Sunday's Recipe Share -- Pumpkin Banana Baked Oatmeal

Breakfast for dinner, yay or nay?  In my family, it's a big YAY!!!  My family loves breakfast.  Last night I wanted to do a breakfast for dinner, but I wanted to do something different.  So, I looked through my multitude of Pinterest pins and found this recipe for Pumpkin Banana Baked Oatmeal.

I haven't really been eating much oatmeal since going gluten free, but I found some gluten-free oats at Trader Joe's and decided I could have these once in a while.  (Oats are naturally gluten-free, but they are usually processed on the same equipment as wheat products--the oats I bought are not).

This baked oatmeal is AWESOME.  I changed a couple of things from the original recipe, but not too many.

I got the recipe off of the Skinnytaste website.  The link to the recipe is below the picture (I totally forgot to take my own picture--it did look just like the one here though).

 Pumpkin Banana Baked Oatmeal

Here are the changes I made--First I used gluten free whole oats.  Second, I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.  Third, my version is dairy free--I used almond milk--that's what I had in the fridge--I'd also use coconut milk.  Lastly, I'd use less pumpkin pie spice next time, maybe just the 1 tsp--it was a little too much clove for my taste.

The family loved it.  I will definitely be making this again.

I served it with a side of bacon and a large family sized omelet that we shared among 4 of us.  For breakfast, I'd eat it with just the bacon...in fact, the leftovers are calling me....

Sunday's Recipe Share --Versatile Grain Free Crepes/Tortillas

I was so happy when I found this recipe! When I gave up gluten (and grains most of the time), I thought I'd never be able to enjoy things like manicotti, enchiladas, fajitas or crepes.  Happily, I was wrong.  This versatile recipe can play all those roles deliciously.

This is what they look like:

I have used them instead of the homemade "noodles" in my 3-Cheese Manicotti.  Delish! (sorry I had to)

I have used them instead of flour tortillas to make chicken fajitas (I just pan fry them a second time to crisp them up a bit), and enchiladas (your choice of fillings).

And more recently I used them as crepes.  I had some filling leftover from my chicken pot pies, as well as some leftover kale so......

I created these.  I sprinkled a little cheese on top, popped them into the microwave and...there you have it, a great nutritious lunch. A couple of dollops of full fat Greek yogurt finishes them off.  

The next day, I wanted something sweet, so I decided to make strawberry blintzes.  I took some cream cheese (full fat), added a dollop of Greek yogurt (full fat) and mixed in some leftover cut up strawberries and peaches....

a few more cut up strawberries and some pure maple syrup on top and presto, another great meal or a healthy dessert!

Here's the recipe for the crepes/tortillas:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup tapioca starch

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

large pinch salt

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups coconut or almond milk -- I used almond milk You may need to add more for thinner crepes

1 Tbls. olive oil or coconut oil (melted)--I used olive + more oil for cooking (I used a non-stick pan so I didn't need this)

Combine all dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients and mix well. If using a cast iron or stainless steel pan, heat a little coconut oil in an 8 inch skillet. Again, I used non-stick so I didn't need this. You may need to repeat this after each crepe or every other depending on how seasoned you pan is.

I use a measuring cup (1/4 cup) to add the batter to the pan. Immediately swirl the batter to coat the pan. Let this cook for a minute or two--it will easily release from the pan when it's ready to flip. Flip after lightly browned and continue cooking until the other side is brown. Continue this process until all of the batter is used.

If you are making sweet crepes, you can add a bit of honey or maple syrup and a touch of vanilla to the batter. If you are making savory crepes or using as tortillas, you can add herbs like cilantro or oregano to taste.  

The recipe makes 10-12 crepes depending on how thick you make them.

Sunday's Recipe Share -- Paleo Breakfast Cookies + a Quick Stretch

I love cookies!!!  So, when I decided to give the Paleo/Primal lifestyle a try, I thought I'd never eat a real cookie again--or at least one that tasted good.  Was I ever wrong!

I was so happy when I found the recipe for these Paleo Breakfast Cookies from  the preppy paleo.

The first recipe I tried was for pumpkin breakfast cookies.  They are grain free and are sweetened with just 1/4 cup or pure maple syrup or raw honey.  I do use dark or semisweet chocolate mini chips--the sugar free ones are just too nasty and I only use a small amount.  There is no butter or oil either, they contain almond butter--I make my own in the food processor using blanched almonds with a little bit of maple syrup or honey for moisture--just process until it becomes butter.  If you eat peanuts--you could always sub out peanut butter, but this has a much stronger flavor.  I've also used sunbutter (from sunflower seeds).  Just a note--sunflower seeds and butter tends to turn green when it's baked--don't be alarmed!!!

I eat one or two of these cookies for breakfast when I don't have time for anything else.  And let me tell you, they are a much healthier alternative to most cereals out there.  I pack them with unsweetened shredded coconut, flax seed meal, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and more.  You can make them a little different each time by what you use as your "add -ins."  They are also a great snack.  I keep them in my fridge.

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

The recipe I made more recently was for Paleo Banana Breakfast cookies.  Instead of pumpkin, mashed banana is used and there is no added sweetener!  Again I used the chocolate chips, coconut and flax seed meal, but this time I added raisins and chopped pecans.  Yummy!

Paleo Banana Breakfast Cookies

Lastly, is the original recipe that contains 1 cup of almond butter ( a bit more $$$) along with the 1/4 c. of maple syrup or honey:

Paleo Breakfast Cookies

Sorry I missed yesterday--you know, crazy time of the year....

Anyway, here's the quick stretch from FitnessBlender:  "Kelli's Quick Cool Down and Stretch--Feel Good Stretching Routine for Morning or Night"

Sunday's Recipe Share -- Green Smoothies

As promised, here are some of my favorite green smoothie recipes--mine are all grain and dairy free, I usually add about 1 tsp of flax seed to each of my smoothies as well.  You can easily add some Greek yogurt if you tolerate it.  Please read my blog from Friday for some important info regarding green smoothies.

Mango Mint-jito

1 c. mango

2 c lettuce greens

5 large mint leaves

juice of ½ lemon

juice of ½ lime

1 banana (optional)

water/ice

Black Melon

½ c watermelon

½ c honeydew

½ c cantaloupe

½ c blackberries

2 handfuls fresh spinach

1 banana (opt)

water/ice

Tropical Sun

2 bulbs bok choy

1 orange, peeled

1 c coconut water

1 c pineapple

1 banana

Pumpkin Pie

1 c pumpkin

2 T. almond butter

2 c. spinach

1 c frozen blueberries

1 frozen banana

Chocolate Banana Sunbutter

1 frozen banana

1-2 Tbs. of sunbutter

1 Tbs. cocoa powder

1 handful of spinach

1 c. full fat coconut milk

1 pkg. powdered stevia or 1 Tbs. honey (opt)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (opt--no sweetener needed if using this)

Really, the sky is the limit--there are lots of recipes out there if you look.

Sunday Recipe Share -- Easy Make Ahead Breakfasts

I am not a morning person or a breakfast person.  The less I have to do in the morning, the better.  However, with teaching classes 4 mornings a week, I know it's important to have something in my system (I don't do well working out on a completely empty stomach).

I was making a lot of refrigerator oatmeal, but then I decided to go grain-free.  So I had a bit of a challenge ahead of me--no grains meant no cereal, no toast and no oatmeal.  Thankfully I found this easy to make breakfast idea on pinterest.  I eat this if I have at least an hour or more before my workout.  Otherwise, I wait and eat it as my post workout meal and have a green smoothie for my pre-workout meal.

Make ahead baked eggs.  They are so simple to make and there are so many variations, I never get bored.   These can be done in muffin tins or ramekins.  I usually only do 4 or so at a time, so I usually use ramekins.

The easiest way to do these:  Layer a piece or two of ham in a greased ramekin.  Crack an egg over the top.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.  That's it.  When they are cool, you can slip them out of the ramekin and put into a tupperware container.  Sometimes I add a layer of spinach between the ham and the egg.  You can also put in a slice of breakfast sausage, pressing it in to form sort of a crust.

The other way I do these is to cut up a bunch of cooked veggies, some ham or cooked bacon or sausage add 4-5 beaten eggs, some milk or cream and fill each ramekin with the "omelette" mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.  Bake the same way.  They are really yummy and satisfying.  I sometimes make them for dinner as well, it's so much easier than making individual eggs for everyone.  We eat them right out of the oven.

If eating for breakfast, simply reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds or so and you have a healthy breakfast.  I sometimes add another green smoothie that I make ahead as well to get in even more veggies.