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!

Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cake

I just realized I missed Pi Day yesterday, 3/14; and it was Albert Einstein's birthday too!  I’m not quite the “math geek” though, so I don’t feel too bad for missing it.  Maybe reading more news items would’ve helped, but, meh.  Did realize and/or celebrate the day?  I saw some foodie bloggers celebrated by (shocker!) eating pie.

It's good as is, but a Greek yogurt frosting would really "take the cake"

Actually, Chocolate-Covered Katie’s post about making a pie for Pi Day is what brought the day to my attention.  The pie and its recipe looks quite appetizing and has been added to my list of recipes I want to try that she’s posted in the past.

What are you looking at? Eat me.

In fact, the baked oatmeal cake with Chobani Greek yogurt icing that I posted in yesterday’s post was a recipe inspired by Chocolate-Covered Katie’s very similar baked oatmeal cakes.  She has made a few variations from pumpkin to cookie and all of them look exquisite!

Extra cinnamon on top looks good and tastes great....nutmeg would be good too.

Working off of her basic oatmeal cake, I created a recipe for a super peanut buttery oatmeal cake, and am very pleased with the end result….so was Kelley!  You must make this to fully appreciate its beauty, taste, and healthy ingredients; gather the following ingredients and bake one (or two or three) for yourself!

Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cake

- 1/2 cup peanut butter overnight oats *(see recipe below….it’s easy!)

- 1/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1 ½ tablespoons NuNaturals NuStevia Baking Blend, 8 – 12 drops liquid stevia, or 1 ½  packets White stevia powder (If you want sugar, use 1 – 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar)

- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, pumpkin puree, or mashed banana (Plain yogurt works well too)

- 1/4 cup milk of choice or just water will work

- Small dash of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated. Pour into one of the muffin molds in a muffin tin, 1-cup ramekin (or use a glass baking dish like I used), or just spread flat on a baking sheet for a crunchy treat. Make sure you use non-stick bake ware or non-stick spray before pouring batter into device of choice. Cook for 25 - 30 minutes; the top should have a nice light brown and the whole cake will feel firm. You can set your oven to broil and let cook about 3 – 4 minutes for a crispier crust; reduce baking time by 5 minutes if you do this.

*Overnight Oats

Pour 2 cups of plain rolled oats in a container with a lid (I use empty yogurt containers to make sure I get the big of yogurt on the sides.  Add 1/4 cup of *insert flavor choice here* unsweetened cocoa powder and another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of *insert second add-in or more of the first choice here* flour/powder of your choice.   Add 12 – 18 drops of plain or vanilla NuNaturals liquid stevia or 2 – 3 packets of NuNaturals Stevia Powder and a dash of sea salt. Mix the dry ingredients and add water until it reaches the top of the oats.  Stir to combine making sure the powders are well incorporated, 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.

What happens when you let your spous try a "bite"

This cake is mighty tasty on its own; try smearing peanut or any other nut butter on top for the ultimate nutty cake! Of course, banana and peanut butter are great together and would be delicious mashed with cinnamon and smeared on top.  Try your favorite spread and let me know what you come up with.

What?  You want to try the Chobani Greek Yogurt Icing?  Ok, it’s extremely easy; just like this entire recipe…..

Chobani Greek Yogurt Icing

■2 cups plain, non-fat Chobani Greek Yogurt; I used a big container of Chobani and just mixed everything inside so no extra dish was needed.

Peanut flour with a little cinnamon....great combo!

Just add one of the following to your Chobani for desired flavor:

-          1/2 cup peanut flour for peanut butter icing

-          1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (preferably stevia sweetened) and 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

-          1/2 cup chocolate protein powder (preferably stevia sweetened) and 6 drops NuNaturals Cocoa Bean Extract

-          1 very ripe mashed banana and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

-          1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger and nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp cloves

Everything mixed and ready to frost...or ice....you pick!

All of these flavors for icing are soooo good and easy.  Any icing variation is also healthy enough to be eaten by itself without worries ….I’m guilty!

Do you like things iced or frosted or do prefer food without added toppings?  Whether you do or don't this oatmeal cake will become a favorite for either preference.

Reminder: Only one day left to enter for your chance to win NuNaturals Stevia products!

WIAW #3 – Ode to Brussels Sprouts!

It’s week two of WIAW Green Theme Month and what better way to participate than with Brussels sprouts! I mentioned them several times before, and by now, any frequent reader knows how I love them. Forget a bowl of popcorn, I’d pick a bowl of these to sit down and watch a movie with. Apologies to anyone near me though…

This was supposed to be a cut back week for cooking, but I ended up cooking more than I planned. It’s not a surprise though; it’s just second nature to cook and feels weird not to start stove and oven first thing Saturday morning. I made a red quinoa dish as mentioned in Monday’s post and it got the empty dish of approval from our work friend. I’m glad he liked it since I’m not used to cooking for anyone else other than Kelley; plus, with the broccoli and avocado in there, he unknowingly celebrated WIAW: Green Food Month…..but on Monday.

Breakfast – Leftover red quinoa with veggies and dehydrated okra and Brussels sprouts; French Press coffee with a dab of organic skim milk and pure vanilla extract; I finished with a mix of Arrowhead Mills Corn Puffs, Kashi GoLean cereal, and dry roasted soy nuts 

Snack – Breakfast was pretty late and lunch was just around the corner, so I had a handful of soy nuts and black tea with NuNaturals stevia.

Tuesday's lunch before being pureed.

Lunch – Steamed Jersey sweet potato and broccoli with baked cod in a teriyaki sauce. Yesterday’s white bean and bell pepper puree had more green before being pureed, so I’ll count that too. I had a side snack of dehydrated Brussels sprouts and okra along with lunch, and double bagged green tea to drink.

Would you like some fish with that seasoning?

Liquid Snack – Green and red (rooibos) tea bags mixed and brewed

These are great on salad or by themselves.

Dinner and Beyond – Just like almost every night, a big salad topped with roasted mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts I made this past weekend. Then I moved on to part of my mini baked oatmeal cake with peanut butter Chobani Greek yogurt “icing”. Want to make this for yourself? Don’t worry; I’ll post the recipe soon! Patience is a …..aww who am I kidding, waiting sucks, but it won’t be long.

No guilt with this sugar-free baked oatmeal goodness!

Creamy Peanut Butter Squash Puree

My after dinner, dinner included the standard 2 cups of different purees I made ahead of time. One cup was filled with steamed carrots, yellow squash, frozen mixed berries, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, a splash of whiskey (like Eggnog…kinda), whey protein powder, NuNaturals liquid stevia and unsweetened almond milk. The next cup was acorn squash, peanut flour, cinnamon, NuNaturals vanilla liquid stevia, and unsweetened almond milk. Both were good, but the peanut flour was exquisite and tasted like eating a thinner version of peanut butter from the jar…mmmm.

As I mentioned in my meals above, I had dehydrated Brussels sprouts and okra as snacks that I made for my Green Foods. I love dehydrating foods and feel like I need another dehydrator to support this newfound healthy snack-maker. I’ve made okra before, but this was a first for the Brussels; next time I need to let them go longer or cut in half since these still had a little moisture in the center. Moisture or not, I loved the concentrated flavor and will make many more times. Plus, the dehydrated Brussels would be a lot easier to actually eat like popcorn….hmmm, just a thought.

Have you ever made your own dehydrated foods or want to try soon? What foods have you or would you dehydrate? 

Don't forget to enter to win NuNaturals Stevia Products!
Click here to enter

NuNaturals Stevia Product Review and Giveaway

 Anyone who has read a few of my blog posts will know I try to steer clear of using sugar in anything I cook. Over the years I have tried a few substitutes, including….. *gasp* artificial sweeteners! These usually ended in a sub-par item and me wrenching in pain from stomach discomfort because of the artificial stuff.

Enter stevia; an all natural, zero calorie herb-based sweetener. There are several brands out there, and as someone who’s tried a few, take it from me that not all are equal in taste. After seeing the NuNaturals brand stevia in recipes on the blog Chocolate Covered Katie, I decided to reach out to the company for more information and to see if I would be able to review their products on my blog.

Ron (a.k.a. The “Sugar-Free Poppa), VP of Sales and Marketing at NuNaturals, promptly responded with detailed information on their different products and offered to happily send me several items to sample and review. I jumped at this chance as I was eager to try what they have to offer after see the treats made at Chocolate Covered Katie. A business with great personality and service directed to the consumer is a great business, and the response I received from Ron makes NuNaturals one of the best to me.


I was pleasantly surprised at the weight of the package when it arrived because I only expected one or two small samples. Instead, I received the following high quality products along with their full list of recipes to use:

•Vanilla Stevia Liquid Drops
•Cocoa Bean Extract Stevia Liquid Drops
•Alcohol Free Stevia Liquid Drops
•Clear Stevia Liquid Drops
•NuStevia Quick Dissolve Tabs
•NuStevia Pure Stevia Extract
•More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend

Wow! Any health nut foodie like me knows the overwhelming feeling of joy when you get a package like this! With these products and a vast amount of recipes to use for motivation, I created a few of my own delicious recipes. If you like what you see, please help spread the message along to others who might be interested; I’m always happy to have more blogger friends and viewers!

Pumpkin Protein Crepes

Ingredients

1 egg

2 egg whites

2 packets NuNaturals Stevia

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup whole grain spelt flour

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Dash of nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

Dash of sea salt
1/2 cup skim milk

Add all ingredients to blender or food processor (I used a Magic Bullet) and blend until smooth. Heat pan over medium-high heat, add 1/4 cup batter to middle of pan and swirl around to create a thin circle. Flip over once bubbles appear; it will cook fast, so keep a close watch. It should take just less than a minute per side. Remove from pan add sweet or savory filling or just enjoy plain. These are great alone, but I enjoyed them with honey, Greek yogurt, and peanut butter. Kelley enjoyed hers with goat cheese and enjoyed the sweet and savory combo. This batter makes great pancakes too; just don’t spread as thin.

Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Bread or Brownies

Ingredients

1 egg

4 egg whites

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup milk of choice; I used unsweetened almond milk

4 droppers full of NuNaturals Liquid Cocoa Bean Extract

1/2 cup unflavored whey protein (chocolate or vanilla flavor will work too)

3/4 cup peanut flour

3/4 cup NuNaturals More Fiber Baking Blend

1/4 cup + 2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup whole grain spelt flour

Serving Suggestion: Peanut Butter and Chia Seed Jam Sandwich...YUM!

Mix all wet ingredients (first 5 ingredients) in a medium bowl and sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix with a large spoon or spatula to incorporate everything together. Pour into loaf pan or brownie pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes for a loaf pan or 35 – 40 minutes for the brownie pan in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Cover the top with foil for the last 20 minutes to avoid burning. The bread or brownies are ready when a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Peanut Butter Thumbprint Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
1 ¾ Cups Overnight Oats made with peanut flour (Recipe below)
1/2 Cup whole grain spelt flour; other whole grain or ground nut flour will work
3/4 Cups peanut flour
10 drops NuNaturals Liquid Vanilla Stevia
1/4 cup NuNaturals MoreFiber Stevia baking blend
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
Dash of sea salt
1/2 cup milk of choice
1 whole egg and 2 egg whites; for egg-free version, use 1 ½ tablespoons chia seeds with 1/4 cup water
1 medium ripe banana; mashed – 1/4 cup pumpkin puree works well too
Favorite flavor chia seed jelly or jam; or regular jam if you don’t have chia jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, add all dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Mix wet ingredients in small bowl; make a well in the center of dry ingredients and slowly pour while stirring everything together. Using a large spoon (or smaller for smaller cookies), scoop batter onto cookie sheet leaving space between each cookie. Plop a small teaspoon of jam in the middle of each cookie batter scoop and bake for about 20 minutes; they will turn a nice golden brown. The peanut butter smell will have you anxiously counting the seconds, so go ahead a sneak a bite! Careful, they’ll be hot; remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. These are also great without jam, so make them either way.

Peanut butter, banana, and Greek yogurt cookie sandwich. I can't get enough of these; I even froze some for quick grab-n-go snack.

I enjoyed using all of the NuNaturals products sent to me, and will use this brand from now on. After have a few bad experiences from bitter aftertastes to diluted flavors with other brands, I’m happy to have found NuNaturals. My only grumble is with the Cocoa Bean Extract as I have yet to figure out the proper amount to add in beverages or for cooking. But after Kelley tried and actually liked my NuNaturals stevia baked goodies (that's a big deal!), it confirmed this stuff is top notch. Let me remind you that, although the products were sent to me free of charge, this is not a paid review and everything I say about NuNaturals is genuine and in my own words.

For anyone not into cooking, NuNaturals Stevia (as powder and liquid) and Quick Dissolve Tabs work wonderfully when added to any beverage as well as other applications. Instead of sugar laden flavored yogurts, buy the plain, non-fat kind and mix in a few drops of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia, Cocoa Bean Extract, Clear Stevia, or a single White Stevia packet. It only takes seconds to create a healthy and tasty guilt-free yogurt treat that’s good anytime of day!

I still have plenty of recipes with NuNaturals to try and will be sure to share them all. Check out their website for more inspiring and delicious recipes with NuNaturals Stevia.

If this review left you ready to get your hands on some NuNaturals product, you’re in luck! Ron was more than happy to allow me to host a giveaway to 4 lucky viewers as a way to show my gratitude for reading my blog.

Four (4) winners will each receive one (1) box of NuStevia Packets (50 ct. Box) AND one (1) 2oz. bottle of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid.

There are four ways to enter; just leave a separate comment for each entry to increase your chances to win.  Each entry will be used to choose the 4 winners at random.

1. Comment telling me your favorite NuNaturals recipe or products.

2. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet the following – “I’m entering to win @NuNaturals Stevia from @I_Love_Cayenne! Enter for your chance to win - http://bit.ly/zOLJ6l"

3. Visit NuNaturals on Facebook and “LIKE” their page. If you already “Like” NuNaturals, leave a comment letting me know.

4. Help support Just Add Cayenne and subscribe to my blog. Just post a comment if you are already subscribed.

Sorry, this giveaway has ended.  Don't miss out on the next healthy product giveway, subscribe to my blog and get notified of each post by e-mail!!

Thank you to all who participated and congratulations to the 4 lucky winners!

But wait! If you were not a winner for this giveaway but really want to try NuNaturals Stevia (I suggest you do!), you can get your hands on their products in the following ways:

1) Continental U.S. readers can receive FREE SAMPLES of the NuStevia Packets by sending a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED, # 10 envelope to the following address:

NuNaturals, INC
2220 West 2nd Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR 97402


2) In addition, you can receive SPECIAL DISCOUNTS on all future orders only available through their website (http://www.nunaturals.com/). Enter the code BLG0612 to receive 15% off your total order. You will also receive FREE SHIPPING to the Continental US on all orders $35.00 or more, after the discount. This offer is effective immediately and will expire on June 30, 2012.

Don’t pass up the chance to get a discount on some of the best stevia products on the market. If other brands have let you down in the past, give NuNaturals a try and kick sugar to the curb. I wish everyone good luck and will leave you with a quote from Ron….

“Think healthy, eat healthy, stay well, & HAVE FUN!!”