Power Breakfast

Happy Monday! I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving with family and friends. If your Thanksgiving was anything like mine there was more food than people and there was plenty of football to be had. I have to mention that the Lions won- it was a Thanksgiving miracle!!

I still can't believe November is almost over. It seems like it just started and now it's almost December and I graduate in less than two weeks-AHHH!! Time has been FLYING by and I'm trying to enjoy every second of it because I know life is going to change a lot. After hitting the gym Friday morning- and avoiding shopping at all costs- I was in need of an extra energy boost. I refueled with a powerful breakfast to get my day started before hitting the books to work on homework. Believe me I need all the energy I can get from food because I am lacking energy and motivation when it comes to school (I blame senioritis).

Power Breakfast

• 1/3 cup gluten free oats
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 honeycrisp apple, cut into chunks
• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 oz fresh raspberries
• 1/2 oz pomegranate seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Purely Elizabeth pumpkin fig granola

In a bowl or ramekin combine oats, nutmeg, and cinnamon. 

Add in water and stir. 

After stirring, add in apple chunks- I added a bit more cinnamon too- and stir.

Microwave for 1.5-2 minutes. Check oatmeal instructions. You want to make sure the oatmeal is hot and the apples are tender.

Add greek yogurt, raspberries, and pomegranate seeds to oatmeal. 

Finally top oats with Purely Elizabeth pumpkin fig granola and enjoy! It's a great high protein workout perfect for refueling after a workout or powering up for work or school!

Nutrition (one serving):
MACROS: 44C/13P/4F

Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 250
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	7 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 5 mg	2 %
Sodium 65 mg	3 %
Potassium 257 mg	7 %
Total Carbohydrate 44 g	15 %
Dietary Fiber 8 g	32 %
Sugars 18 g
Protein 13 g	26 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	27 %
Calcium	11 %
Iron	11 %

Baked Raspberry Pomegranate Oatmeal

T'was the day before Thanksgiving and all across the land every dang person was at the grocery store. BUT SERIOUSLY. I swear everyone and their brother is at the dang grocery store. I just wanted some fresh produce, but I think I will wait and dare I say it? I may possibly attempt grocery shopping on black Friday<- I could live to regret that statement. 

Since I pulled into the grocery store and the parking lot was basically full- I'm brave, but I'm not dumb so this sista is going without blackberries for a few days. I'm going to make do with what I have so if you see some weird combinations on your instagram feed it's because I'm almost out of fruit (no worries broccoli oatmeal will not be happening).  

Baked oatmeal has become one of my favorite breakfasts even though it does take 30 minutes to bake. I'm almost always starving when I come back from the gym so I have the oatmeal prepped in the fridge and pop it in while I shower and change. Nothing beats a delicious breakfast to start the day!

Baked Raspberry Pomegranate Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup gluten free oats
• 1 Tablespoon Salba Chia Seeds
• 1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon
• heaping 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1.5 oz fresh raspberries
• 1 oz pomegranate seeds, divided

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Spray a ramekin with nonstick cook spray or coconut oil. 

In ramekin combine oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, and baking powder.

Once dry ingredients are combine add in egg whites, vanilla extract, and almond milk. Stir until batter has thickened slightly. 

Stir half of the pomegranate seeds into the batter.

Place raspberries and remaining pomegranate seeds on top of the batter.

Bake at 350F degrees for 30-35 minutes. Allow the oatmeal to cool for a few minutes before eating.

Crockpot Balsamic Pork Chops

Happy Monday before Thanksgiving! I am ready for Thanksgiving break (which doesn't start until Wednesday), but at the same time I still have a ton of homework to do over Thanksgiving break so it might not be much of a break at all. On the bright side less than 3 weeks till graduation!! All of my chords from the organizations I'm part of came in the mail and I got really excited!!

While I am excited for graduation I am a little sad. For one I'm going to miss my friends, having unlimited freedom, and not having anyone to nag me (sorry mom). I will NOT miss the homework, exams, or stress that comes will classes. 

Enough about graduating I'll do a post about that later. Onto the food! I haven't used my crockpot a ton this year, but I have definitely used it. It makes meal prep easy, especially now that I have been so busy. I hardly ever eat pork- I'm just not a big fan, but I needed a break from salads, chicken, and ground turkey. I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it turned out and how the meat fell apart when I tried to get it out of the crockpot. Be prepared for some seriously tender meat!

Crockpot Balsamic Pork Chops

• 4 pork chops (approx. ~5oz each)
• 1 cup organic low sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 Tablespoon gluten free low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic (to taste)
• ground black pepper, to taste
• seasonings of choice

Line the crockpot with a slow cooker liner and place the pork chops in the bottom of the crockpot.

In a 2 cup measuring cup combine chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic. Stir until well combined.

Pour liquid over pork chops. 

Sprinkle pepper (if using) and any seasonings you'd like over pork chops.

Finally, cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. The meat will be so tender it will literally fall apart when you go to serve it! 

Nutrition (per serving):
MACROS: 13C/12F/37P

Nutrition Facts
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 305
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12 g	18 %
Saturated Fat 4 g	19 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 113 mg	38 %
Sodium 245 mg	10 %
Potassium 0 mg	0 %
Total Carbohydrate 13 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	6 %
Sugars 11 g
Protein 37 g	73 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	0 %
Iron	6 %

Cinnamon Pear Baked Oatmeal

Can I get an AMEN that it's finally Friday?! The end of the semester is closing in and profs have been piling on the work like none other. I've come to grips with the fact that I just won't have a social life until graduation and exams are over. A large part of me has already mentally checked out- the part of me that hasn't sleep in weeks and is up to my ears in projects, papers, and news stories that need to be edited. Thank the lord I am almost done with school- I've had more than my fill.

About the only thing keeping me sane these days is going to the gym and letting off some steam. I haven't run in awhile because it's been painful to do so. I'm letting my body be my guide and clearly its needed a break. 

ANYWHO onto the tasty part, that's why you're here right? I have been a pear eating machine this fall and in large part its because they are so good!! And sprinkled with cinnamon then baked in oatmeal HOLY DELICIOUSNESS!! I've gotten multiple requests to share this recipe, so it's about time I finally got around to it. Be warned you better prepare yourself because your house/apartment will smell amazing and your tastebuds will definitely be doing a happy dance!!

Cinnamon Pear Baked Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup gluten free oats
• 1/2 heaping tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• a little over 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 3 Tablespoons liquid egg whites, or one egg (yolk+whites)
• 1/2 pear, sliced

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. 

Spray a ramekin with nonstick cook spray or coconut oil.

In the ramekin combine oats, cinnamon and baking powder.

When the dry ingredients are combined add in the vanilla extract, egg whites, and almond milk. 

Finally lay pear slices on top of oats and sprinkle with more cinnamon.

Bake at 350F degrees for 30 minutes. 

Allow the oats to cool for a few minutes before devouring!

Crockpot Pumpkin Chili (Low Carb)

Monday morning we meet again. I had the rare opportunity to have a social life this weekend- crazy I know. In my news reporting class we were given an extra week to work on our last package so I got to have a weekend to unwind and hangout with friends. 

With graduation fast approaching (AHH!!!) I have a few events coming up, including graduation, that I need to dress up for. Saturday morning I headed out to the mall with some friends to look for dresses. I left the mall cranky and without any dresses. Everything has sequins, which don't get me wrong I love glitter and sequins, but an all sequin super short dress is not exactly appropriate for college graduation. My commencement robe (is there a technical name for that?) is navy blue and ideally I'd like a white or off-white dress for it. If anyone has any suggestions of places to check out PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Anyway, on to the food. It's been fairly warm recently and I am LOVING it! I will soak up all this sunshine because I know it won't last (sadly). Later this week it's supposed to turn cold and rainy and that made me crave some chili. Since it's so close to Thanksgiving I wanted to put a Thanksgiving-y spin on the chili, so I made pumpkin chili! I know I'm on a pumpkin kick (see pumpkin waffle), but this chili is so good! The pumpkin is not overpowering and the combo of flavors is actually very, very tasty.

Crockpot Pumpkin Chili

• 16 oz lean ground turkey
• 29 oz organic pumpkin puree 
• 14.5 oz organic diced tomatoes with green chilies 
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ground black pepper to taste
• OPTIONAL: pinch pumpkin pie seasoning

Line a crockpot with a slow cooker liner.

Place diced onion and red bell pepper at bottom of crockpot.

Place ground turkey on top of onion and bell pepper in crockpot.

Dump pumpkin puree and diced tomatoes on top of ground turkey.

Finally, add in the spices- chili powder, minced garlic, pepper, and pumpkin pie spice.

Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Halfway through cooking (or before serving) uncover the crockpot and stir everything together. Add in more chili powder if desired. 

Cover crockpot and continue cooking for the remaining time. 

Stir chili again before serving. Serve chili with gluten free cornbread. 

Nutrition per serving (based on 7 servings of 1 cup):
MACROS: 14C/5F/15P

Nutrition Facts
Servings 7.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 157
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	8 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	7 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 46 mg	15 %
Sodium 274 mg	11 %
Potassium 68 mg	2 %
Total Carbohydrate 14 g	5 %
Dietary Fiber 5 g	19 %
Sugars 6 g
Protein 15 g	30 %
Vitamin A	22 %
Vitamin C	34 %
Calcium	4 %
Iron	8 %