Recipe Alert: Oat Waffles

Good Morning and Happy Hump Day!  Keep it up guys...just a few more days till the weekend :-)

So, you know those delicious waffles I've been having for breakfast most mornings? Well I wanted to share the flavor and health and give you guys the recipe...an incredibly easy recipe!

Let's get to it!

Ingredients:

1 cup of oats

1 cup of water

1/2 banana

1tsp of vanilla extract

Preparation:

Turn on your waffle maker and set to high. Blend all ingredients.  Lightly spray your waffle maker with some oil. Place batter in and cook until done. Enjoy!

Servings: 2

That's it folks. It's that easy. I LOVE these waffles. They are vegan and fiber packed.

I usually make a stack of these Sunday evening, to have for breakfast during the week. I just pop them in the toaster or toaster oven to reheat.  

You can top these waffles any way you like. My most favorite way to eat them is to quarter the waffle, add almond butter and banana :-)

Soooo delicious!!

I hope you guys make this recipe!

And We're Back...

Good morning! I'm finally back after a two week break away! I'm also back to my regularly scheduled healthy lifestyle :-) 

This mornings breakfast was bright and early at 6am. I'm still jet lagged but I'm hoping to continue to wake up a bit early so I can ease into my morning. It's nice...waking up, having a cup if coffee and my breakfast while listening to the news in the background. 

The weather is finally getting warmer. It's so nice to be able to sleep with the windows open. Another plus...this weekend is Memorial Day weekend which means a three day weekend :-) you guys got any plans? I plan on starting my patio garden. I think this year I will plant spinach, basil, cilantro, mint, tomatoes and maybe string beans... Lets see. 

So, my breakfast this morning was very simple. I had a cup of black coffee with a dippy egg, slice of ezekiel toast and banana. Delicious and filling!

How have you guys been?

Coconut Flour Pancakes...

Happy Friday!!! Yay... We all made it!!

Lately, I've been experimenting with coconut flour. I like coconut flour because its packed with fiber and has a low glycemic index. I also love the sweet coconut flavor it adds to foods. Naturally, I started experimenting with a pancake recipe and I think I nailed it. I've made these pancakes a few times already and have not been disappointed.

Here are the deets:

Ingredients:
1/2c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4c coconut flour
2 egg whites
Splash of vanilla extract
1/2tsp baking powder

Preparation:
In a bowl, combine ingredients well. Place a pan on low heat and lightly oil. Once pan is hot place a big spoonful into pan. Spread out with the back of the spoon. Cook each side on low medium heat for 4 minutes or until pancake is browned.

Servings: 1

These pancakes are less than 200 calories. I love them with sliced banana and a dollop of almond butter.

I hope you guys enjoy these delicious pancakes!

Breakfast Time...

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

How are you all doing?  I am grateful this is a short work week :-) My commute this morning was hellish.  Until the Path trains get it together (no Christopher St. stop = crowded trains), I feel I will be shoved in many directions during my morning commute.  No biggie, I've accepted this :-p

Anywho, moving on, I've lost .2 pounds from last week.  That's OK, considering I hadn't started to eat healthy until Saturday :-p This morning I woke up ravenous and before I could take a pic, I inhaled a delicious banana and black coffee.  I managed to calm down and take a pic of the overly boiled hard boiled eggs I had (2). Today, I'm hoping to get to the gym and get my run on.  I'm starting slow and want to try to run a mile then do some strength training.  I'm also very excited to get home this evening as I want to start cooking for Thanksgiving!

mmm..nothing like dark yolks!

How are you guys doing? What's on the menu for breakfast?

Breakfast WW pts: 4

Friday Breakfast...

Morning Peeps,

Happy Friday! I started my day off with a balance breakfast:

1 slice of sprouted grain toast
1 egg
1c sautéed spinach
Almond slivers and raspberries on the side

I topped this off with some hot sauce Here's a pic if you don't believe me :-p
















Healthy. Balanced. Delicious.

I plan on getting a cardio session in during lunch :-)

How is your Friday morning going?

Last Night's Prep...This Morning's Breakfast

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

Good Morning Everyone,

For a while now, I've been meaning to try "Overnight Oats".  Yes, overnight oats are a no cook, quick prep of your oats.  With some left over pumpkin puree, I decided to make some pumpkin pie overnight oats.  First, let's go over the base of overnight oats:
1 part liquid
1 part oats
Any fill ins
A jar

Place your liquid (I used water), oats and fill in in the jar.  Store in the fridge overnight.  THAT'S IT!!

So, last night I made the following:
In a empty peanut butter jar (I save ALL my glass jars) I added 1/2c of oats, 1/2c of water, 1/2c of pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice powder. I stirred it all up to combine and put it in the fridge.  This morning I had a thick batch of creamy oats. I added about a 1/4c of almond milk, to break up the thickness. This was delicious!!

First of all, the addition of pumpkin puree is amazing.  For an extra 40 calories I added flavor and 5 grams of fiber!  This is definitely a hearty breakfast.  In 200 calories I got a jar full of oats, with an amazing flavor and got in 9 grams of fiber!

Be on the look out for more overnight oats recipes.  The flavor combinations are endless!

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
Ingredients:
1/2c of oats (not instant)
1/2c of water
1/2c of pumpkin puree
1TB of pumpkin spice
1/4c of milk of your choice (I used almond)
Optional: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nut butters

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients, except for milk, in a jar and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours. After 6 hours, add milk and optional ingredients and stir to combine.

Enjoy!!!

Calories: 200
Weight Watchers Points: 4

Cinchful Breakfast...

This mornings breakfast was easy an one. Still following the Cinch! guidelines I had a piece of Ezekiel's toast with a TB of peanut butter and sliced banana on top. I also had a cup of almond milk with some coffee in it.

Here's how this meal shaped up:
Whole Grain: Ezekiel toast
Plant Fat: peanut butter
Produce: banana
Protein: almond milk

What did you have for breakfast?

My new favorite breakfast obsession...

I came across my new favorite breakfast by accident, while wondering the aisles of the supermarket looking for some decent yogurt -more on this in a later post! This is when I encountered Kozy Shack's Ready Grains line. Now, I rmemeber Kozy Shack from back in the day when I had their puddings. One of the great things about Kozy Shack is they don't use a lot of artifical ingredients. Going back to their Ready Grains line, I noticed this was not a yogurt, pudding or oatmeal. It seemed to be a combination of pudding and yogurt. I picked up the Maple and Brown Sugar flavor and thought for 180 calories, 2 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber, this was worth a shot!

The ingredients are as follows: low fat milk, water, rolled oats, sugar, inulin, eggs, brown rice, barely, oats, brown sugar, modified corn starch, natural flavors, citric acid, carrageenan. Again, not too bad for soemthing bought in a store. So, I bought this and brought it home. When I started craving a filling snack I popped it open. At first, the top is set, almost jello like. I gave it a quick stir and it quickly transformed into the consisteny of creamy rice pudding. One bite and I was hooked on the lightly sweet maple flavor. I fell in love with this!!

As I was eating this, the side of the container said this would be great even warmed! Seriously, maplEy-brown-sugar-pudding-like warmth....what more could you ask for on a called winter morning!!! I decided to up this a notch and make a packet of plain, instant oatmeal and mix it in with the Ready Grains. The result: A bigger bowl of MAPLEY-BROWN-SUGAR-PUDDING-LIKE-WARMTH!!!! All of 280 calories, 4 grams of fat, 10 grams of fiber!! The Ready Grains also come in the following flavors: Maple and Brown Sugar, Apple and Cinnamon, Strawberry and Original. I was trying to find the Original, as I'm not too into the fruit flavors, but couldn't :-( Once again, here are the stats for the Maple and Brown Sugar: Calories: 180 Fat: 2g Fiber: 7g Protein: 8g Here are the stats with one packet of McCann's Instant Irish Oatmeal, prepared with water, mixed in: Calories: 280 Fat: 4g Fiber: 10g Protein: 12g Have you guys tried Ready Grains? If so, what do you think?

What's for breakfast?...

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend and ate healthy for the most part! Monday morning has arrived and I made myself a healthy yet hearty breakfast. This morning's breakfast was an Ezekiel's english muffin, toasted with a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter, cinnamon sprinkled on top with sliced bananas! Yum..definitely the breakfast of champions. This hearty breakfast ranks in at 330 calories and will keep me full until lunch time. What did you guys have for breakfast?

Recipe Alert: Coffee Oatmeal

Looking for a new way to get your caffeine fix? Instead of drinking your coffee, why not try eating it! This morning I brewed my french vanilla coffee and was delighted by the sweet smell. So I thought, why not add coffee to my oatmeal instead of water? I do add milk, so this could be quite tasty. I know this sounds a bit odd, but it's a totally different way to have your oatmeal and you just may like it! I LOVED it!! I know the picture does not look to appetizing, but trust me, this does taste good and you should try it.

The deets:

1/2 cup of dry oats

1 cup of brewed coffee of your choice (I used French Vanilla)

1/4cup of whole milk

Add the coffee to the oats and nuke for 30-45 seconds depending on your microwave. Once warm and bubbly, add the milk and stir. Nuke again for 10-15 seconds. Allow oatmeal to sit for a few minutes, so the oats absorb most of the liquid.

Enjoy!!

Calories: 170

Banana topped w/Chopped Almonds and Cinnamon

Hello everyone, I though I'd share my recipe for my easy and nutritious breakfast!


Ingredients: One ripe banana, sliced One tablespoon of chopped almonds One teaspoon of good cinnamon Preparation: In a bowl mix the bananas and cinnamon. Place on a plate and top with almonds.