Oatmeal Rice Pudding (Dairy free, Healthy)

For most people, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are defined by pumpkin pie, candy canes, gingerbread, sugar cookies, egg nog, and so on. At least this is true for foodies.

For me, its always has been rice pudding. See, being Scandinavian, my grandma and aunts always make huge pots of rice pudding for gatherings. They even follow the tradition of slipping an almond into the dessert, and whoever gets the serving with the almond gets a prize. As if the pudding itself isn't a prize in itself!

Delicious as it is, there's no denying how unhealthy the treat is-- sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and white rice aren't quite health food. So, I took on the challenge with my trusty friend, Oatmeal.

Now you can enjoy this fluffy, elegant pudding without a trace of guilt! This makes a large single serving, just so you all know.


"Rice" Pudding Oatmeal
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup water, or almond milk for an extra creamy result
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup almond milk
Sweetener of choice, to taste
2 large egg whites
cinnamon or nutmeg, optional

1. Cook the oatmeal in the cup of liquid (water or milk, 1 cup) on stove over medium heat, stirring frequently
2. After all liquid is absorbed, stir in sweetener, milk, and extract and cook until the milk has thickened slightly
3. Meanwhile, beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
4. Fold eggwhites into oatmeal gently, over low heat until egg whites are cooked. 
5. Serve immediately. Top with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desires.

Enjoy It! 

It's healthy enough to eat for breakfast--I mean really, it's oatmeal and eggs!

Danielle


P.S. By clicking on the black icon above and to the right, you can hop on over to Blogaholic Designs and enter into a giveaway for a free blogger template!

Pumpkin Meringue Pie Baked Oatmeal

Pumpkin pumpkin everywhere. Some hate it. Some love it. I am lucky enough to be in the latter category. I mean really, though, what's not to love? Pumpkin desserts are basically a hug from fall. I may not be in love with fall, but I am not opposed to hugs. Or pumpkin.

And what better way is there than to start off your day than with a dessert-like hug from fall? (The answer is no way, to those of you who were wondering)

Now, to be perfectly honest, I'm already listening to Christmas carols. Yep.

*ooh, I can feel you judging me*

But that doesn't mean that I am not also embracing the beauty of fall at the same time...
...and now you can, too!

Pumpkin Meringue Pie Baked Oatmeal
Serves one

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1.5 cups pumpkin puree
1.5 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp almond milk
Sweetener of choice, to taste
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
__________________________________________
For the meringue: (optional)
1 large egg white
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sugar, optional
1/8 tsp. Cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a single-serve ramkin
2. In a small bowl, combine together oats, spice, and baking powder.
3. Softly stir in pumpkin, milk, sweetener, and vanilla.
4. Put in ramkin and bake for 15 minutes if using meringue, or thirty minutes if not using the meringue.
5. If making meringue: while oatmeal is in the oven, beat egg white until it forms stiff peaks. Continue to beat in vanilla, cream of tartar, and sugar, if using.
6. After the oatmeal has been in the oven for fifteen minutes, top with the egg white mixture, and return to oven for an additional fifteen minutes, or until the meringue has cooked through.
7. Enjoy your hug from fall.

<3 Danielle

Cherry Baked Oatmeal

Did you miss me? I'm sorry I skipped several days of blogging, but I have a confession to make: this is going to be kind of a new norm.  I never want to be that blogger who fades out and you never know what happened to them. But my posts are going to be spaced a bit farther apart. My goal is to post once a week. 

Why?

Blogging has kind of gone from being a huge passion to a huge chore.

Why?

I love the concept of blogging, don't get me wrong, I love all of you and getting creative with what I post and all that jazz. But here's the thing: I do EVERYTHING-- taking photos, editing them, and writing the posts all on a Kindle Fire. And said Kindle only has a front facing camera. Yeah. It's been tough and at this point, I don't have the extra money to invest in a quality camera.

So things will be almost normal around here. I'll just be posting less often.

So anyway, here's a recipe for A single serve oatmeal, using the most beautiful, fflavorful fruit in the world.

Cherry Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 tsp. Baking powder

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1 banana, mashed

12 cherries, pitted and chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit. Grease a single serving ramkin.

2. In a small bowl, combine the oats and baking powder. Stir in milk, vanilla, and banana.

3. Fold in cherries. If you'd like, save some and place them on to of the oat mixture after pouring the batter into the ramkin.

4. Bake for about 28-30 minutes, or until center no longer is very wet.

Enjoy!

<3 Danielle

How to be Gluten Free Naturally

With so many people being gluten free these days, companies are beginning to catch on and create g.f. packaged foods, full of junk that does not belong in the human body.

Now I'm not vegan, paleo, or anything like that, I'm just gluten free and mostly dairy free, but I still believe it is important to feed our bodies whole, real foods. It might be easier to pick up a package of granola bars off the shelf of the grocery store, but in the long run? Your body will thank you for choosing an apple and peanut butter, or something like that instead.

So below, I'm going to list some gluten free foods that are just naturally g.f. please note that I am not a doctor or certified nutritionist, and I'm not recommending that anyone go gluten free. This is for the many people who are gluten free, but would like to remove packaged foods from their diet.

Milk.                    
Yoghurt

Cheese

Butter

Fruit

Vegetables

Rice

Potatoes

Corn

Quinoa

Certified G.F. Oats

Eggs

Chicken

Beef

Pork

Lamb

Salmon

Tilapia

Codfish

Shellfish

Catfish

Vinegar

Coconut oil

Olive oil

Honey

Agave

Maple syrup

Cocoa powder

Nut butters

Nuts

Coffee

Tea

Please note also that you should always double check each item listed here to see if it really is g.f. because sometimes there can be a glutenful product in a place you least expect it.

Hope this has helped you! This is not EVERYTHING that's g.f., So be sure to explore your options around you!

<3 Danielle

Simple Thai Spaghetti Squash

Suddenly, it's freezing out. The grass and garden are dying. Leaves are changing colours, I've traded my tank tops for sweaters. Ugh.

The good news is that I have a whole bunch of winter squash to use up! 

Between the pumpkins, butternut squash and spaghetti squash from my garden, I'm set for the winter!

Spaghetti squash is the star of this dish. It gives the illusion of pasta, with a slight crunchier texture and a more earthy taste. I showed you how to cook these bundles of perfection in this post.

The chicken packs the protein. its what will keep you full until your next meal. The green beans add color, flavor, and nutrients. The ones pictured above were actually home grown! Then comes the sauce, contributing a Thai-like flavor that comes from soy sauce, garlic, and of course I couldn't leave out peanut butter!

I also recommend sprinkling crushed red pepper flakes over the top, of you want to give it a little kick!

Simple Thai Spaghetti Squash
1 spaghetti squash
1 cup chopped chicken, cooked
about 20 green beans, cleaned
2 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar (can substitute water)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
crushed red pepper flakes to top (optional)

1. Cook and remove flesh from spaghetti squash with a fork.
2. Steam green beans in a sauce pan with 1 inch of water until soft (about 15 minutes)
3. In a small cup or bowl mix peanut butter with vinegar until smooth. Add in the soy sauce a little at a time, stirring constantly to keep a smooth texture. Finally, stir in the garlic powder.
4. Toss together the chicken, squash, green beans and sauce, and red pepper flakes if using.
5. enjoy your meal!

Hope you al like it!
<3 Danielle

Mango Sorbet

This is summer in a bowl. I mean really this and summer have so much in common:

They are bright and cheery

They make me happy

They are both things I always look forward to

They make you forget your worries and cares

They go by really fast. 

And I mean fast. One bite of this and I started shoveling it in my face as fast as my spoon could travel. It's so silky and sweet, and its only one ingredient. One. Just one. Yeah.

I am always skeptical of recipes advertised as one ingredient, because a lot of the time it's some kind of processed packaged product.
But not this. This is about as fresh as you can get! And even fresher if you have access to mango trees (if this is the case, I'm so jealous)!

Mango Sorbet
1 mango

1. Peel and cube the mango. Find out how to cut a mango like a pro here.
2. Freeze the cubes until solid.
3. Process until smooth in a food processor. Enjoy immediately.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

<3 Danielle

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Oh boy, do I have butternut squash on my hands. As someone who rarely uses squash, I really didn't know what to do with it. The only logical thing I could think of was soup.

Butternut squash has kinda a sweet flavour, so the next step was to decide what to pair it with. Should I play off the sweet and add cinnamon and cloves, or add onions and garlic for contrast?

The latter won. And I'm glad it did. This soup had a flavour profile that blew me away-- curry, garlic, carrots, onions, sriracha, and (wait for it........) peanut butter!

I'm sorry, guys... I just couldn't resist adding a tablespoon. It's totally optional; add it if you like love adore fantasize over peanut butter. And before you add it in, let me warn you: that little bit adds quite a punch!

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

3 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 tbsp sriracha sauce

1 tbsp peanut butter (optional) 

1 tbsp. Curry powder

1/4 cup basil leavers (fresh)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups milk (I used dairy milk, 2%)

1. In a large soup pot, steam all ingredients except for the milk in the broth until soft (about 30 minutes). Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Blend in batches with milk. Make sure each batch is blended with milk, for example, it took me 4 batches, divided into 1/2 cups of milk.
4. Return to pot and bring back up to temperature. If it seems too thick for you, add some more broth.

Enjoy it! I know I did!

Layered Berry and Banana Baked Oatmeal

Okay, so I am sorry-not-sorry that I am sharing two oatmeal recipes in a row. These are just sooo amazingly delicious, and I wanted to post them before the fruits go out of season!

My grandma grew up in the Great Depression, and to this day, she does not waste anything. Absolutely nothing. Not an exaggeration.

While this can be an admirable quality that many of us could use more of, it's almost obsessive on my grandma's part. She's walks around her house in the dark to save on the electric bill. Air Conitioning is only for  when company is over. Moldy cheese or bread? Cut off the mold, and eat the rest. But the killer is that after meals, she sweeps the crumbs fallen from the plates onto the table during the meal into her mouth.

Nasty. 

I am not nearly that obsessive, but still,if there is a sane way to avoid waste, I try to take it.

So when I saw the bananas in the fruit bowl were on the verge of blackening completely, and the berries in the fridge were not getting any younger either, I decided to make them into a baked oatmeal.

And let me tell you, not wasting food never tasted so good (definitely a lot better than crumbs from a table)

Layered Berry  Banana Baked Oatmeal

2 Very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tbsp. Milk

1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1/3- 1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup sliced strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a single-serving ramkin.
2. Stir together oats, baking powder, and cinnamon. 
3. Add milk, bananas, and vanilla to the oat mixture. Gently combine.
4. In the ramkin, layer: strawberries, oatmeal batter, blueberries, strawberries, oatmeal batter, blueberries, oatmeal batter.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until center is no longer jiggly.

Enjoy!

<3 Danielle

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal

Why, oh why is cherry season so short?

Why, oh why do cherries cost so much?

Oh the problems I have. When I do have cherries, I try make the most of them. However, usually my attempts are in vain, as I end up snarfing them down by the handful... oops!

But this year, I managed to save some for this oatmeal! And guess what? It was definitely worth it!

The juice from the cherries spread throughout the oats while cooking, letting off a subtle flavor that pairs well with the chocolate.

So if you have self control enough to save your cherries, try this out. It'll be worth it!

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal
1/2 cup rolled oats
1.5 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 banana, mashed
12 cherries, pitted and chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk, or milk of choice

1. In a small saucepan, heat all ingredients except for the almond milk until thickened.
2. Add almond milk, then bring back to a boil and let thicken again.
3. let cool slightly before enjoying!

Serves one

~Danielle

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Do chicken nuggets sum up anyone else's childhood? It's not just me, right?

right?

Well, they were always my favorite. Whenever and wherever we went out to eat:

Culvers

McDonalds

Burger King

Sonic

.......Just to name a few. But that was before I was very health-consious, obviously.

These little gems I have for you today are much healthier, and baked. To be honest, I've never deep fried anything in my life. Grease just doesn't appeal. At all. I don't even remember the last time that I ate fast food!

Anyway, you should definitely give these a whirl, they are sooooooooooo much better than McDonald's. Although, I guess that's not saying much, but you get the picture.

Chicken Nuggets
2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
2 slices bread (stale is good. if it is super stale, skip step no. 2)
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

1. In a food processor, grind the chicken until it forms a thick paste. Add the eggs, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 2 tbsp. oregano, and 1/2 tsp salt, and combine until everything is evenly distributed. Set aside.
2. Dry bread out by toasting on low until very stale.
3. Crumble bread into super small crumbs (this can be done in a food processor). mix with remaining ingredients.
4. Take chicken mixture 1.5 Tbsp. at a time, form into a slightly flattened ball, and coat in breadcrumb mixture. Placeon a baking sheet lightly greased with coconut oil.
5. Once all the chicken is used (you'll probably have leftover breadcrumbs. Just throw them away), bake in a preheated (400 degrees Fahrenheit) oven for about ten minutes, or until heated through and golden brown and slightly firm. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying!

I hope you like them as much as I do!

<3 Danielle

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Hello everyone! Remember my garden with the GIANT cucumbers? 

Well, I had to figure out a way to use all of those cukes up, not to mention the plethora of tomatoes!  So, I made this super simple salad. This is perfect for a party, because it can be made the day before, or ten minutes before! Can't get better than that!

I wish I could say that I grew those onions as well, but last year, when I tried growing onions, they all got eaten up by worms (blah!!!).  Does anyone have any secrets to growing onions? I could use some advice!

Anyway, you should totally make this because it's basically a taste of summer, and we need to stretch summer as long as we possibly can, no matter what the school districts or lawmakers say.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad
1 Large Cucumber, Chopped (about 3 cups)
1 tomato chopped, or twelve grape tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp. basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, store in fridge in an airtight container until ready to serve or up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

Danielle

One Pan Stir Fry

Note: sorry this post came a little later in the day than usual, I am out of town staying in a house of no WiFi, so bear with me for the next week or so... I'll do my best to post regularly!

Some nights, I just don't feel like cooking.

Some nights, I have too empty of a pantry to make anything fancy.

Some nights, I just want to eat something delicious, but don't have much time.

Some nights (read: every night), I crave Asian food. 

That's when I make this stir fry.

This is super adaptable:

Don't have the right veggies? Mushrooms, green beans, sugar snap peas, etc. work well

Don't have chicken? Omit  or  substitute cooked pork, tofu, or beans.

No rice? Use quinoa, spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, or your favourite grain.

So, there is no excuses not to make this!

One Pan Stir Fry

2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped

2 cups uncooked rice

3 large carrots

1 head broccoli

2 large stalks celery

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce (I love Little Soya brand)

pepper, to taste

1 tbsp. sriracha sauce

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1. In a large skillet, simmer rice in water for twenty minutes, or until soft.
2. While rice cooks, chop vegetables to a uniform size, or as shown in the picture above.
3. Strain the rice. in the same skillet, steam vegetables until tender, about ten-  fifteen minutes.
4. Once they are soft, remove steaming liquid from pan, and add rice, chicken, soy sauce, pepper, sriracha, ginger, and vinegar to the vegetables. Heat everything through, and keep heated until serving.

Serves about 6-8

Hope you all like it as much as I do!

~Danielle



Berries 'n' Cream Oatmeal Parfait

Why oh why can't it be summer all year long? Probably because without winter and fall, we wouldn't appreciate summer quite so much. One of my favourite summer features is the fruit. Especially:

Peaches
Strawberries
Blueberries
Watermelon
Raspberries
Cherries

Nectarines

Etcetera

I mean, sure, fall has apples and pears, winter is prime for citrus, and spring is the time for rhubarb (at least in my garden), but really? Summer trumps them all.

So here's a recipe calling for berries. Enjoy it now as we cling to the last wisps of summer, or forever hold your peace (because really, winter lasts FOREVER).

Berries 'n' Cream Oatmeal Parfait

Serves one

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup almond milk, or milk of choice

4 strawberries, stems removed

6 blackberries

15 blueberries

1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

Sweetener of choice to taste, optional

3/4 cup yoghurt of choice

Optional: granola, chocolate chips, more berries, coconut, etc.

1) In a blender or food processor, puree milk, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, sweetener, and vanilla.

2) in a small saucepan, cook oats and milk/berry puree until oats are soft and most of the liquid has absorbed. Cool overnight, or until it's cold. This is sped up if it's placed in a shallow bowl.

3) Layer the oatmeal and yoghurt and optional ingredients in a container. Enjoy immediately.

~Danielle

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Summer is most definitely my favorite season. No doubt about it. But every year a small part of me aches for cool winter temperatures. Why? One word: soup. I just don't understand why it's less acceptable to eat soup in summer than it is in winter? It tastes delicious year round! Sure, it's hot food, but then again, so are hotdogs, burgers, and baked beans, and those are traditional American summer foods. Hmmm...

Anyway, although I've never been a "rule breaker" when we had a few cooler days last week, I wasted no time. This cauliflower soup is so simple, yet so yum. There are no chunks, if that bothers you, add some extra steamed cauliflower after blending. 

{excuse my chipped nail polish}

So if your like to break rules, if you like soup, or if you get a blast of cooler weather, be sure to put this on your to do list. 

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

2 tbsp. butter

1 medium onion chopped

1/2 cup rice, uncooked

6 cups chicken broth

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 head cauliflower, chopped

2 c. unsweetened milk of choice (I used cows' milk)

1. In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, melt the butter, then add the onions, cooking them until they become translucent. Add rice and 4 cups of the broth and heat them until they boil. After reducing heat, simmer for 20 minutes. Add the salt and pepper before pureeing.
2. Steam the cauliflower in one inch of water until slightly tender. Remove the cauliflower, but leave the water to reduce to less than one cup.
3. Puree the cauliflower and the reduced cauliflower water, adding a little of the already pureed soup base, if necessary.
4. Mix the soup base and the pureed cauliflower in the saucepan. Then add the extra broth and milk. Heat through, adding any extra salt and pepper if needed.

This keeps about a week in the fridge.

optional: Add some larger chunks of  steamed cauliflower to the finished soup if the lack of chunks bothers you. I rarely do this.

Enjoy!

~Danielle



Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Baked Oatmeal

Well do I have a treat for you! I went into making this without high expectations, but as soon as the first forkful passed my lips, I was in foodie heaven.

Normally, no matter what anybody claims, "hidden" bananas in recipes can be detected from miles away, even if your name is not Sherlock Holmes. And unfortunately, it seems, the less one likes bananas, the better they are at tasting them. Me? I adore them in recipes, as you may have noticed, but I only tolerate them plain, as the flavor os just mediocre, in my opinion. Does anyone else find the aftertaste disgusting?

Anyway, the banana is barely detectable. I say barely because although I could faintly taste it, the flavor blended in so well with the lemon and blueberries that it definitely would have taken home a medal for hide and seek. Does anyone else think hide and seek should be an Olympic Sport? Gosh, that would be fun to watch!

Back on track, Danielle..... okay, so all that to say, seriously, make this. You will not be dissappointed. IT'S LITERALLY THE BEST!

Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oatmeal
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Poppy seeds
Zest of one lemon
2 tsp. Lemon juice
1/3 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 large ripe banana, mashed
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/4 heaping cup blueberries

1) Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit
2) In a small bowl, stor together first five ingredients.
3) Gently mix in almond milk, banana, lemon juice, and extract, in that order
4) Fold in blue berries.
5) Bake in a greased single serving ramkin until the center is no longer wet, anywhere from 20-30 minutes.

~Danielle

Dark Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

I've been having a baked oatmeal craze lately. It never used to appeal to me until out of the blue, I decided to give it a try.... and the rest is history!

Oatmeal is a crazy thing. It's so healthy, but so delicious. That is, if you make it the right way; and this, my friends, is the right way. Brownie-like on the outside, fudgey in the middle, it doesn't get better than this. 

Remember my chocolate pudding oatmeal? If you tried it, then you know it's delicious. Well this is the baked version, which is also delish.

So go ahead, give it a whirl. You won't be disappointed.

Dark Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 tsp. Baking powder

1 1/2 tbsp. Cocoa powder

1 small ripe banana, mashed

1/3 cup almond milk, or milk of choice

1) Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. And grease a single- serving ramkin.

2) Combine first three ingredients.

3) Stir in first the banana, then the milk.

4) Bake until no longer liquidy in the center, or about 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

-Danielle

How to Get Some Exercise on Accident

I work out 6 days a week. I walk/run in the mornings and do my daily workout routine in the afternoon. I exercise because it's good for me, and I feel accomplished after I finish. I feel better on days when I work out. But, I would be lying if I told you I enjoy working out.

However, working out doesn't always have to be a chore. Here are some ways of sneaking in some exercise that can be enjoyable:

Hiking. This is fun because it allows you to enjoy nature while getting some exercise.

Biking. Choose to bike to the store, library, school, work, etc. Personally, I love biking, but somehow, it becomes ever so much more bearable when you have a destination.

Walk with friends. Walking (or almost anything) can become exponentially more fun when done with a friend to talk to; they really make the time go by fast!

Skiing. I have never water skied, but I adore snow skiing! It really works muscles that are normally seldom used.

Sports. The only sport I play is tennis. The thing I love about sports is that when you are playing, you aren't thinking about exercise, you are focused on winning. It's totally a mind game.

Dance. Although they may help, wallet-emptying dance lessons aren't even necessary. Just play your jam, and flow to the music!

Shop (!!!). Although this definitely shouldn't be your daily exercise routine, shopping very now and then is actually not bad exercise. At least if you're like me and speed-walk the whole time.

Just be.creative when trying to exercise. Switch it up and try to enjoy it. Other suggestions I have are to:
Listen to audio books during your workout.

If you are on a treadmill, exercise bike, or working out in a relatively stationary fashion, watch a movie. It makes the time fly!

So get out there and have fun moving around! If you have any other suggestions on ways to accidentally exercise, comment below!
~Danielle

Peaches 'n' Cream Smoothie

Hey there! How have you been? I've been awsome since I recently got two GIANT crates of peaches. Seriously, there are probably about 100 peaches in my house, awaiting their fate. Mwahaha. 

The thing about peaches, though is that they ripen rather speedily, so I had to figure put how to use them up within a week. It wasn't too hard considering how scrumptious they are, whether they're plain or in something.

Whether you are a peach purist, or of you like to put them in pies and cobblers and such, you'll looove this smoothie! The peach and the banana compliment each other well, although the banana's flavor is not really the star of the show. It's more of the supporting role.

Peaches 'n' Cream Smoothie

1 peach, cut into chunks and frozen

1 Banana, cut into rounds and frozen
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 scant tsp cinnamon

Blend in a blender untill smooth. Enjoy immediately.

Comment below your favorite way to use peaches!
~Danielle

Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter

Remember my last recipe for peanut butter? Well here's another!

Peanut butter is seriously my favorite food. Now over the course of this blog, I am sure I'll frequently state otherwise, saying, "mango is my favorite food", or "chocolate is my favorite food", but the truth is, I have many favorite foods, but it just so happens that peanut butter is at the top of the totem pole. In fact, this blog might have been titled "Chits and Chats and Peanut Butter", if Chocolate didn't sound better.

But, chocolate is another of my favorite foods, and it's just so wonderful that two of my favorite foods happen to be such a brilliant pair.

And now, you too can have your fill of peanutty-chocolatey goodness without the chemicals and sugar in Reese's peanut butter cups, or store-bought chocolate peanut butter!

Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter

Makes about 1 to 1 1/2 cups

2 cups peanut butter

1 tbsp. Coconut oil

3-4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 oz. dark chocolate 

1-2 tbsp. agave syrup (more or less depending on desired sweetness)

Grind peanuts and coconut oil in food processor until it forms a coarse paste. Add remaining ingredients and continue to process until completely smooth. The peanuts will go through phases--

1) coarse crumbs, like sand

2) a thick, coarse paste, like play doh mixed with sand (yum, right?)

3) a giant ball, mostly smooth

4) the ball will melt down into a smooth, luscious dream come true

Refridgerate in an air-tight container ~2 weeks. Use your best judgement.

~~{~@ Danielle

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Blueberry Peach Cobbler Baked Oatmeal

Originally, this oatmeal title was not going to include the "cobbler" part, but the second I took my first bite, I knew I had to forewarn you all: this tastes shockingly unhealthy, or at least a lot like dessert. Not all deserts have to be unhealthy. This recipe just so happens to be healthy enough for breakfast, and tasty enough for dessert. The best of both worlds!

The blueberries bloat in the oven untill they become little packets of flavor that burst in your mouth with every bite. The peach sweetens it and give it that wonderous cobbler-like texture and flavor. Yes my friends, this is the breakfast of champions!

Blueberry Peach Cobbler Baked Oatmeal
1 peach
1/3 - 1/2 cup blueberries (depending on your preference)
1/3 cup milk of choice (I used almond)
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
Sweetener to taste, optional
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
Pinch of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Baking powder

1) Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit
2) Combine last three ingredients and set aside
3) In a blender, puree 1/2 of the peach, milk, vanilla, and sweetener if using. Pour the liquid over the dry mixture and stir gently until combined.
4) Dice the remainder of the peach, and fold it and the blueberries into the oat mixture until the are evenly distributed.
5) Bake in a greased ramkin for 25-30 minutes, or until center is no longer very wet.
Allow to cool a little before consumption.

~Danielle