Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

So that time of year again when every time I go into the kitchen I come out having made something pumpkin.  Even my protein shakes have turned pumpkin these days!!  I have a protein shake almost every single day.  Sometimes it is my lunch replacement meal other times just a post workout snack.  I'm usually a chocolate peanut butter protein shake kinda gal but I was in the mood to try something different today.  Of course you can leave the oats out if you can't handle the texture it gives them but I don't mind it, I enjoy it.  I suggest keeping your pumpkin in the fridge before making this.  I don't add ice to my shakes because I have the worst blender ever so I put my pumpkin in the fridge to keep my shake cold. 

Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

1 1/2 c. almond milk (original)
1/3 c. pure pumpkin
1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats (dry)
1 scoop vanilla (soy) protein powder
1 ripe banana
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Add all ingredients into the blender and puree until smooth.  We as smooth as you can get a shake with oats.  The longer it sits the thicker it will get because of the oats so you may have to adjust the amount of almond milk you add to it.  Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars

I'm in love with this oat bar recipe.  It has no added sugar and is an awesome post or after workout snack for me.  I wrap them in individual pieces of plastic wrap for a quick grab and go bar.  If you aren't use to eating your oatmeal plain you might want to add a bit of sugar to this recipe but I love it.  You get a perfect amount of sweetness from the dried fruit. I found this recipe on Kath Eats. 

To up the protein a bit I added a scoop of protein powder to this recipe that you could of course omit. 

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars

1 1/2 c. rolled old fashioned oats
1 scoop vanilla soy protein powder
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. ground flax seeds (or any seeds you like)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. almond milk (original)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix dry ingredients.  Mix wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry. Stir to combine. Pour into a 9×9 baking dish either coated in cooking spray or lined with parchment. Bake for 40 minutes. Cut into 9 squares. 

Makes 9 servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION -  227 Calories * 13 g. Fat * 20 g. Carbohydrates * 31 mg. Sodium * 7 g. Sugar * 6.8 g. Protein * 4.6 g. Fiber

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

My daughter adores these granola bars especially since she can make them entirely by herself.  This recipe was adapted from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe.  She used an entire stick of butter and I just didn't want to do that.  Her recipe called for honey but I thought the agave tasted better in this recipe.  It does have sugar but I feel the healthy things out weigh the sugar content and I even let my kids eat these for breakfast.  My daughter feels like she is pulling one over on me since it does have some dark chocolate in it.    



Peanut Butter Granola Bars 

1 egg
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1/4 c. canola oil
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 c. wheat germ 
1/4 cup ground walnuts (or any nuts you like chopped if preferred)
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Cooking Spray 

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 7 by 10 3/4-inch nonstick baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Lay a 6 by 18-inch piece of parchment paper in the pan, allowing the excess paper to hang over the sides. Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, agave nectar.  Add in the oil and apple sauce and beat until combined.  Add in the egg.  Pour in the oats, ground nuts (or chopped nuts), chocolate chips and cinnamon.  Stir to combine.  Using a rubber spatula, spread mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing lightly to form an even layer. Bake until the edge of the mixture begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve. I like to keep mine in the fridge.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

This is a great recipe and really gives your oatmeal such a nice flavor by adding in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices, yum!  I like to make this recipe in a big batch and add just a bit more liquid than necessary and store it in the fridge for a really quick easy breakfast on school days.  By adding about 1/2 c. extra milk and keeping it runny, it'll set up perfect in the fridge.  You can then just reheat a serving for your own homemade instant oatmeal.  The recipe below is the exact measurements for oatmeal you plan on eating immediately.  I like to take a bowl full of my oatmeal now, then add the 1/2 c. extra milk into the leftovers and store.  You can also reduce this recipe to 1/2 c. of oats and 1 c. of milk for a single serving too, with just about 1/3 c. of pumpkin.  I love the flavor the almond milk gives the oats too.  Of course, you could always use your regular milk or water or soy milk, I just prefer almond milk.   

Pumpkin Oatmeal

1 1/2 c. rolled oats
3 c. almond milk (vanilla or original)
1 15oz. can of 100% pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond if you prefer)

Bring almond milk to a gentle simmer.  Whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth.  Add in the oats and cook 5-8 minutes or until done.  Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla into the oats.  Top with nuts and a teaspoon of maple syrup.  Enjoy!

Oatiest Oatmeal Cookies

   

 

So this is the third time I've typed this now and it won't stop being in all caps and I'm about to just give up.  I was watching Food Network a day or two ago and Alton Brown was doing a show on oats, all oats.  Yum!  I love oats!  This is just one of the many recipes on there that I was excited to try.  This recipe requires absolutely no flour, just oats.  I also omitted the butter and substituted non-hydrogenated shortening to eliminate the dairy as well.  I actually made this recipe twice.  The first time I didn't have or use a scale and tried to just convert the weighed measurements to cups.  Totally didn't work. I had a big blob of a mess, a tasty mess, but not a cookie.  So I went out and bought a scale.  I needed one anyways especially since I just got the Good Eats 3 cookbook for Christmas and most of Alton Brown's recipes are done by weight.  This cookie was amazing.  I loved it, my kids loved it, and I didn't even feel bad indulging a bit since it was gluten-free and dairy-free.  This is a very thin, crispy cookie, but totally worth it.  Yum!   



This recipe was adapted from Alton Brown's Good eats.



16 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt
10 ounces non-hydrogenated shortening
6 ounces dark brown sugar
3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces raisins, optional (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes to rehydrate)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Start soaking your raisins in hot water to allow them to rehydrate while you make the cookies.  Spread oats into a single layer on a half sheet pan. Bake until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes . Cool the oats for 2 to 3 minutes on the pan.  Grind 8 ounces of toasted oats in a food processor until the consistency of whole wheat flour, about 3 minutes. Add the baking powder, cinnamon and salt to the food processor and pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Set aside.  Combine the shortening and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed using the paddle attachment until light in color, about 3 minutes. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest speed and add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining toasted oats and the (drained) raisins. Stir to combine.  Scoop the dough with a 1 1/2-ounce disher onto parchment-lined half sheet pans, leaving 2 inches between each mound. Bake until the cookies begin to brown around the edges, 12 to14 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through cooking. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Banana Nut Oatmeal

Oh what a wonderful 2011 we had.  After three weeks of Christmas Break for my daughter and three weeks of leave for my husband we managed to do just about everything I wanted to do.  We made it to Tokyo for the first time and saw Tokyo Tower, The Imperial Palace, Ropppongi, we went to Kawasaki and hit the biggest mall I've ever seen and Peyton got to ice skate for her first time ever, we went to new parks, aquariums, zoos and oh my did we go out to eat one too many times.  We had an amazing Christmas.  I've never seen my kids so happy.  I bought my husband a new grill for Christmas and he was just like a little kid too.  He started rummaging through the house looking for anything and everything he could to grill just to try out his new grill.  None of that has anything to do with the recipe either.  I just felt like sharing.  Granted we had a 7.0 earthquake here in Japan today that scared my kids terribly and left me a bit freaked out.  I hope 2012 is just as amazing of a year for us as 2011 was.  So, here is one of my favorite breakfasts.  I love oatmeal and there is just so much you can do with it and it is so darn good for you!

View from Tokyo Tower.

Banana Nut Oatmeal

1/2 c. old fashioned Rolled Oats
1 c. Almond Milk (vanilla or unsweetened)
1 large banana
1 tbsp. slivered almonds
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond extract)
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. Pure Maple Syrup 

Bring the almond milk to a boil and add in your oats.  Cook according to the package instructions, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Turn on low and add in your cinnamon and vanilla extract and stir.  Then add an entire banana.  I usually just break it up into a few pieces.  Then I use a potato masher and mash the banana into the oatmeal.  The riper the banana the better as you won't need any extra sweetener if your banana is at its ripest.  Then top with a few slices of banana if you want and some slivered almonds.  Add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup on the top for extra sweetness if needed.