Easy Back to School Breakfast "Berry Apple Swiss Oatmeal"

As I am writing this post, I am eating a jar of the Back to School Berry Apple Swiss Oatmeal my eighteen year old step daughter made for her dad and I.  She absolutely loves these jars for breakfast, lunch and dinner , LOL!  I thought it would be a good idea for her to do a run through on the recipe to see how it tasted if someone else made it.  Just as delicious. 

If you're not a breakfast person like me, this is a great alternative.  The flavors are crisp and creamy  from the apples and yogurt and with a hearty flavor from the oatmeal and nuts.  It will keep you full til lunch so you're not snacking. If you are always in a rush in the morning (like me)  packing lunches and get myself out the door, this is a great shortcut. I make them on Sunday night and we are ready to go on Monday morning, just grab a jar and a topping bag and I'm out the door.  Trust me when I say, I make this weekly... my family absolutely loves these jars.  I cannot believe I waited so long to start making them.   But here they are now. So I hope you give this recipe a try...

Happy Cooking everyone!

Easy Back to School Breakfast "Berry Apple Swiss Oatmeal"
Makes 8 jars

Ingredients:
3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
3 cups Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt (not Greek)
2 cups  Low Fat Milk (or you can use Vanilla Almond Milk)
4 Tablespoon Honey
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
pinch of salt
3 Granny Smith Apples, cored and sliced into cubes
1 cup sliced Strawberries or 1 cup Blueberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup of toasted almond slices
3 tablespoons light brown sugar or 2 tablespoons of white sugar

Need:
8-16 oz Mason Jars  (Target is a great source for these)
Cooking Spray
Large bowl


Directions:
1. In a Large bowl add 3 cups of old fashioned oats

2. Add 3 cups vanilla yogurt

3. Add 2 cups of milk, 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix everything together

4. Core and Cut up three large Granny Smith apples into 1" cubes.


















5. Add chopped apples into the large bowls

6. Add a cup of cut strawberries or cup of blueberries and 1/3 cup of dried cranberries in the large bowl

7. Fold in the cut up fruit into the yogurt/oat mixture

8. Add 2-3 1/4 cups measurements of mixture into each of the mason jars. Tighten lids and put in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

9. Turn on oven to 350 degrees.   Add 1 cup a sliced almonds to cookie sheet.  Spray with coconut oil or  vegetable oil.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 5 minutes, till nuts are golden.   Remove from oven and cool.   Put 2-3 tablespoons of nut mixture in 8 plastic snack bags and serve with Berry Apple Swiss Oatmeal.

10. Oats are good in the refrigerator for 3-4 for days for freshness.

Whole Wheat Strawberry Banana Muffins

I'm normally not a whole wheat flour kind of girl, but lately I have been loving baking with King Arthur white whole wheat flour. I've found that baked goods made with whole wheat flour can have an overwhelming "wheat" taste and sometimes the texture is off (ie dry). I didn't have that same issue using the white whole wheat flour. You can still taste the flavor of the wheat, but it's not as dominant and is actually pretty complimentary in this recipe.

 

 

The key to this recipe ? Make sure your bananas are overly ripe. They should look black and feel mushy, that's when you know they're perfect for baking.

 

I also recommend placing the chopped strawberries on a paper towel to take away a bit of the moisture. Sometimes baking with strawberries can weigh the batter down due to the moisture.

If you'd like to learn more about baking with white whole wheat flour, King Arthur Flour has a great article here

 

Whole Wheat Strawberry Banana Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 overly ripe bananas (they should look black and be very mushy)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 large egg, room temp
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups of strawberries, chopped (place on a paper towel after chopping to remove some of the moisture)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Place the bananas in a large bowl and mash them with a fork. Add the melted coconut oil, egg, light brown sugar, vanilla extract and yogurt. Whisk to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir/fold lightly with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are just about incorporated into the wet ingredients (a few remaining streaks of flour is ok).

Add the chopped strawberries and fold gently with a rubber spatula.

Fill the muffin cups with batter and bake for about 20-22 minutes or until muffins spring back when lightly touched on top and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Place the pan on a wire cooling rack and cool the muffins in the pan for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and place directly on wire cooling rack.

These muffins are best eaten fresh. Store leftovers in an air tight container at room temp for up to one day.

Slow Cooker Turkey 2-Way Chili

I'm excited to start a new Healthy (Mostly) Slow Cooker Recipe Series on the blog. I'll be sharing (mostly) healthy recipes you can make in your slow cooker with a few decadent recipes thrown in every once in a while!

 

 

 

This first recipe I am calling "Turkey 2-Way" Chili. I incorporated 2 types of turkey, ground turkey and smoked turkey sausage, for extra flavor. I love using smoked meats in chili and this recipe does not disappoint!

I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to spices, so if you like your chili on the spicy side, feel free to add more chili powder, however I encourage you to taste the chili after a few hours of cooking first and then adjust the spices to suit your taste. The 2 tablespoons of chili powder plus the cayenne pepper might be enough for you...

I'd also like to point out that the consistency of my chili was thicker than I would have liked. I recommend adding some broth to loosen it up, which I have added to the recipe below.

The beauty of this chili is that you can customize it to suit your taste! If you prefer thicker chili, like the photos, you can leave out the broth or you can judge the consistency about 3/4 of the way through the cooking process and add the broth at that time if you prefer chili with more liquid like me.

However you prefer it, I hope you enjoy!

 

Turkey 2-Way Slow Cooker Chili
Serves 6


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb smoked turkey sausage, diced
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 15oz cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 15oz cans petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 15oz can fire roasted corn or regular corn
1/2 cup pickled jalapenos
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper


Directions:

In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced smoked sausage and cook until browned. Remove from pan and add the ground turkey. Cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until browned and no longer pink. Try to get some good brown color on the ground turkey meat for additional flavor. Remove from pan and place the meat into your slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine.

Cook on low for 6 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve topped with cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, diced green onions, avocado and cilantro if desired. Of course, if you add the cheese, sour cream etc... it makes the chili less healthy : )

Monster Trail Mix Granola Bars for The Leftovers Club

The beginning of September means Labor Day and back to school! This month's Leftover's Club swap had a back to school theme. My partner for this month, Francesca from My Pixie Steps, has a new blog and is also new to The Leftovers Club. Welcome Francesca! Francesca's blog is all about her journey towards eating healthy and she has shared several great looking healthy recipes on her blog so far. You should go check it out!

 

 

On her blog, Francesca mentions she has kids so I wanted to make a healthy, back to school treat that her whole family could enjoy. Homemade trail mix is healthy and can be easily customized to suit your tastes. I used homemade trail mix to make these Monster Cookie Granola Bars using a variety of dried fruits and nuts (almonds, cashews, dried cranberries, blueberries and dark chocolate) sweetened with honey and peanut butter. I meant to throw some flax seed in there, but forgot! At the last minute I decided to decorate the top with a few mini M&M's. I know, not very healthy, but hey you have to indulge a little bit sometime, right?

 

This recipe is super fast and easy to make (no bake), even the kids can make it on their own. I hope you give it a try!

 

If you'd like to join the The Leftovers Club, like Francesca did, and swap yummy goodies with fellow bloggers, please sign up over at Food Ramblings. Elizabeth does a great job of organizing the swap every month. I guarantee you'll have a lot of fun!

 

 





Monster Trail Mix Granola Bars
Makes 10 bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted, roasted cashews
2/3 cup whole, raw almonds
1 1/2 cups organic old fashioned oats
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate chunks
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp kosher sea salt
1/4 cup mini M&M's for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Line an 8x8 baking pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper. Set aside.

Coarsely chop the cashews, almonds and cranberries. Place them in a large bowl with the oats, dried blueberries and chopped dark chocolate chunks.

Place the peanut butter in a small microwaveable bowl. Heat for 35-40 seconds or until melted. Remove from the microwave and add the honey and sea salt. Stir well to combine. Allow to cool for a bit until room temp but still loose. If the peanut butter is too hot, it will melt the chocolate.

Pour the peanut butter/honey mixture over the granola mixture and stir well to combine.

Dump the mixture into the prepared baking pan and press into an even layer. I wet my hands a little bit to make this part easier. Press well to  compact the bars then sprinkle the mini M&M's on top and gently press those into the top to help them adhere. Cover and refrigerate a few hours or overnight to harden.

Remove from the baking pan using the foil and cut into bars. Enjoy!

Store tightly covered at room temp for up to 5 days or store in the refrigerator (preferred).

An InLinkz Link-up

The Perfect Shower Salad: Mixed Greens with Orange and Pomegranate Seeds

Lately Faye and I have had the opportunity to cater a few Showers which is fun for us because we get to test out new recipes on people we know and also celebrate the special occasions in our friend's lives.  

 

For this particular shower our menu featured fresh ingredients which is perfect for Spring! The featured salad, Mixed Greens with Orange sections and Pomegranate Seeds. Also on the menu, Corn and Asparagus Salad with sweet Cherry Tomatoes, Turkey & Brie Panini with Apple & Cranberry Chutney and Fresh Grilled Veggie & Hummus wraps. 

 

We ended our healthy meal with dessert of course! After all, all that healthy eating makes a girl hungry (ha!). Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes with fresh strawberry filling and whipped cream topping, Chocolate Merlot Cupcakes with a white chocolate filling.. let's just say it was another successful event catered by LiveBakeLove.

 

 It's funny.... even though Faye and I cook (A LOT), we still manage to learn new things all the time. For me, my salad recipe required segmented oranges and I wasn't sure how to segment an orange correctly. Thank God for the internet! This nice lady Trish has a great instructional video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k2ths-wsxI ) which I followed and voila! I segmented all of the oranges perfectly! Thanks Trish!!

 

Now back to the featured salad....this is salad is delicious! The recipe was given to me by a coworker.  It's simple, healthy and has amazing flavor. You will love the lemon dressing and the pomegranates and oranges give it just the right amount of sweetness for a savory salad. 

 

I hope you give this salad a try for your next event or just for yourself ! And to Paola and Jeremy, congratuations on the little guy... LIVEBAKELOVE cannot wait to meet him!

Happy Cooking Everyone.

Dressing:

1/3 c. olive oil

¼ c. fresh lemon juice

½ t. fresh lemon zest

1 tablespoon of minced shallot

½ t. Dijon mustard

Salt & pepper to taste

Salad ingredients:

8 oz. mixed greens

¼ c. candied walnuts

¼ c. pomegranate seeds

1-2 oranges , sectioned  

3 T. freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Dressing: Mix all ingredients together and put in refrigerator until ready to use.

Salad: Combine all ingredients except for the nuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Add nuts and dress. Serve.