Gluten-Free Oatmeal Protein Green Pancakes

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I know, I know. They look... weird. But don't be put off by weird looking food. These are actually delicious and freaking good for you. Kind of hard to beat that combination, isn't it?

I started making these a few months ago, and they have become a comfort staple. Sometimes, I just want to eat a plate of pancakes. But I don't want to feel like I just gained ten pounds in doing so. Here's your solution :)

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Protein Green Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup oatmeal
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 handfulls rinsed spinach
• pinch of salt
• (Optional): 1/4 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and mix well.
2. Heat a greased pan over medium-high heat. Pour pancake batter into the pan and watch until it starts to bubble (~2 min). Start trying to flip it over and do so gently, using two utensils if needed. Repeat process until batter is gone.
3. Top pancakes with delicious toppings! I've tried maple syrup, sugar-free syrup, peanut butter, greek yogurt, fresh fruit, sunflower seeds... the list goes on and on!

White Chocolate Cinnamon Oatmeal

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Creamy white chocolate in your breakfast bowl. Lite brown sugar and cinnamon to boot. That's right, people. Your oatmeal just got fancy.

I'm usually an eggs-for-breakfast kind of girl. Or toast with Peanut Butter. But I also have a need to keep a huge jug of dry oatmeal in my apartment at all times. It's like a Neurotic Oatmeal Hoarding Syndrome... NOHS.

The first step is admitting you have a problem. And Houston, we do.

So I find myself trying to make use of it, like I desperately need to use it, which only means that I'll later desperately need to buy more. I find myself thinking things like... I could make homemade Muesli! Or homemade granola, that's do-able... or some kind of fancy oatmeal.

Fancy oatmeal? Don't hold your breath, I tell myself. Oatmeal is just about the blandest thing on the planet... right?

WRONG, my friends. W-R-O-N-G, wrong.

Because, I don't know if you're aware of this, but adding white chocolate to anything automatically deems it fancy. Cinnamon can come too. And a lil bit of lite brown sugar, why the heck not. 

And Voila! You've got yourself the fanciest, most delicious oatmeal treat... ever. Good for breakfast if you want to stay full. Good for curing your ever evil sweet tooth. Good for bathing in when you're feeling sad... wait, don't do that. I haven't tested it yet.

White Chocolate Cinnamon Oatmeal

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 1 minute 15 seconds

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Oatmeal
• 1 cup Water
• 1 tablespoon White Chocolate Chips
• 1 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Cover bowl with a paper towel.
3. Microwave for 1 minute, 15 seconds.
4. Dig in!

Recipe | Oven Baked Sweet Banana Oatmeal

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There's something about bananas that are, at the same time, both delicious and fresh but also filling. I've used them in Skinny Monkey Pudding (Chunky Monkey Ice Cream's skinnier cousin), Banana Nut Muffins with Peanut Butter Whip Frosting (peanut butter and bananas should really start making children), and Low-Fat Frozen Banana Ice Cream, just to name a few.

But those are all desserts. What about breakfast? After experimenting with Healthy Breakfast Coffee Cake, I realized how amazing it is to create a breakfast dish that doesn't require hours of morning prep time (after all, that's when you're still hooked up to the caffeine IV, right?!).  Inspired by this delicious banana oatmeal breakfast, I came up with a much tastier, much heartier, and much longer lasting recipe. By making a casserole-dish full of oven-baked oatmeal, you can serve it immediately or heat it up the next morning... In my house, we stretched it out for 3 or 4 days. And we ate every last bite! This recipe for oven-baked sweet banana oatmeal will impress everyone from your health-conscious sister to your sugar-craving kid.

Ingredients:

...for oatmeal:

• 2 ½ cups oats
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2-3 bananas, sliced

...for topping:

• 2 tablespoons oats
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat
• 2 tablespoons softened butter 

...serving additions:

• Skim milk (to taste)
• Whipped cream (to taste) 
• Honey (to taste) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine first 5 ingredients (listed as "Ingredients for oatmeal") in a large casserole dish (food will be cooked and served from this dish).
   
3. Slice bananas and add to oatmeal.
   
4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients other than butter (first three ingredients listed under "Ingredients for topping") and mix well.
6. Using your fingers, add softened butter. Mix until you have created a crumbly mixture.
7. Remove oatmeal from the oven and add this mixture across the top. Then, return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until topping begins to brown.
   
8. If serving immediately: Put a square of oatmeal in serving dish and pour skim milk over top, then add whipped cream to taste.
   If serving following morning: Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 325 and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until it has reached a desirable temperature. Put a square of oatmeal in serving dish and pour skim milk over top, then add whipped cream to taste and lightly drizzle honey on top.
   

Additional photos:

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

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[Recipe 6 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

I love the concept of desserts for breakfast, especially when they are as healthy as this recipe. The hearty consistency of oats will have you feeling full for hours without the overwhelming "too full" feeling. Not too big. Not too small. Juuuuust right.

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15-25 min
Total time: 30-40 min
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients:

• 1 Pumpkin
• 2 cups Instant Oats
• 1 3/4 cups Skim Milk
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 2 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Walnuts

Cooking Directions:

1. On stovetop, mix oats and milk. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that oats do not burn.
2. Add pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and dark brown sugar.
3. Stir in most of walnuts, saving a handfull for garnishes.
4. Serve and garnish with remaining walnuts.

[Recipe 6 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[Recipe 6 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

Pumpkin Purée

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Before we get into the complicated and delicious world of cream cheese pumpkin cupcakes (I know, I'm such a tease -- but I promise it's worth the wait!), we ought to start at the beginning, right?



When you read, you begin with A-B-C (when you sing, you begin with Do Re Mi - hello, Sound of Music!), and when it comes to the pumpkin arena, you begin with the mastery of pumpkin puree. There are three ways to do this -- all of which I tried over the weekend. In the end, I got extremely frustrated by the slow pace of the oven cooking method (Can a girl get some immediate results, puh-lease?), then overheated the oven (guess things can't be that immediate!), and ended up quite pleased with what was (of course) my third attempt: stove-top cooking.

Not too fast. Not too slow. Juuuust right. Okay, so now we've hit Sound of Music and Goldilocks. What on earth is going on here...










I've included all three methods for those of you who have functional microwaves and attention spans.

Stovetop Pumpkin Puree

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15-25 min
Total time: 30-40 min
Ingredients:

• 1 Pumpkin

Cooking Directions:

1. Rinse pumpkin
2. Using a serrated knife, cut the pumpkin in half
3. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop out strings and seeds
4. Cut pumpkin into 6-10 pieces, small enough to fit numerous pieces into a steaming basket.
5. Place in steamer on stovetop. Add water and steam for 15-25 minutes, checking regularly to replace water. Pumpkin is cooked when a toothpick easily pierces its skin.
6. Let cool, then peel or cut skin off and discard. Keep remaining pumpkin "meat."
7. Using a handheld blender, standing blender, or food processor, purée pumpkin meat.

Oven Pumpkin Puree

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60-90 min
Total time: 75-105 min
Ingredients:

• 1 Pumpkin

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Rinse pumpkin
3. Using a serrated knife, cut the pumpkin in half
4. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop out strings and seeds
5. Place skin-up on cookie sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 60-90 minutes, or until skin is easily pierced by a toothpick.
6. Let cool, then peel or cut skin off and discard. Keep remaining pumpkin "meat."
7. Using a handheld blender, standing blender, or food processor, puree pumpkin meat.

Microwave Pumpkin Puree

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 7-10 min per pound
Total time: Varies
Ingredients:

• 1 Pumpkin

Cooking Directions:

1. Rinse pumpkin
2. Using a serrated knife, cut the pumpkin in half
3. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop out strings and seeds
4. Place into microwave safe casserole dish and microwave on high for 7-10 minutes per pound. Check consistency. Pumpkin is cooked when a toothpick easily pierces the skin.
5. Let cool, then peel or cut skin off and discard. Keep remaining pumpkin "meat."
6. Using a handheld blender, standing blender, or food processor, puree pumpkin meat.

This Breakfast Is Bananas!

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B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Who learned how to spell bananas from Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl? If it weren't for good old crazy Gwen, I'd still be spelling it "bannannas." Please tell me I wasn't the only one....

Let's talk about breakfast. The Meal Of The Champions, as I like to call it. It's the most important meal of the day (seriously, just ask Mr. Breakfast).

Today I'm making oatmeal for breakfast. Why eat oatmeal for breakfast? Hmm, okay, I know this one! Pick me, pick me! (Teacher: "Yes, Carly, go ahead and answer").

Oatmeal lowers your cholesterol! Thumbs up. It's chock full of fiber! Double thumbs up. It reduces your risk for diabetes, can reduce blood pressure, and has good carbohydrates and even protein... quadruple million thumbs up!  Way to go, Oatmeal, racking up the breakfast points!

I'm weird. Anyone else notice that? Don't answer that, it's a trick question! Bananas going on in my brain! Yikes...

Back to reality. Oatmeal is super easy, super delicious, and keeps you super full for a super long time. And this isn't just any oatmeal... it's banana-cinnamon-brown sugar. Aka... super oatmeal.

What you need:

• Oats (regular or instant)
• Banana, sliced
• Cinnamon
• Sugar: I prefer lite brown sugar or Stevia (a sugar substitute that is natural rather than being man made and practically plastic like Splenda), but this is such a healthy recipe that it wouldn't be ruined by adding some good old fashioned sugar.

What you do:

Put 1/2 cup dried oats into a bowl and add water, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp lite brown sugar / stevia, and half of the banana slices...

Cover and microwave for just over a minute...

Stir, then add the rest of the banana slices on top and sprinkle lite brown sugar/cinnamon for beauty!

P.S. See how easy that was? It takes 2 minutes. That means you can't use the following excuses: "I didn't have time!"  "I was on my way out the door!"  No excuses, people. Eat like a champion. Now, drop and give me twenty!

P.S.S. If you say/type oatmeal over and over (like I just did), it starts to look really funny. Oatmeal. Oatmeal. Oat meal? A meal of oats? No? Just me?