Apple Pie Oatmeal

Happy Friday friendly faces! Yesterday was national oatmeal, which of course turned out to be the one morning in I don't know how long I didn't have oatmeal. Oh the irony. Anyway,  yesterday was miserable outside- gail force winds and pelting rain/hail. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in sweatpants with a book, but I had classes.

I came back from class cold and wet and did not feel like much of anything for dinner. I did feel like a big bowl of oatmeal, so that's what I had! Of course I had to make use of the honeycrisp apples I had picked up so I made apple pie oatmeal. I hate pie, but this oatmeal is OH SO GOOD! It's like fall in bowl, plus it's quick to whip up in the morning!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup gluten free oats
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons egg whites
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 small honeycrisp apple, sliced

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Spray a 3 inch ramekin with nonstick cook spray or coconut oil. 

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the apple in the ramekin.

Bake at 350F degrees for 10 minutes.

Remove ramekin and place apple slices on top of oatmeal. If you place apple slices on top before baking they will sink.

Return ramekin to oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. The oatmeal is done baking when it is fluffy and the top has hardened. 

Allow ramekin to cool for a few minutes. 

If desired top with a pinch more cinnamon, apple pie spice, and Purely Elizabeth pumpkin fig granola. Enjoy! 

Very Berry Baked Oatmeal

Happy Tuesday everyone! I can't believe it's almost the end of October, where did the month go? On the other hand graduation is getting so close I can almost taste it! The one thing I can taste right now is very berry baked oatmeal.

I am LOVING baked oatmeal! I am also loving adding egg whites into my baked oatmeal because it makes the oatmeal so stinking fluffy! Like ridiculously fluffy y'all. In between is packed with so many berries, that it's berrylicious! Can you tell I've been doing too much homework? Anywho, try this berry good baked oatmeal and hashtag #thesimplelife on instagram so I can see your creations!

Very Berry Baked Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup gluten free oatmeal
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons egg whites
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• heaping 1/4 cup fresh berries

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Spray a 3 inch ramekin with coconut oil.

In the ramekin combine oats, cinnamon, egg whites, and almond milk. Stir well to combine all ingredients- it does take awhile to distribute cinnamon.

Finally, mix in fresh berries. I used fresh strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

Bake at 350F degrees for 30 minutes, or until oatmeal is puffed and slightly hardened on top.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before eating. Before eating I topped with more fresh berries and 1/2 tablespoon Wild Friends cinnamon raisin peanut butter. Enjoy!

Baked Cinnamon Egg White Raspberry Oatmeal

Happy Sunday friendly faces! My Sunday morning has been rather productive thus far and it's not even 8:30am. Normally I let myself sleep in on Sunday- and by sleep in I mean I don't set my alarm, but normally I am up at 4 anyway. I couldn't sleep so I got up and went to the gym. 

Sunday's are either rest days or cardio days for me depending on what I feel like. This morning I did a light 4 miles and it felt amazing! Since I wasn't able to run for over a year and then I had to take another break of almost 3 weeks I have really been appreciating what my body can do. For now I'm taking it slow and building up my mileage and slowly working on my time. I have the itch to start training for a half marathon again though!!

After running and doing some light cross training I whipped up some baked oatmeal. I had never had baked oatmeal before and boy was I missing out! It's so fluffy and delicious! I normally have cinnamon oatmeal, but I threw a little spin on it to add some extra protein to refuel. It's healthy, easy, and a quick Sunday morning breakfast to help you power through the day!

Baked Cinnamon Egg White Raspberry Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup gluten free oats
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, more or less to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons egg whites
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 oz fresh raspberries, divided

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. 

Spray a ramekin (I used a 3 inch ramekin) with nonstick cook spray or coconut oil. 

Combine oats, cinnamon, baking powder, vanilla extract, egg whites and almond milk in ramekin. Stir until well combined.

Add in 1 oz fresh raspberries. I cut some of the raspberries in half.

Baked oatmeal at 350F degrees for 20-25 minutes. The oatmeal will be done when it has puffed and hardened on top.

Allow oatmeal to cool for a few minutes. 

Top with the remaining 1 oz fresh raspberries, Purely Elizabeth pumpkin fig granola, and Buff Bake coffee bean protein almond butter. Enjoy! 

Nutrition: 
MACROS: 34C/5F/11P

Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 224
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	3 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 187 mg	8 %
Potassium 388 mg	11 %
Total Carbohydrate 34 g	11 %
Dietary Fiber 8 g	33 %
Sugars 4 g
Protein 11 g	22 %
Vitamin A	5 %
Vitamin C	25 %
Calcium	24 %
Iron	14 %

Cinnamon Pumpkin Oats

Pure pumpkiny goodness! I have gotten a LOT of requests for this recipe since I posted this picture on instagram. It is the height of pumpkin season after all and what better way to celebrate than with pumpkin oatmeal?

This oatmeal is literally all pumpkin! Pumpkin oats (so good), topped with pumpkin spice peanut butter, and pumpkin fig granola. I may turn into a pumpkin (doubtful, but a girl can dream). Treat yourself to this healthy, delicious, and nutritious breakfast!

Cinnamon Pumpkin Oats

• 1/2 gluten free oats
• 1/8 cup pumpkin puree
• cinnamon, to taste
• pumpkin pie spice, to taste
• 1 cup water

In a microwave safe bowl combine oats and water.

Microwave for one minute and thirty seconds.

Take oats out, careful the bowl will be hot, and stir in pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Measure the spice according to your personal preference. I LOVE cinnamon so I use a lot.

You don't have to, but you can microwave oats again for 20-30 seconds to warm up the pumpkin puree.

Top with fruit, Purely Elizabeth Pumpkin Fig granola, and Wild Friends Pumpkin Spice peanut butter and enjoy!

What I Ate Wednesday

I would like to say What I Ate Wednesday should be a thing, but I just can't guarantee it with my class schedule and homework (read: I'm drowning in homework). I get requests to share what I eat on a regular basis and I would share more, but honestly I always forget to take photos. For one day I remembered so I thought I'd share.

For breakfast I had the usual gluten free oats. I eat breakfast after I workout. I used to eat before and I've found out that eating afterward works best for my body. I have a protein shake before working out- just protein powder and water. Back to the oats, it's just microwaved oats topped with cinnamon, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi slices, and San Franola Granola cinnamon almond granola. I also had 1/2 a Quest protein bar.

I have to have lunch way early because of my class schedule so I make something up ahead of time. I made my paleo bun the night before and added spinach, avocado, tomato slices, oven roasted turkey breast, and banana peppers. I also had a strawberry Elli Quark (you can read my Elli Quark review here) and topped it with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and Purely Elizabeth original granola. 

Dinner time! Once again rushed because night class (yuck). I'm not kidding when I say meal prep saves me during the week. A lentil veggie patty, a peach, and french style garlic green beans. No gonna lie I added ketchup to the veggie patty after the picture. I don't use ketchup often, but some things in life need ketchup and burgers, even if they're vegetarian, need ketchup. I always look for a ketchup with as few ingredients as possible- typically just tomatoes and maybe tomato paste. 

In between meals if I get hungry I do snack. I always have fresh fruit and veggies ready to snack on. Typically I like to have green grapes, a small apple- honeycrisp and granny smiths are my favorites- and really any kind of fruit. For veggies I typically have mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower on hand. 

Meal Prep: Lentil Veggie Patties

No case of the Monday blues here! It has been too productive of a day to be upset that it is Monday, besides I enjoy my Monday classes. This weekend and today have been rather hectic, which is why I am so late in getting this post up. 

It is definitely worth the wait! These vegetarian patties of deliciousness satisfy your tastebuds and your tummy, plus you can eat more than one without feeling guilty! Besides being totally delicious I prepped this recipe in less than 15 minutes- totally a win in my books! I know it may seem complicated, but it's really not and your tastebuds will definitely thank you! 

Lentil Veggie Patties

• 1 cup steamed, ready to eat lentils
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup no salt added garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/2 cup organic sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons organic no salt added tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1.5 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 heaping teaspoon chili powder
• ground black pepper, to taste
• red pepper flakes, to taste

Cook rice according to package instructions and set aside.

In a food processor, or a ninja blender, combine garbanzo beans, mushrooms, minced garlic, and olive oil. Process until all the mushrooms are chopped and everything is combined. You don't want to over process and form a "paste."

In a large mixing bowl mash lentils and rice. This will take a bit of time and some muscle, so be patient.

When lentils and rice are mashed add in garbanzo bean, mushroom, and olive oil mixture. Also add in tomato paste, flaxseed, chili powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. 

Make sure the ingredients are well mixed. 

Using your hands form patties. I made 7 medium (3.3oz) patties. You can make your patties bigger or smaller. 

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. 

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with nonstick cook spray. 

Bake patties at 375F degrees for 22 minutes, flipping the patties halfway through cooking. 

Allow patties to cool before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Nutrition (per patty):

MACROS: 11C/3F/5P

Nutrition Facts
Servings 7.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 89
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3 g	5 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	2 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 82 mg	3 %
Potassium 24 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 11 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 4 g	17 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 5 g	9 %
Vitamin A	2 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	2 %
Iron	9 %

Weekend Recap

Sometimes I swear Tuesday's will be the death of me. Tuesday's are my extremely long day of classes and I have night class. I hate night class. I'm not a night person to begin with and I really don't learn well at night. Combine a lack of sleep and a general dislike of night classes and it's like a storm of grumpy. I try really hard to be positive about it, but by the end of class I am beyond tired. 

My Tuesday rant is over I promise. On to the weekend recap! I feel like a broken record, but my weekend was packed with homework (no surprise). I had six papers to write, a news package to write, track, film a stand-up for, and edit, and hundreds of pages to read between all my classes. I busted my butt and cranked out papers like no other. By Saturday morning I had written four papers and my news package and needed a break- although I probably shouldn't have taken one. I hoped in the car and just drove. I enjoyed the sunshine, the fall colors, and having the road mostly to myself in the early morning. 

Sadly, I did have to go back and work on homework (boo). On the bright side for dinner I heated up leftover crockpot turkey and veggie meatballs because they're downright delicious. Fall equals crockpot weather in my books so it was the perfect dinner for a gorgeous fall day. 

Sunday I spent a large chunk of the afternoon editing my news package for one of my broadcasting classes. I had to film a stand-up too, but that was quick and easy to do. I am not a fan of editing though, and I really hate audio editing, but I persevered and I think the final product is pretty good!

Even though it's not the weekend I'm going to include Monday just because. Monday I was a ball of nerves because I had to do a lengthy presentation. I don't generally mind presentations, but I hate talking about myself. I love hearing other people's stories about where they came from and everything, but I don't like to talk about myself. I successfully made it through the presentation and was greeted with a warm bowl of crockpot chicken and veggie soup when I got home. I curled up with my bowl of soup and a pile of textbooks and got cracking.

Meal Prep: Crockpot Chicken and Veggie Soup (Vegetarian Option)

Happy Monday! I know I am a little late getting this post up so I apologize. It's been a hectic weekend and I should probably be preparing for my presentation later this afternoon, but blogging is more fun! I'm going to try to get a weekend recap post up this week because even though the weekend was hectic I got to enjoy a bit of the gorgeous fall weather while driving around.

With all the hecticness I knew I was not going to have time full out meal prep so I meal prepped crockpot style. This took less than 15 minutes to throw in the crockpot and the results are so good! It's packed with veggies and protein, what could be better? There are so many ways to customize this recipe- experiment with seasonings add in different veggies, the possibilities are endless! Later this week I'm going to post a low carb cornbread muffin recipe I made for with the soup- they pair perfectly with the soup and are only made with 4 ingredients! WIN! Until then, grab a book, some tea, and bowl of this soup because this is how fall cooking should be done! 

Crockpot Chicken and Veggie Soup

• 1 lb organic chicken breast tenderloins*
• 14.5 oz. organic diced tomatoes
• 6 oz. organic no salt added tomato paste
• 32 oz. organic low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 lb (16 oz) frozen green beans
• 2 cups (10.5 oz.) sliced carrots
• 1 medium (8.1 oz) sweet onion, diced
• 14 oz organic mini bella mushrooms, sliced
• Seasonings of choice

In a lined crockpot pour 1/3 of the diced tomatoes.

Next, layer in diced onion, sliced carrots, and sliced mini bella mushrooms.

Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. I did not cut up the chicken prior to putting it into the crockpot because it becomes extremely tender in the crockpot and will break apart easily for you before serving it. 

*For a vegetarian option replace the chicken with 1.5-2 cups lentils or use your choice of beans.

On top of the chicken spread out the remaining diced tomatoes and the tomato paste. 

Add the green beans on top of the chicken and tomatoes and pour the vegetable/chicken broth into the crockpot.

Finally add any seasonings you'd like. I added around 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, a bit of ground black pepper, and for a kick I added chili seasoning. 

Cover the crockpot and turn on low for 6-8 hours.

Before serving stir everything together. The chicken will easily break apart for you while stirring. I also tasted some of the soup and added a bit more chili seasoning. 

I covered the crockpot and let everything simmer for another 20ish minutes.

This makes nine 1 cup servings. I served the soup with a new low carb cornbread muffin I made. I will be posting that recipe this week! 

Nutrition per serving (based on 9 1 cup servings):

MACROS: 15C/0F/15P

Nutrition Facts
Servings 9.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 128
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0 g	0 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	0 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 23 mg	8 %
Sodium 195 mg	8 %
Potassium 288 mg	8 %
Total Carbohydrate 15 g	5 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	13 %
Sugars 7 g
Protein 15 g	31 %
Vitamin A	59 %
Vitamin C	21 %
Calcium	5 %
Iron	7 %