Baked Berry Oatmeal Cakes

I am always looking for a "make ahead" healthy breakfast for my family. That when in need I can grab and go! These babies are just that. Instead of making hot oatmeal in the morning. Make these the day before and store in the fridge or freezer. They are incredibly tasty, moist and filling. Like a treat! My entire family enjoys these. 

Makes: 6 servings
Serving Size: 2 oatmeal cakes
Total Time:  10+ hours soaking time, 55 mins total prep and baking time.
Equipment: Muffin pan with 12 muffin cups

INGREDIENTS;
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 3/4 cups Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

PREPARATION;

• Combine oats and milk in a large bowl. Mix, cover and let soak in the refrigerator until liquid is absorbed at least 10 hours. 12 hour preferably.

• Preheat oven to 375°F. 
• In a small bowl, combine egg, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
• Pour small bowl into the soaked oats until well combined.
• Add blueberries and cherries to mixture.
• Divide the mixture among the muffin cups (about 1/4 cup each). Top each with 1 tablespoon coconut.

• Bake the oatmeal cakes 25 minutes, until they spring back when touched.

• Let cool. Loosen and remove with a knife if needed. Serve warm.

Keep in an airtight container or bag and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Each serving is about  275 calories and worth it!!!! ENJOY!

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Perfect Granola

I have been craving granola for 2 weeks! I LOVE oats and a yogurt parfait is one of my favorite foods. But all the store bought granola has things I don't like. Too much cinnamon, too many nuts, or just TOO MUCH! Not to mention preservatives and junk. So, I ventured into the kitchen and came up with this! THE PERFECT GRANOLA! What makes it perfect is it has everything I LIKE. It's simple and only has the flavors I enjoy. So when you use this recipe, add or remove ingredients to make it your own per your own tastes. It's the only way!

Make it YOUR PERFECT GRANOLA!

 You could add any other ingredients if you wanted to: Roasted quinoa, flax seed, sunflower seeds, almonds, cinnamon , etc. The choice is yours! What do you like? 

My perfect recipe consists of this:

PREP TIME:

5 mins

COOK TIME:

30 mins

TOTAL TIME:

35 mins

 Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup organic extra virgin coconut oil
• ⅓ cup organic local honey
• ½ teaspoon organic vanilla
• 3 cups gluten free oats or regular baking oats
• ¾ cup unsweetened shredded Coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts. I like walnuts or cashews
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup dried berries
• Dash of Himalayan pink salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine oil, honey and vanilla and whisk together until well combined. Add oats, coconut, cashews, walnuts, raisins and cranberries. Stir to coat evenly. Add pinch of salt if desired.
2. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pour mixture and spread out evenly. 
3. Bake at 300 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Stir every 10 minutes bake evenly.

4. Let cool and harden for about 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container. Large plastic bag works just as well. 

Sometimes I like to bake the oats without the fruit and nuts. Adding the coconut, cashews, walnuts, raisins and cranberries after baking the oats so it wont be as chewy. I like it both ways. Depends on my mood.

I can't stop eating it!

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The secret to keeping your lettuce fresh and crispy

The secret to keeping your lettuce fresh.

I love salads!

I will eat them everyday if possible. There are so many options on how you can create one you really should never get board of a salad. You can have a completely different flavor each day of the week. So many options.

Eating as many salads as I do, I have finally figured the way to keep lettuce crispy and fresh. Here is a little tip to keep your lettuce FRESH and crispy the entire week.

• Instead of buying pre-washed bagged lettuce, but a head of your favorite lettuce. 
• As soon as you get home, wash it well. Tear each leaf off the stem rinsing it thoroughly.
• Place cleaned leaves in a large bowl of water. Soaking and stirring leaves around for a few minutes to ensure you get all the dirt and critters off. Drain water out.
• Cut the lettuce leaves in half and dry them well. I use a salad spinner to get all the water off the leaves. It works wonderful!  

• Place the clean dried lettuce leaves in a large plastic bag and close. 
• Using a knife or scissors, cut holes in the bag on each side so the lettuce gets air and can breath. 5 or 6 holes on each side of bag.
• Place the bag in your the refrigerator.  

Your cleaned fresh lettuce will crisp up and stay fresh the entire week. 

Not only will you save money by buying an entire head of lettuce, but you get MORE lettuce AND it will last longer than a bag of pre-washed. Who knows how long it has been in that bag already. And the stink of rotting leaves ruins the entire bag!

Note: If you put lettuce in your refrigerator without washing, the leaves wilt immediately. 

Tip 2: If you have wilted leaves, soak them in a bowl of water inside the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so. WALLA. Crispy once again. Use immediately.

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Summer Corn Salad

Summertime is salad experimenting time for me. Why stick with the usual leafy salads? Which I love by the way! But sometimes you need to whoop it up. Corn is versatile, sweet and delicious. Is there really anyone who doesn't LOVE it? It's gotten such a bad rap over the years with being GMO. Just buy NON GMO organic and enjoy it! 

When I saw a recipe for a corn salad I thought to myself, THIS IS IT! I had to revise the recipe make to my own and add some zing and tastiness! I always need the tasty! 

The final recipe is light, refreshing and delicious. 

This is SOOO YUMMY!  I LOVE CORN!!! 

Makes 5-6 servings

Ingredients;

• 4 ears corn, husked and cleaned
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbs fresh basil, chopped
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 3 tsp red wine vinegar
• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp pink himalayan salt

Taste the dressing as you make it. If you like MORE zing, add more vinegar, less zing add less. Make it how YOU like it. That is key. 

Directions;

• Place your grill on high. Grilling adds flavor. Or heat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Wrap each cleaned ear of corn in aluminum foil. The entire cob needs be covered with just one layer so it will steam the kernels.

• Grill or cook all wrapped ears for about five minutes per side, turning occasionally.
• Remove the corn from the grill or oven and let it cool.
• Stand the corn upright in a large bowl, and holding the top of the corn, use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels from top to bottom. Discard cobs. You will have about 2 1/2 cups corn kernels for the salad.

• Add the tomatoes, basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, feta, pink salt, and pepper to the bowl of corn. Lightly toss.
• Serve slightly chilled.

The perfect side with grilled steak, chicken or fish. 

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Cauliflower Puree with Pork Chops

Cauliflower maybe on of the most boring veg EVER!

But not how I make it!

 For me, eating raw of steamed cauliflower just is blah. Boring, and not tasty enough to make....Ever. Food needs to be tasty in my opinion. Now Roasting it or making Puree is a different story! DELICIOUS! This may make your kitchen smell like someone ate too many beans during steaming, but once you make the puree and serve it it's fantastic!

This is a quick 20 minute meal. A go to weeknight meal at my house. You can use the pork chop recipe with chicken as well. So versatile. Try it both ways!

Serves 3

Cauliflower Puree

Ingredients;

 1 head of fresh cauliflower

 1 Tbs of grass-fed Butter
 1 Tbs Milk
 Dash Pink Himalayan Salt
 Dash Cracked Pepper

Directions;

• Cut florets from thick stems and wash thoroughly
• Steam until very tender
• Place steamed veg in Blender

• Add Butter, Milk, Salt and Pepper
• Puree until smooth
• Serve hot

Pork Chops
Ingredients;

• 4-small 4oz thin pork chops
• 1.5 tbs Dijon Mustard
• 4 oz Panko
• Pink Himalayan Salt
• Cracked Pepper
• 2 Tbs Ghee

Directions;

• Coat both sides of chops with Dijon mustard
• Season with Salt and Pepper

• Cover both sides of each chop with Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

• Heat nonstick fry pan on medium high while you season chops. Add Ghee to pan. Once pan is VERY Hot,  fry the chops until golden brown on each side. (About 4 mins each side pending on thickness of chops) Make sure to cook the pork all the way through. It should only slightly pink if at all. 
• If the chops are thick, brown each side then place pan with chops in oven on 400 degrees and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Make sure you are using a pan that is safe to place in oven. Otherwise put chops on a baking sheet.
• Serve warm

Simple, FAST and easy!
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