Cinnamon Cardamom Apple Pecan Oats, by Diane

I whipped this up randomly this cold chilly morning with some leftover cardamom spice I got in Sweden, and oh my gosh was this so good and warming! Yum! I love adding manuka for extra immune support during winter, and anti inflammatory spices are helpful too like cinnamon and ginger!

Ingredients:

1/2 apple, cubed small

1/2 cup quick oats

1 cup water

Dash salt

1 tbsp manuka honey

Spices: baking spice, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom

Chopped pecans

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except pecans well and microwave for 2 minutes or until water is evaporated. Stir in pecans and enjoy!

Green Matcha Soaked Oats, by Diane

Given my latest obsession with green mylk, I wanted to try a new variation on my superfood soaked oats. This version is really good, and I promise you can't taste all the health benefits packed in here!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup quick oats
1/2- 1 cup green mylk (depending on how soaked you like the oats, see recipe link on blog)
2 tbsp. matcha powder (I love Sencha's matcha latte mix!)
2 tbsp. dried cranberries
1/4 tsp of cinnamon, turmeric, maca, and ginger
2 tbsp. cacao nibs
Toppings of almonds, unsweetened shredded coconut, and hemp seeds


Directions:

Mix all ingredients except toppings together and let soak from 1/2 hour-overnight. Add in toppings when you are ready to eat so they are still crunchy!

Banana Oat Overnight Oats, by Cheryl

I've made overnight oats before, but they didn't pack this much flavor and deliciousness as this new batch did! I'm not the biggest oatmeal fan, but I think this recipe has won me over! Creamy, healthy, and seriously yummy... I'll be making this one again! Yum!

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

1 cup almond milk
1 cup oats
1 mashed banana
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup
2 tablespoons chopped nuts
1 tablespoon peanut or almond butter
pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

1) Put everything into a mason jar and give a stir or shake. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

2) In the morning scoop out half of the jar and microwave for one minute. Enjoy!

Banana Muffins, by Cheryl

These are the best, the best I tell ya! So healthy and so good! Julia eats about 3 of them a day - she always thinks she's having dessert since I put a few chocolate chips in there. I make them about once a week and they are great for a breakfast on the go or a snack. Yum!

Ingredients (original recipe from here):

1.5 cups whole wheat flour (I've played around with this a bunch and I like .75 cup whole wheat flour and .75 cup ground oats)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 ripe bananas, mashed
a couple handfuls of spinach or kale, optional
nuts or chocolate chips, optional

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin pan with liners.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Make a hole in the center and drop the eggs, butter, and syrup in. Mix with a fork until it all comes together.

3) In a bowl mash the bananas together. Mix them into the other mixture. If using spinach or kale, process a couple of handfuls until they are very finely chopped. Mix in.

4) Distribute into the muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes. Makes around 14-16 muffins.

Homemade Oat Milk, by Diane

A while ago I made homemade almond milk, and since the process was so messy and cost more than just buying it at the store, I haven't made it since. There's been so much research lately on the terrible additives to alternative milks, and I've been trying to make better choices with what I buy. Last week I accidentally bought the wrong type of oats, and instead of tossing them I decided to try my hand at making oat milk.

I found a recipe that used a strainer rather than cheesecloth so it wouldn't be as messy and got to work. The first time I made this, I wasn't very impressed and it took about 20 minutes for 3 cups of milk (not that much for all that work). Since then, I've adjusted the recipe and the entire process takes me about 5 minutes start to finish! It's a fantastic addition to smoothies and recipes, great with cereal or oats, and best of all I know I'm drinking something fresh. It also costs just pennies per batch, and one container of oats lasts me weeks.

End result: I will definitely not be going back to buying any milk or milk substitute again at the store!

Recipe from: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/01/10/homemade-oat-milk-easy-fast-cheap/

Ingredients:

1 cup steel cut oats
3 cups water (I used spring water)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Place oats in a bowl, cover with water, and soak overnight.

2. Drain and rinse thoroughly, then add the soaked oats and 3 cups of water to a blender. Blend on a low speed for 30 seconds, then medium for 30, then high for 10.

3. Pour the ingredients into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to catch the milk. Push down on the oat pulp with the back of a large spoon to get all the liquid out. These oats can now be used for baking or oatmeal!

4. Rinse out the sieve and blender and pour the milk from the bowl through the sieve into the blender to separate any remaining oat bits. This makes the texture of your milk smoother.

5. Add remaining ingredients into the blender and blend on low for 30 seconds.

6. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Apple Cinnamon Energy Bars, by Cheryl

I was looking to make some granola or energy bars when Jon came across this recipe. There are healthy and clean bars to buy out there, but they can be pricy and it's always fun to try to make your own! These bars have minimal ingredients, all which are readily available anywhere. I would definitely make these again, but the only thing is that they came out just a touch dry. Any suggestions as to what I can do to make them a little more moist? I followed the recipe exactly, but mine don't look as thick as hers do in the picture so maybe they didn't need as much cooking time. I also used a bigger pan so that could be the reason they were thinner and didn't need to cook as much. I'll try again next time since these are great! Yum!

Ingredients:

2 cups pecans
2 cups rolled oats
1.5 halved and pitted dates
2 cups chopped granny smith apples
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread pecans and oats onto it in a single flat layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until toasted and fragrant.

3) Keep the oven preheated and line a pan with parchment paper.

4) Place the toasted nuts and oats in a food processor along with the dates, cinnamon, and salt. Process until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, with no large pieces remaining. Add the chopped apple, and pulse in until there are no more large chunks left. Continue to process until everything starts to clump together, using a spatula to help move things around. This process may move slowly, but eventually everything will come together.

5) Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, using a wide flat spatula to pat it down into a flat compact layer that takes up the entire space of the pan. The bars will look exactly the same once they come out of the oven.

6) Bake for 20 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes and then slice into bars. Once completely cool lift out of the pan. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Banana Oat Cookies, by Cheryl

It's very soft and gooey! 

I saw this recipe while I was scouring pinterest for ideas. These are a very healthy treat if you want a snack or dessert and they are oh so good! No added sugar, no flour, and delicious! They're super easy to make and I even won Jon over with them :) The only substitution I made was swapping the apple sauce for coconut oil. I really thought I had apple sauce in the house, but of course I was in the middle of making the cookies and realized I didn't have it. Apple sauce is generally a good substitution for oil if you want to make something lighter so I just went the other way around. I will be making these again! Yum!

Ingredients:

3 bananas, mashed
2 cups oats
1/3 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Drop little balls of batter onto a greased cookie sheet. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

Baked Berry Oatcakes, by Diane

In my neverending quest to find a quick and healthy warm breakfast for the colder months, I came across this recipe and got pretty excited about it. Superfood Soaked Oats is my regular breakfast, but I'm not a great fan of it warm. This recipe is basically my soaked oats recipe but baked into a cake (who doesn't love that?!). And, it has no flour or sugar added into it, which make these little babies healthy! This was a great, versatile recipe that you can customize however you'd like. Definitely a winner!

Recipe inspired by:http://curlsnchard.com/2014/11/17/quick-bake-berry-oatcakes/

Ingredients (makes 12 cakes):

1 1/2 cups oats 
2 tbsp chia seeds 
3 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
ginger
cinnamon (part in the dish and then a sprinkle on top!)
cardamom (I skipped this one)
a pinch of salt
rice milk (I subbed vanilla almond milk)
handful mixed berries (frozen or fresh)
several pecans (I omitted these and opted for flax seeds instead!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Put the oats and chia into a blender or food processor and blend until the oats a more flour than oats (my nutribullet has a milling blade and this works great!).
3. Put oat-chia mixture, baking soda, coconut, spices and coconut oil in a small bowl and mix with as much rice milk that it looks like a liquidy oatmeal (should be pretty liquidy!).
4. Let sit for a few minutes, so the chia seeds can slightly gel up.
5. Grease the pan or ramekins with cooking spray or more coconut oil and put a spoon full of batter in on the bottom.
6. Add some berries to the center.
7. Add another spoon full of batter to cover the fruit – the ramekins should not be more than 3/4 full, otherwise the batter will spill over as the oatcakes rise.
8. Top off with some more fruit and a pecan nut.
9. Place muffin tin on top of a large cookie sheet to catch any spills, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothppick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Superfood Soaked Oats, by Diane

Yet another recipe that is a daily staple- so daily and regular that it never occurred to me to post it until I made a particularly fabulous batch this morning! The beauty of this recipe is that it requires very minimal prep the night before and is ready and waiting for you all perfect and delicious in the morning. It is amazingly healthy for you as well. I love it for the warmer months because it's eaten chilled (although you can heat it up in the winter). Customize the toppings and milks any way you like (you can even sub grains or chia seeds for oats if you're trying to avoid those).

I use almond milk, oats, and a combo of whatever superfood or yummy ingredients I have on hand. I usually go to the bulk section at a organic grocer and get these ingredients, as they tend to get a bit pricey if you go for the packaged version.

Finally, the timing of the ingredients is what makes this dish. You want to soak the ingredients that you would want to be softened, like the oats, cacao nibs, and anything dried like dried berries. What you add in the next morning will stay hard to give your dish a crunch. This is all based on personal preference. For example, I like to soak my dried berries and cacao nibs overnight so they can become soft and absorb the flavor of the almond milk, but I like to add my nuts and seeds last so they give the dish a good crunch. This is especially important with chia seeds- if you soak them in with the oats overnight they will become gelatinous and the dish will have a pudding or custard like consistency in the morning which I don't personally like. But they are a great superfood so I sprinkle them on with my crunchy ingredients in the am.

Healthy and delicious and filling- this breakfast is awesome!!!

**TIP- if you haven't done this overnight and still want to enjoy them in the morning, a soaking time of 10-20 minutes should be enough to soften the oats, but the berries will still be hard. This will do in a pinch!**


Softened Ingredients:
1/4 irish steel cut oats
3/4 cup almond milk, vanilla, sweetened (I like there to be some liquid in the am, but if you want a thicker oatmeal consistency reduce this to 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 tbsp raw cacao nibs
A few of each dried mulberries, golden berries, goji berries, sultanas, and golden/green/brown raisins
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp turmeric

Crunchy Ingredients:
A few each of raw unsalted cashews, almonds, and pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 tbsp chia seeds


Directions:

1. Add your softened ingredients to the bowl, cover and refrigerate. There should be a lot of standing liquid, like this:

2. The next morning, the liquid should have been mostly absorbed to soften the initial ingredients, so add in the dry ingredients and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal, by Diane

It turns out that oatmeal, like soup, is a tough thing to photograph and still look appetizing. Cheryl and I use a lot of fall ingredients on this blog, and pumpkin is no exception! This weekend, I had a can of pureed pumpkin that I was planning on using for my Pumpkin Pie Green Smoothie (look how fancy this blog is getting!) but it was only in the 30's that morning. In search of something pumpkin for breakfast that would still be healthy but hot instead of cold, this recipe was born. You can do this on the stovetop or by microwave using instant oats (I like Irish steel-cut oats recently), although stovetop always tastes best. You can also add in optional ingredients which I have listed below- I left them out to make it healthier for myself. Either way, this recipe is PERFECT for this time of year and I have a feeling it will be on heavy rotation for my fall mornings from now on!

Ingredients:

Oats (follow the amount on the package per serving)
Almond Milk, Vanilla flavored (follow the liquid amount on the package per serving)
1/4-1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (I like a lot of flavor so I used closer to 1/2 cup!)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Optional: brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, toasted walnuts/hazelnuts, vanilla or chai spice protein powder, mini marshmallows

Directions: Combine all ingredients and cook as directed via stovetop or microwave. Let stand to thicken. Enjoy!