WIAW #24 PB-GY-C-O-P: Summer Staples and Beyond

Peanut butter (PB), Greek Yogurt (GY), Carrots (C), Oats (O), and Pumpkin (P).  These foods have been not just summer staples, but year round staples for me. Give me these things and put me on an island and I'll be all set. Maybe, I might ask for a banana and honey to go with the PB, GY, and Oats, and cinnamon to go with, well, everything!

Carrots are a great first step for a person just starting to switch to a healthier lifestyle.  They can be purchased as baby carrots and used as an easy, grab n'go snack; easy! I thank carrots for helping me get on the right track years ago as I made the change.  A Google search with the terms "just add cayenne" and "carrot" and "blog" came back with 4,640 results.  When using the quotes, I'm pretty sure most of these are from my posting around the web.

Carrots provide one of the easiest snacks to bring to work so I avoid anything in a box.  Plus, have you tried dipping carrots in peanut butter? I'm sure many of you have, and hopefully you derive the same simple satisfaction as I do.  That or mustard; they are both great combos!

Have you tried Google searching your name or blog name plus a favorite food to see what comes up?  I thought it was pretty cool....maybe I'll try peanut butter, greek yogurt, oats, and pumpkin next!

I have actually mixed all of these together in an overnight oat concoction that creates a perfect summer staple when eaten cold.  Basically, I eat all of my overnight oat mixes cold; frozen fruit added to make it colder. The carrots and pumpkin are pureed, of course.

When I don't create an amalgamation with these summer/year round staples, I easily love the taste and texture of each item alone.  Peanut butter with a spoon? Uh, yeah, why wouldn't I do that? Cool and creamy 0% plain Greek yogurt is a delight with each giant gob I greedily cram in my mouth spoonful.

Oats and pumpkin are what I combine most.  Pumpkin is perfect for making overnight oats extra thick, creamy, and more nutritious to boot! Add cinnamon, stevia, and yogurt and you're on your way to foodie pleasure. Oh yeah, add peanut butter too.

Overnight oats with Greek yogurt, frozen bluebs, and peanut butter = WIN!

See? All of these things work great alone or together. That's synergy, my friends.....synergy.

What else is synergy? Full body workouts, that's what! Kelley and I are on our second week of the Supreme 90 workouts and I feel it after each one.  This DVD set is the best video bang for your buck I know.  Why spend up to over a hundred dollars on P90X or Insanity?  That's....errr...insane.  Supreme 90 can be found at most Walgreens for 10 bucks tops.  Use the rest of your cash to get some dumbbells and a stability ball for the videos and you're all set.

Along with the videos, I squeeze in effective compound moves with the barbell including squats, dead lifts, bench, and overhead press. If I can that is, the videos can leave me pretty sore as it is.

Wow, all this talk of my favorite foods and working out has me hungry! Lets see my eats and I'll be on my way to more eats now!  As always, and big thanks to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

Happy WIAW!!

Breakfast

Quick and easy microwave okra frittata; leftover pumpkin and banana protein pancakes with Artisana Coconut butter and peanut flour mixed; instant espresso coffee, black.

Lunch

 Slow-cooker salsa pork chops with black-eyed peas and broccoli (you can't see it, but this is covering half a baked jersey sweet potato and mushrooms); Overnight Oatmeal Crisps cooked with banana and Artisana almond + coconut butter; fresh cut turnips and carrots

Dinner

Overnight Oatmeal Crisps smeared with goat cheese; Spring Mix salad with tuna (unpictured) and topped with the roasted brussels sprouts, mushrooms and garlic pictured below; chocolate black bean and veggie protein pudding; I used my microwave protein cinnamon bread to dip into the creamy pudding; I may or may not of added peanut butter to the mix....ok, I did

Here we are in mid-August going full speed into September and fall season!  Geez, what's up with time?  I guess "it flies" is an appropriate explanation.  Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week and partake in delightfully tasty eats!

Q: What are your year round staples?

Q2: Cardio, strength, or combo....what's your favorite?

Microwave Protein Oatmeal Muffin in a Mug

Hello, everyone! Hope you enjoyed your 4th of July, if you're from the U.S., or just had another great Wednesday if you're from somewhere else. Kelley and I had a late morning Starbucks run and enjoyed each other's company for a while.  Then annoying smokers upwind from us gave us the cue it was time to leave.

Instead of relaxing like we always say we should but never do, I made goat cheese salsa cornbread and goat cheese crackers while Kelley was all over the house cleaning away.  I had chicken marinating in Zevia Cola and balsamic vinegar that I grilled too.  The chicken was a perfect July 4th salad topper and happily there's some leftover for another salad tomorrow!

Leftovers are awesome to have around because the prep-work is already done.  Cold turkey or chicken is always a welcome item on my plate.  I know what most of you are thinking; enjoying the cold turkey leftovers that somehow escaped consumption the first time around.  Straight from the foil or container in the fridge into my mouth, I make sure the turkey doesn't escape consumption the second time. Do you like cold bird or any other leftover? Is there a special thing you do with your leftovers?

Speaking of leftovers, there are usually 2 or 3 different containers of overnight oats in my fridge most days.  My overnight mixtures consist of oats (obviously), protein powder, stevia, cinnamon, peanut butter and/or flour.  For liquids, I typically stick with water since the protein and peanut flour will turn it creamy already, but sometimes use Zevia and omit adding stevia. Pumpkin puree is usually part of my mixture too.

As you can see, there's a lot more than just oats in my overnight oats.  Although plain oats are good, I like to have something prepared so I can just spoon right into my favorite eating cup at night.  One day I just had too many overnight oat mixtures going on and decided to try and cook a batch of something. Since I've been seeing so many microwave cake/bread/oatmeal posts, I figured I'd give that a shot.

To my peanut flour and vanilla whey protein oat mixture, I added egg whites, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, stevia, and salt.  Then I just scraped the mix into a glass ramekin sprayed with non-stick spray and nuked it for a little over 2 minutes. The end result was a fluffy "proatmeal" muffin just asking (I swear, it talked!) for some homemade chia jam and peanut butter.

I never expected it to cook so well and turn into the airy protein muffin before me, but it did.  Isn't it great when things actually cook better than you expect? It's a rare occasion, but always welcome to me.  Unless I was ever doing a presentation on how not to do something and it ended up turning out right.  That would suck.

Anyway, enjoy your Thursday and make one or twelve of these soon!

Q: What's the craziest food mixture you've made and it turned out really good?

Microwave Overnight "Proat" Mug Muffin

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 3 min




Ingredients (Serves 1)

1/2 cup overnight oats (I used 2 heaping tbls of oats with 1/2 T vanilla whey protein and 1/2 T peanut flour mixed in and soaked in 1/4 cup almond milk over night); read my overnight oat post for tasty overnight creation ideas.
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 packet stevia powder (or use 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar)
1/4 cup liquid egg white or 1 egg; can use 1 flax or chia egg for vegan version
Tiny dash of salt




Instructions

Preheat microwave to "ready".....ha ha, sorry, just trying to make a joke

Seriously now; Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated.

Pour into a 1 cup glass or ceramic ramekin or large mug greased with non-stick spray

Cook in microwave for 2 - 3 minutes. Time will vary with different microwaves, just watch that it doesn’t start overflowing from the top.  This happened to me several times, but they still taste exquisite!

Serve with jam, covered in Greek yogurt, peanut butter, or, my favorite….all three!


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Overnight Oats – The Basics & Beyond

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I rarely post on the weekends, but I wanted to make a separate post on how I prepare Overnight Oats since they are used in a lot of my recipes. You can be very creative with add-ins or just make plain oats. The best thing about this is you can have several varieties available to use at the same time.

Oats are very versatile and very healthy; soaking them makes it easier for your body to digest and absorb more nutrients. When soaked, their soft texture gives a comforting feeling and they are great for evening use since your body digests them slowly. No sudden spikes in blood sugar to worry about….if you worry about that stuff.

The following steps have shown up in past posts, but I’ve changed it up a little to make it easier to follow.

Overnight Oats

1. Pour 2 cups of plain rolled oats in a container with a lid (I use almost empty 32oz yogurt containers to make use of the stubborn yogurt on the sides.

2. Add 1/2 cup of *powder/flour/puree choice*, a 1/4 cup of *Add-ins (if desired)*, and up to 1 ½ tablespoons *spice of choice*. 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be added if it’s fitting for your desired flavor. Softly shake everything around until you see the top of the oats.

3. Add 12 – 18 drops of plain or vanilla NuNaturals liquid stevia, 1 tablespoon NuNaturals NuStevia Baking Blend, or 2 – 3 packets of NuNaturals Stevia Powder and a dash of sea salt. (If you must, 2 tablespoons of sugar, honey, or agave will work too)

4. Add water, milk of choice, or juice of choice (apple works well) until it reaches the top of the oats (I sometimes use Zevia Soda for the liquid and omit adding any sweeteners)

5. Stir to combine making sure the powders are well incorporated (I sometimes find unmixed clumps at the bottom), close the container and let sit in the fridge for at least four hours and up to 5 days; it won’t last that long though.

If you can't tell, I really like plain non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt!

This liquid will be nice and absorbed within a few hours.

To make plain overnight oats, skip steps 2 and 3 and just add water.


*Powder / Flour / Puree Options*

- Peanut Flour

- Protein Powder (I mix and match whey, soy, and egg white protein powders that are unflavored or sweetened with stevia)

- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (use 10 drops of NuNaturals Cocoa Bean Extract to compliment this)

- Instant, Non-fat Dry Milk Powder

- Pumpkin or other squash puree

- Overripe Mashed Banana

- Unsweetened Applesauce

*Add-in Options*

- Dried cranberries, banana, raisins, cherries, apple, apricot, dates, or other dried fruit

- Fresh or frozen fruit like the dried options above

- Raw or Dry Roasted Peanuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews, or other favorite nut

- Raw or Dry Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, or Chia Seeds (Chia seeds really make things thick since they gel once in liquid.

*Spices*

- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, turmeric (use very little), or other spice you like


These choices give you plenty variations to try and enjoy. Start slowly with just the basics to get a feel for how yours will turn out, and then start getting creative.


Some of my favorite combos include:

Choco-Nana Peanut Butter Goodness

1/2 Peanut flour and 1/2 cocoa, mashed banana, vanilla extract, NuNaturals Cocoa Bean Extract, NuNaturals liquid stevia, and dry roasted almonds

Peanut Pumpkin Pie

Peanut flour, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, NuNaturals liquid stevia, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice


Anything But Plain Vanilla

Vanilla whey protein powder, frozen cherries, vanilla extract, NuNaturals liquid vanilla stevia, and cinnamon


Zevia Oats

Unflavored protein or dry milk powder, chia seeds, and Zevia Crème Soda (there are many Zevia flavors and I’d like to try them all)


I’ll post more recipes since I’m always trying new combinations. Not all are a success, but I’ll pretend those never happened and only share the good recipes.

I think for St. Patty’s Day, I will try a mix the “Anything But Plain Vanilla” combo with 1/2 a cup of frozen spinach, and 1/2 frozen banana all blended together. I don’t know what it will be like yet, but I’ll post pictures. Hopefully it looks as good as Chocolate-Covered Katie’s green mint smoothie pictured below!

Do you plan on wearing and eating green today? Do you have any special occasions to attend for this day?


I just have a green shirt and green smoothie that will hopefully bring me some pinch-free good luck! Kelley and I will be going to a neighborhood party tonight; hopefully we present ourselves well since we’ve never really met them before!

Overnight Oatmeal Baked Donuts.....My New Favorite Treat

Do you spell it "Donut" or "Doughnut"?  Meh, no matter, they taste great either way!

I really like my new donut baking pan; it makes a fun shape (Donuts!) and having the hole in the center helps to cook the batter evenly. After successfully baking a few good batches for Kelley and myself (see yesterday’s post on Baked Zevia Pumpkin Protein Donuts), I decided to try using my overnight oats mixture as the batter.

As you can see, they turned out pretty good. They are just a tad soft in the center, which I like, and plan to make more soon!

Are you interested in making these for yourself? It’s easy peasy….as my mom likes to say.

First you prepare overnight oats, then pour into donut-shaped baking pan at 365 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Depending on if you like things really crunchy (more time in the oven) or a little soft in the middle (less time), these are a fun and easy way to make a healthy snack for everyone.

Let the delectable oat spheres cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cooling in the pan is necessary for the baked goods to cool down and contract a little; pulling away from the sides. If you’re impatient like me, you know what happens when you don’t wait.

For those with kids, let them help by preparing their own overnight oats mixture; I bet they’ll be more inclined to eat healthy treats they made. This is way better than any kid’s treat in a box!

These Baked Oatmeal Donuts make a great snack for home or on the go. Kelley and I are leaving to Breckenridge in 2 days and the baked donuts I posted on yesterday along with these oatmeal donuts will make great companions for us both. I love road trips, and road trips with Kelley have always been fun.

Except for last year at this time when we went to Breck….I had MRSA and it was miserable! My unfortunate infection while in Breck was not very fun, but I did learn a tasty new recipe with sweet potatoes and black beans!!

Well, not this time, I will be illness-free and ready for a good trip with my wife! Her parents will already be where we are staying and we will have a great time enjoying the fresh air and good coffee from local shops. We also plan on making a couple trips to go snowshoeing as well. Coffee, snowshoeing, no work, minimal plans, good company……I think I’m ready!

For the trip, we will bring our own food since we are against most options (besides coffee) along the main roads. As I mentioned already, I’ll bring the baked donuts I made and the overnight oatmeal crisps I always talk about. Kelley’s must-haves are creamy goat cheese and good whole wheat rye bread. We will also have fresh sliced deli meat, plain Greek yogurt, baby carrots, organic apples, and mixed nuts for the trip.

I dehydrated carrots, zucchini squash, beets, and bananas in a dehydrator I just purchased and will bring along as well. Dehydrating foods will be in a future post…stay tuned! The few packaged foods we will bring include Annie’s Homegrown Bunny Grahams, Corn Thins, and Food For Life Ezekiel Cereal.

Do you have any go to road trip foods? Do you put convenience or health as top priority while traveling? 

Quick and Healthy Cakes for Dinner

No, not the fluffy sweet versions; I’m talking about mini tuna (or salmon, crab, chicken, beans, etc.) cakes you can customize to your liking. Do you like crab cakes? I love crab, but if you haven’t noticed, crab can be pretty expensive and canned tuna or salmon works just as fine for lower a cost. Plus the crab cakes at restaurants are usually cooked in too much butter/oil and white breadcrumbs….no thanks.

I was inspired to make my own version after reading about a salmon cake recipe in Runner’s World Magazine. The versatility of the ingredients makes the cakes easy to accommodate multiple tastes (i.e. spouse, kids, etc.). Along with the versatility, the ingredients are commons staples most of us have around the kitchen already.

Here is what I used to make one of our work lunches for the week; this will serve about 4 people as long as there are sides:

Ingredients

- 2 (5oz) Cans of No Salt Added Tuna; use crab, chicken, mashed beans, etc if you don’t have the tuna

- About 8oz of your favorite salsa; the amount varies, just eyeball it and add more towards the end if needed

- 1/2 cup frozen spinach or collard greens; thawed and drained of excess water

- 2 tablespoons brown mustard

- 1 whole egg or 2 egg whites

- 1/2 to 3/4 cup rolled oats

- 2 teaspoons cumin

- Ground black pepper to taste; no need for salt as there should be enough in the salsa and mustard

- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne; I use more (sorry, Kelley), just adjust as you would like

- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro

Directions

- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

- Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix to incorporate well. Scoop the mix into a lightly oiled 12 cup muffin pan (I used 9 of the 12 cups) and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.

 

- Remove from oven (should have a nice brown crust on top) and let cool in pan for 5 to 10 minutes.

- Top each cake with extra salsa and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Serve with a big side of steamed veggies and, if desired, your grain of choice.

 

Using oats provides a lot more nutrition than the usual breadcrumbs you see in most recipes, and salsa makes for adding a quick mix of tomatoes, peppers, and onions. If you have more time, add fresh cut bell peppers and sauté some onions and garlic before adding to your mixture. If you don’t use salsa, adding a little extra salt will help with flavor…just not too much!

1 Work Lunch Ready to Go!

These are a great weeknight meal idea for something different. Just make extras and bring to work for lunch the next day…perfect! And, as I mentioned before, there is no set recipe for this. I used ingredients representative of Spanish food, but I think next time will be something Greek themed. Instead of salsa and brown mustard, I think Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and dill would make for a totally different, yet still tasty….errr cake.

Do you have a good idea for ingredients to make your own mini cake? Please post to comments on your version if you feel like sharing.

Beat the Heat Right! Morning, Noon, and Night!

It’s mid-June, and here in Texas that means the mercury is rising! How’s the temperature where you live? If you’re dreading the next gas or electric bill because of heavy A/C use, I’m sure it’s hot enough.

I find spending some time away from the stove and oven is a great way keep cool and still be creative in the kitchen. Make one day a “cool day” during the week where each meal requires no heating and is a delight to the taste buds. If you work in a typical office setting, it can be annoying waiting to use a microwave for your meal. It’s even more aggravating when there’s food splatter all over the inside! Let me help you avoid the heat-box and escape the wait at work with some non-cook recipes.

Gazpacho (chilled soup) – 6 Servings

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (I use the no salt added variety)

1/2 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

1 (14.5) ounce can of no-salt added Garbanzo beans; drained

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

2 tablespoons sherry, red wine, balsamic, or apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh (dried if you must) parsley, basil or cilantro

1/2 tablespoon cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 dashes Tabasco sauce; or Just Add Cayenne

Blend 1 can of tomatoes with the stock and oil in a blender or food processor until pureed. Transfer to a medium bowl along with remaining ingredients; season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve; this can be made several hours before serving.
You can leave the garbanzo beans out if desired, but I like to have some protein in my meals, and these beans add great texture. I will even add no salt added canned tuna for a great protein punch! Try creating your own version by adding or taking away some ingredients. Celery will give a nice crunch, use chopped chives instead of an onion, and summer squash will help change things up a bit. Either way, this is a delight for the eyes and mouth; it’s healthy too!

Black Bean Avocado Salad

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/3 cups chopped peeled avocado

1 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I use the no salt added variety)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions / chives

1/2 cup peeled and diced jicama

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon lime juice

DRESSING:

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried cilantro

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

This is good for 8 side dish servings or 4 – 5 main meal servings. Same as the gazpacho recipe, add or remove ingredients as you like and make it your own! You will be smiling the whole time just thinking of how you can grab your lunch right from the fridge at work and avoid the dreaded microwave lunch line.

Peanut Overnight Protein Oats - “Proats”

1/4 cup peanut flour – I sometimes use natural vanilla or chocolate whey protein instead

1/3 – 1/2 cup dry rolled oats

1/4 cup almond milk

3 tablespoons natural applesauce

Dashes of cinnamon to taste

sweetener to taste; I use liquid stevia, but a little honey would be good too

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Place the mixture in an airtight container and chill overnight or at least 1 hour. Once the oats soak up the liquid, you should be left with a pretty thick and tasty breakfast or dessert. Toss in some fresh or frozen fruit (banana or blueberries work best here) along with some plain non-fat yogurt for a filling meal or treat.   Add canned or fresh pumpkin puree with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for a pumpkin pie flavor. I love having this at night for a very soothing meal alone; great after a long day.

All of these recipes offer the option of customizing to your liking. If you only try one of the above, the overnight oats is a great no-cook breakfast that will be ready when you wakeup or treat when you get home. Trust me, it’s something to look forward to either way. Be creative, get the family involved, and enjoy the healthy benefits physically and mentally. It will feel good to be in control of your food, and your body will feel good as a result. Let me know how you like these recipes and what, if anything, you changed.