Gastronomy and Life's Other Pleasures

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Posts tagged oatmeal

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Weekday breakfast: (my) Bircher museli I had eaten so-called Bircher muesli a few times at restaurants before I even knew what it was; I just remember thinking it was some form of cold oatmeal that was totally delicious.  It wasn’t until I came across this blog post on Peanut Butter and Peppers that I finally figured it out.   I was thrilled to read that making this concoction is incredibly simple and that it uses ingredients that I always have on hand like rolled oats, greek yogurt and an abundance of fresh fruit.  Here is my version, adapted from the recipe on Peanut Butter and Peppers. My Bircher Muesli - serves 2 (small servings) - 1/2 cup organic quick oats (I used quick cooking and it worked fine, but most recipes say to use regular rolled oats and not quick-cooking oats) - 1/4 cup shredded apple, cored and unpeeled (use your favourite - I used a Gala) - 1/3 cup fat-free plain greek yogurt - 1/4 cup 1% milk - 2 tablespoons orange juice - a small handful of dried cranberries - a big dash of cinnamon - dash of vanilla extract Directions Mix all ingredients together in a sealable container (I prefer glass). Refrigerate overnight for best results!  Top with fresh fruit (I used strawberries), nuts, seeds and more yogurt.  Perhaps even some honey or maple syrup if you like yours sweet!

Weekday breakfast: (my) Bircher museli

I had eaten so-called Bircher muesli a few times at restaurants before I even knew what it was; I just remember thinking it was some form of cold oatmeal that was totally delicious.  It wasn’t until I came across this blog post on Peanut Butter and Peppers that I finally figured it out.  

I was thrilled to read that making this concoction is incredibly simple and that it uses ingredients that I always have on hand like rolled oats, greek yogurt and an abundance of fresh fruit.  Here is my version, adapted from the recipe on Peanut Butter and Peppers.

My Bircher Muesli - serves 2 (small servings)

- 1/2 cup organic quick oats (I used quick cooking and it worked fine, but most recipes say to use regular rolled oats and not quick-cooking oats)

- 1/4 cup shredded apple, cored and unpeeled (use your favourite - I used a Gala)

- 1/3 cup fat-free plain greek yogurt

- 1/4 cup 1% milk

- 2 tablespoons orange juice

- a small handful of dried cranberries

- a big dash of cinnamon

- dash of vanilla extract

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a sealable container (I prefer glass). Refrigerate overnight for best results!  Top with fresh fruit (I used strawberries), nuts, seeds and more yogurt.  Perhaps even some honey or maple syrup if you like yours sweet!

Filed under food breakfast healthy oatmeal oats muesli Bircher snack fruit yogurt milk cinnamon craisin cranberry almond strawberry Peanut Butter and peppers blog

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Individual baked oatmeal cups Just when you thought I couldn’t find yet another way to love oatmeal, I did just that!  When I saw this recipe for individual baked oatmeal cups on the lovely Peanut Butter and Peppers blog, I immediately e-mailed it to myself to make on the weekend. These little muffins are so versatile; you can add anything you like for flavours (spices, fruit, nuts) and you can adjust your preferred level of sweetness too.  I opted to leave mine unsweetened save for a few pieces of chopped granny smith apple on top.   So simple to make, I whipped them up in no time, and I froze the whole batch to be able to pull them from the freezer for week day lunch snacks.  They are fantastic!

Individual baked oatmeal cups

Just when you thought I couldn’t find yet another way to love oatmeal, I did just that!  When I saw this recipe for individual baked oatmeal cups on the lovely Peanut Butter and Peppers blog, I immediately e-mailed it to myself to make on the weekend.

These little muffins are so versatile; you can add anything you like for flavours (spices, fruit, nuts) and you can adjust your preferred level of sweetness too.  I opted to leave mine unsweetened save for a few pieces of chopped granny smith apple on top.  

So simple to make, I whipped them up in no time, and I froze the whole batch to be able to pull them from the freezer for week day lunch snacks.  They are fantastic!

Filed under food breakfast oatmeal baked fruit healthy recipe Peanut Butter and Peppers blog

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Pumpkin oatmeal spice cookies I had about a cup of frozen canned pumpkin that was leftover from some recipes that I made this past Thanksgiving. In search of a recipe that called for such a small amount of pumpkin puree, I found this recipe for pumpkin oatmeal cookies on the Love from the Oven blog. These are not your regular cookies; they are different texturally, much more cakey and thick than gooey or crunchy. I loved them! The recipe is really simple and straightforward, and the cookies are delicious. What I also have liked about them is that I froze the entire batch, and have been pulling them individually from the freezer to thaw and eat, and they’ve still been fantastic. Click on the photo for a link to the recipe!

Pumpkin oatmeal spice cookies

I had about a cup of frozen canned pumpkin that was leftover from some recipes that I made this past Thanksgiving. In search of a recipe that called for such a small amount of pumpkin puree, I found this recipe for pumpkin oatmeal cookies on the Love from the Oven blog.

These are not your regular cookies; they are different texturally, much more cakey and thick than gooey or crunchy. I loved them! The recipe is really simple and straightforward, and the cookies are delicious. What I also have liked about them is that I froze the entire batch, and have been pulling them individually from the freezer to thaw and eat, and they’ve still been fantastic. Click on the photo for a link to the recipe!

Filed under food dessert cookie sweet pumpkin Love from the Oven blog recipe healthy oatmeal

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Oatmeal ginger cookies Cookies are a dangerous thing in my house: if they’re there, they will be eaten!  Which is precisely why I don’t make cookies too often - it is just not safe for me to walk through the kitchen with a container filled with freshly baked cookies lying around.  However, I do sometimes give in to making cookies, which is what happened last week when I made these oatmeal ginger cookies.  It was also partly due to last week’s Gastropost challenge and the fact that I had everything required to make the cookies right there in the pantry. I wanted to try a variation on a ginger cookie so when I saw this recipe for an oatmeal-based ginger cookie I was ready to bake!  The result was delicious - I loved the added texture of the oatmeal for a different dimension.  The cookies were soft right out of the oven but hardened up a bit once completely cooled so I am going to play around with the amount of flour next time to see if I can create a softer cookie.  Click on the photo for a link to the recipe.  

Oatmeal ginger cookies

Cookies are a dangerous thing in my house: if they’re there, they will be eaten!  Which is precisely why I don’t make cookies too often - it is just not safe for me to walk through the kitchen with a container filled with freshly baked cookies lying around.  However, I do sometimes give in to making cookies, which is what happened last week when I made these oatmeal ginger cookies.  It was also partly due to last week’s Gastropost challenge and the fact that I had everything required to make the cookies right there in the pantry.

I wanted to try a variation on a ginger cookie so when I saw this recipe for an oatmeal-based ginger cookie I was ready to bake!  The result was delicious - I loved the added texture of the oatmeal for a different dimension.  The cookies were soft right out of the oven but hardened up a bit once completely cooled so I am going to play around with the amount of flour next time to see if I can create a softer cookie.  Click on the photo for a link to the recipe.  

Filed under food dessert cookie ginger oatmeal sweet recipe Taste of Home

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Steel cut oatmeal Like I said on National Oatmeal Day, I eat a lot of oatmeal.  But something that I’ve only recently tried has become my new favourite: steel cut oats! I bought the President’s Choice steel cut oats as they were on sale for $1.88 for a 840g size package, a steal of a deal if you ask me!  My main purpose for purchasing the oats was to try out some different slow cooker recipes (that’s a story for another day), but I finally got around to giving the stove-top version a try one recent Sunday morning.  I followed the package directions (but halved the recipe as the boyfriend was not interested in the least) and, when there was just a few minutes left of cooking time, added half a chopped Gala apple, a small handful of dried cherries, a     sprinkle of cinnamon and some slivered almonds.  It was everything I had hoped it would be: thick, hearty and tasty.   I’d love to be able to make this at work for breakfast each day, but the microwave directions call for an insane amount of time so I think this will either have to remain a weekend-only treat or I will have to explore the idea of making a batch ahead of time and reheating individual portions for breakfast.   What I love most about oatmeal is that the opportunities for flavour enhancement are boundless; let your flavour imagination run wild!

Steel cut oatmeal

Like I said on National Oatmeal Day, I eat a lot of oatmeal.  But something that I’ve only recently tried has become my new favourite: steel cut oats! 

I bought the President’s Choice steel cut oats as they were on sale for $1.88 for a 840g size package, a steal of a deal if you ask me!  My main purpose for purchasing the oats was to try out some different slow cooker recipes (that’s a story for another day), but I finally got around to giving the stove-top version a try one recent Sunday morning.  I followed the package directions (but halved the recipe as the boyfriend was not interested in the least) and, when there was just a few minutes left of cooking time, added half a chopped Gala apple, a small handful of dried cherries, a     sprinkle of cinnamon and some slivered almonds.  It was everything I had hoped it would be: thick, hearty and tasty.   

I’d love to be able to make this at work for breakfast each day, but the microwave directions call for an insane amount of time so I think this will either have to remain a weekend-only treat or I will have to explore the idea of making a batch ahead of time and reheating individual portions for breakfast.   

What I love most about oatmeal is that the opportunities for flavour enhancement are boundless; let your flavour imagination run wild!

Filed under breakfast food healthy oatmeal steel cut oats president's choice apple cinnamon almonds

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Happy National Oatmeal Day!  National Oatmeal Day might as well be every day for me! I eat oatmeal very, very often, so much so that I’ve got it down to a science: half a cup of these oats, mix in some dried fruit (usually dried cherries or cranberries), some chopped nuts (usually almonds, walnuts or pecans) and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Add boiling water, stir, wait, enjoy!  Oatmeal is a food for which I developed a taste quite late in life, relatively speaking. I didn’t really come to adore it as much as I do now until just a couple short years ago, in my late 20s. I realized that it was one of those foods for which the preparation was a key factor. Having had it prepared for me a certain way when I was a child (soupy, wet, watery) made me think that there was no other way that it could be eaten. It wasn’t until I played with it a little bit and discovered the way that I liked it prepared (quite dry, not soupy) that I fell in love.  To officially celebrate National Oatmeal Day, which happens each year today, October 29, I decided to make this delightful apple pie baked oatmeal. I found the recipe on the fantastic Nutritious Eats blog (click on the photo for a link to the recipe), and, after quickly scanning the ingredient list, I was psyched to realize that I had all the ingredients on hand to make it. It is so simple to put together and smelled amazing while slowly baking away in the oven. The result was delicious, hearty and paired perfectly with my steaming cup of coffee. I added a generous dollop of non-fat greek yogurt to my oatmeal for an extra textural sensation and to crank up the creaminess factor. The best part? I get to re-heat all week and re-live National Oatmeal Day over and over again while I enjoy the leftovers!

Happy National Oatmeal Day! 

National Oatmeal Day might as well be every day for me! I eat oatmeal very, very often, so much so that I’ve got it down to a science: half a cup of these oats, mix in some dried fruit (usually dried cherries or cranberries), some chopped nuts (usually almonds, walnuts or pecans) and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Add boiling water, stir, wait, enjoy! 

Oatmeal is a food for which I developed a taste quite late in life, relatively speaking. I didn’t really come to adore it as much as I do now until just a couple short years ago, in my late 20s. I realized that it was one of those foods for which the preparation was a key factor. Having had it prepared for me a certain way when I was a child (soupy, wet, watery) made me think that there was no other way that it could be eaten. It wasn’t until I played with it a little bit and discovered the way that I liked it prepared (quite dry, not soupy) that I fell in love. 

To officially celebrate National Oatmeal Day, which happens each year today, October 29, I decided to make this delightful apple pie baked oatmeal. I found the recipe on the fantastic Nutritious Eats blog (click on the photo for a link to the recipe), and, after quickly scanning the ingredient list, I was psyched to realize that I had all the ingredients on hand to make it. It is so simple to put together and smelled amazing while slowly baking away in the oven. The result was delicious, hearty and paired perfectly with my steaming cup of coffee. I added a generous dollop of non-fat greek yogurt to my oatmeal for an extra textural sensation and to crank up the creaminess factor. The best part? I get to re-heat all week and re-live National Oatmeal Day over and over again while I enjoy the leftovers!

Filed under food oatmeal baked National Oatmeal Day October 29 blog recdipe Nutritious Eats apple healthy breakfast brunch oats

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Friday Favourites: President’s Choice Organic Quick Oats I am an oatmeal addict. There, I said it! It is out in the open for all to know and see. Any way you make it, I’ll eat it! Which is why I couldn’t live without President’s Choice’s organic quick oats. This 1kg bag of oats goes for $3.79, which isn’t too bad if you ask me! I eat a half cup of these oats almost every morning, and they are fantastic! P.S. HAPPY LONG WEEKEND! :)

Friday Favourites: President’s Choice Organic Quick Oats

I am an oatmeal addict. There, I said it! It is out in the open for all to know and see. Any way you make it, I’ll eat it! Which is why I couldn’t live without President’s Choice’s organic quick oats. This 1kg bag of oats goes for $3.79, which isn’t too bad if you ask me! I eat a half cup of these oats almost every morning, and they are fantastic!

P.S. HAPPY LONG WEEKEND! :)

Filed under President's Choice breakfast food oatmeal organic quick oats healthy delicious

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Ellie’s Honey Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

I went on a bit of a baking kick recently, which included a recipe for these cookies by Food Network Star Ellie Krieger.

Whenever I come across one of Ellie’s recipes in my Food Network Magazine, I flag it to come back to when I get a chance.  I loved her show, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, and her approach to healthy cooking and eating.

I have to admit, when I first looked at the recipe for these cookies, I was a bit surprised by a few of the ingredients, such as non-fat dry milk, whole wheat pastry flour, honey and unsalted almond butter.  But I decided, what the heck, and made a trip to Bulk Barn to get the dry milk and pastry flour.  I made three substitutions to this recipe, which was to swap dried cranberries for the raisins, peanut butter for the almond butter and olive oil for the canola oil. 

As you can see from the photos, the cookies come out of the oven delightfully tall and puffy, and the flavour was fantastic.  They’re so chewy, with a hint of peanut butter and the sour zing of the dried cranberries every few bites.  I will definitely make these again; next time I’d like to try them with the unsalted/unsweetened almond butter as a comparison.

Filed under food cookie dessert oatmeal honey cranberry recipe Ellie Krieger Food Network

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Strawberry oatmeal cookies Aren’t these cookies so pretty?  Well, I think so!  I love the little flashes of bright red strawberry poking through.  I came across this recipe on the fantastic blog The Realistic Nutritionist and it really grabbed me: it’s been so long since I made a cookie that didn’t involve the same old ingredients, namely chocolate chips!  The recipe is very simple and the only thing to make note of is the two hours of chilling time for the dough.  Quite often I don’t take the time to read a recipe in its entirety before I start making it, which is a big mistake!  So, lessons learned, I now carefully take the time to read a recipe start to finish before I begin. The cookies turned out wonderfully.  They’re very soft and cake like, and the flavour is excellent - you get the bright taste of the strawberries mixed with the creaminess of the melty white chocolate chips and the texture of the oats.  Overall, this is a cookie recipe that will be in my permanent dessert arsenal!  Click on the photo for a link to the recipe.

Strawberry oatmeal cookies

Aren’t these cookies so pretty?  Well, I think so!  I love the little flashes of bright red strawberry poking through.  I came across this recipe on the fantastic blog The Realistic Nutritionist and it really grabbed me: it’s been so long since I made a cookie that didn’t involve the same old ingredients, namely chocolate chips! 

The recipe is very simple and the only thing to make note of is the two hours of chilling time for the dough.  Quite often I don’t take the time to read a recipe in its entirety before I start making it, which is a big mistake!  So, lessons learned, I now carefully take the time to read a recipe start to finish before I begin.

The cookies turned out wonderfully.  They’re very soft and cake like, and the flavour is excellent - you get the bright taste of the strawberries mixed with the creaminess of the melty white chocolate chips and the texture of the oats.  Overall, this is a cookie recipe that will be in my permanent dessert arsenal!  Click on the photo for a link to the recipe.

Filed under food dessert cookies strawberry white chocolate oatmeal sweet blog recipe The Realistic Nutritionist

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I’ve recently discovered that making enough dinner one night to have leftovers for another night frees up a bit of time to whip up last minute desserts!  While we were reheating dinner the other night, I put together two little apple crisps using one Lady Alice apple and some dried cherries.  It was such a lovely treat and so unexpectedly fast to make.  I didn’t follow any particular recipe, just mixed the apples and dried cherries together with some lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar, and then topped it with a mixture of quick oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and a little bit of margarine. 

I’ve recently discovered that making enough dinner one night to have leftovers for another night frees up a bit of time to whip up last minute desserts!  While we were reheating dinner the other night, I put together two little apple crisps using one Lady Alice apple and some dried cherries.  It was such a lovely treat and so unexpectedly fast to make.  I didn’t follow any particular recipe, just mixed the apples and dried cherries together with some lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar, and then topped it with a mixture of quick oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and a little bit of margarine. 

Filed under food dessert apples apple crisp dried cherries sweet oatmeal brown sugar cinnamon warm

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More baked oatmeal….yum! I was trying to fight off a bad cold last week, and baked oatmeal (although a very regular part of my diet) is so wholesome and was at the top of my “heal me” list of foods (right up there with the multiple bowls of pho brought to me by my fab boyfriend!). For my baked oatmeal recipe, I pretty much keep riffing off this; I change up the ingredients depending on what I have on hand or what I feel like eating.  Enjoy!  Oh, and I’m feeling much better thanks :)

More baked oatmeal….yum!

I was trying to fight off a bad cold last week, and baked oatmeal (although a very regular part of my diet) is so wholesome and was at the top of my “heal me” list of foods (right up there with the multiple bowls of pho brought to me by my fab boyfriend!).

For my baked oatmeal recipe, I pretty much keep riffing off this; I change up the ingredients depending on what I have on hand or what I feel like eating.  Enjoy!  Oh, and I’m feeling much better thanks :)

Filed under food oatmeal fruit breakfast baked wholesome hearty

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Happy Christmas Eve and Cinnamon Eggnog Oatmeal I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas is having a great Christmas Eve day so far!  I made this delicious oatmeal for breakfast this morning - a great way to start off my Christmas holidays! I came across the recipe on the Back to her Roots blog, and I was intrigued.  My interest was piqued by the use of eggnog to make this oatmeal.  I’m the type of person who just wants one small glass of eggnog, but you have to buy a whole litre, so I thought this would be a good way to use up the rest of my eggnog.  As well, I’m trying to get more comfortable with making homemade oatmeal (instead of instant packs) so I thought this would be another perfect practice round (see my first attempt with a blueberry baked oatmeal here). This turned out so great!  It was beyond simple to make and it was scrumptious - it warmed my insides and my heart! xo  Click on the photo for a link to the recipe.

Happy Christmas Eve and Cinnamon Eggnog Oatmeal

I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas is having a great Christmas Eve day so far!  I made this delicious oatmeal for breakfast this morning - a great way to start off my Christmas holidays!

I came across the recipe on the Back to her Roots blog, and I was intrigued.  My interest was piqued by the use of eggnog to make this oatmeal.  I’m the type of person who just wants one small glass of eggnog, but you have to buy a whole litre, so I thought this would be a good way to use up the rest of my eggnog.  As well, I’m trying to get more comfortable with making homemade oatmeal (instead of instant packs) so I thought this would be another perfect practice round (see my first attempt with a blueberry baked oatmeal here).

This turned out so great!  It was beyond simple to make and it was scrumptious - it warmed my insides and my heart! xo  Click on the photo for a link to the recipe.

Filed under food breakfast brunch oatmeal eggnog cinnamon Back to her Roots blog recipe

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Baked Oatmeal with Fruit I came across this recipe on the lovely blog Annie’s Eats and knew immediately that I had to try it.  I also knew that my sister would love it as she is a big oatmeal fan. We made this for breakfast one morning during her recent visit, and it was to die for! (If one can feel that way about oatmeal, which I think I do).  It’s hearty, sweet, and so succulent with the berries.  I will definitely make this recipe again!  Click on the photo for a link to the recipe.

Baked Oatmeal with Fruit

I came across this recipe on the lovely blog Annie’s Eats and knew immediately that I had to try it.  I also knew that my sister would love it as she is a big oatmeal fan.

We made this for breakfast one morning during her recent visit, and it was to die for! (If one can feel that way about oatmeal, which I think I do).  It’s hearty, sweet, and so succulent with the berries.  I will definitely make this recipe again!  Click on the photo for a link to the recipe.

Filed under food breakfast brunch oatmeal blueberries maple syrup Annie's Eats blog

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What’s in your work snack drawer? I have an office job, and like many of my coworkers, I have a desk drawer dedicated completely to snacks and drinks.  I keep my snack drawer stocked with granola bars, green tea, coffee K-cups, hot chocolate, packs of instant oatmeal, apple sauce, almonds, cashews, trail mix and some Jolly Ranchers in case of a dry or sore throat.  What’s in your work snack drawer?  Any other good suggestions for excellent snack foods?

What’s in your work snack drawer?

I have an office job, and like many of my coworkers, I have a desk drawer dedicated completely to snacks and drinks. 

I keep my snack drawer stocked with granola bars, green tea, coffee K-cups, hot chocolate, packs of instant oatmeal, apple sauce, almonds, cashews, trail mix and some Jolly Ranchers in case of a dry or sore throat. 

What’s in your work snack drawer?  Any other good suggestions for excellent snack foods?

Filed under food snacks work nuts candy tea hot chocolate oatmeal