strawberries and be friends.
But first, let’s check in with Crystal.
This is the sixth segment of my Getting Fit series. This series features my friend Crystal, a rockstar figure skater and fellow oatmeal lover. You can her blog, Confessions of Crystal, and check out her Instagram,@crystalchilcott.
TOA: Hello! How’s the concussion?
Crystal: It’s better now, but I’m at home in Pennsylvania and haven’t skated or worked out. It’s driving me crazy! How did the last two weeks go?
TOA: Great! I finally reached my goal of running 3 miles (twice!), and oddly enough, it was at my fastest pace yet! (~10 min/mile)
Crystal: That is wonderful! Has your energy level improved?
TOA: Not particularly. I’ve noticed I have more energy Saturday through Monday, but the rest of the week, I’m hopeless. I’m moving around my running schedule around to fit my “high energy” days and doing the bulk of it on weekends and early in the week (Mondays and Tuesdays). Last weekend, I went on a hike with a friend instead of my usual jog to switch things up!
Crystal: That’s great! Changing things up can help maintain your motivation and desire to run. Did you try interval running?
TOA: I did! This past Sunday, I didn’t feel like running at all, so I gave the intervals a shot. Every time I felt like walking, I started sprinting instead. Surprisingly, it worked! That night, I ran three miles again, and my whole body was exhausted afterwards. It was such a great workout.
Crystal: That’s great! That’s something you can always consider if you’re tired or not motivated. How do your strength exercises feel?
TOA: I’ll be honest: the last time I did three miles, I skipped them. My whole body was limp. But on this past Wednesday night, I only ran 1.5 miles (it was sweltering hot), so I did them. They are my least favorite part of the routine haha.
As I reflect on the last few months, I am so proud of how far I have come. Do I love exercising? Nope. Still hate it. Have I skipped a routine along the way? Definitely. Did I once go an entire week without running? Sure did. HOWEVER…have I given up? NO. The past several weeks, I have run at least twice (usually three times) every week. And I’m up to THREE MILES, and that’s with my super exhausted body right now. I can’t wait to see what I accomplish once summer vacation starts and I’m no longer a walking zombie.
Such a celebration demands some fancy porridge. I’ve been meaning to top my oatmeal with roasted strawberries for ages, but I finally tried it. It’s actually absurdly easy–just time-consuming.
Oh, and great news: I made this jar of almond butter last more than three days (because that happened once…). It’s been a solid two weeks and I haven’t finished yet. Yay?
What you'll need:
How to make it:
One week remains of my first year of teaching! Each year, as my life and career become increasingly more demanding, I worry about how my blog will fit into my schedule. This year, I consistently worked 70-80 hours a week, yet I somehow managed to squeeze in a few hours each weekend to manage this blog . . . So if you’re wondering why I’m not so great at responding to blog comments anymore, that’s why. I’m sorry! I read and appreciate all of them!
Despite my long hours of classroom prep, I remained loyal to this blog. I think that’s quite telling. No matter how stressful my life was, I made this blog a priority. Why? I enjoy it. Yes, it’s a LOT of (more) work, but it’s also gratifying and therapeutic.
This recipe, like many others, has been stumping me for at least a year. How could I make a VEGAN caramel sauce? It’s not that I didn’t know how–there are tons of recipes out there. I just didn’t feel like making it (see above re: 70-80 hours a week)!
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