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


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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

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

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

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

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

Chocolate Pudding Oatmeal

Chocolate pudding oatmeal. Mmmmm. This deliciousness is so creamy, chocolatey and rich, no one could guess that it's secretly a gathering of super foods. I mean really;

Oats

Almond milk

Cocoa powder

Banana

Who'd think that these simple ingredients could make such a mouth-watering quartet? The oats add texture, almond milk provides creaminess, cocoa powder brings flavor to the table, and the banana not only supplies the richness, but it also adds bulk.

As for nutrition, the oats and bananas both bear good-for-you fiber. The almond milk contains the protein. Studies show that cocoa can help promote a healthy heart. Bananas once again play two roles, as they also provide lots of vitamins and minerals.

Yay! Let's dig in!

Chocolate Pudding Oatmeal

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 ripe banana

1-2 Tbsp. cocoa powder (depending on how strong one  likes it)

1 cup water

1/2 cup almond milk

1) Cut the banana into circles before mashing it very well with a fork, until no large chunks are left.

2) Place the mashed banana, oats, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and stir well.

3) Add the water and place pan over low-medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture begins to boil 

4) Add milk and continue to stir until the 'sauce' thickens, although the mixture still looks pretty wet.

5) Cover the saucepan and turn off the heat, leaving the pan on the stove*. Let sit for 10-20 minutes, or until its thickened a bit more.

6) Enjoy!

*Do not leave on burner if using electric stove.

I seriously have this at least 4 times a week. Its so good!

Hope you like it as much as I do!

~~{~@ Danielle