Ja cię kocham…

Today is my last day of Christmas Break.  After a glorious week and a half filled with family, friends, pajamas, Wii games, and of course FOOD, it’s time to look towards 2010 with determination, spirit, and excitement.

I tell myself that I will get up a little earlier in the morning so I can sit and enjoy my cup of coffee in my jammies.  It always sounds like such a great idea until that morning when the alarm goes off, and I know I have more time to sleep.  Apparently sleep is far higher on the priority list than my morning coffee in the kitchen.

Looks like I have to take my travel mug and sip it while going to work…

Santa was very good to me and brought me an embroidered travel mug, clipboard, and lunchbox. It may seem crazy… but I’m an elementary school teacher.  I’m allowed to get cutesy things like this!  Pink fuzzy pens and cute sparkly stickers and picture frames are also widely accepted in my world filled with five, six, and seven year olds…

Plus, you know you want my travel mug.

This New Year brings me much excitement.  My little sister Emily is getting married in April and Jay and I are taking a long overdue summer vacation to Cape Hatteras, NC with a wonderful group of friends.  This means that I need to get healthy – well, healthier.  I’ve always been really good at eating my fruits and vegetables, but now I need to put those cookies down.  Well not all of the cookies… I can still have a cookie, right?

Let’s start with a healthy and incredibly filling breakfast!   What better way to start your day than with bright, vibrant fruit, and oatmeal.  I always mention that oatmeal needs to be loved.  If you leave it unloved, it can be bland and just flat-out disappointing.  Love your oatmeal and it will love you back.

I really enjoyed this breakfast but my only concern was the time it took to make it.  This is a perfect weekend breakfast, but for those of you that are like me and sleep to the last possible second before getting ready for your day’s events, you won’t have time to make this.  Although you could make it the night before and warm it in the oven while your in the shower in the morning.   That’s a thought.  Maybe I’ll try that tomorrow!

Baked Apple with Oatmeal

Source: Oprah.com

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lemon, cut in half
4 large red apples
3/4 cup agave nectar or honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 teaspoons butter (optional, I omitted this)
1 3/4 cups milk or water for cooking oatmeal
1 cup oatmeal
fruit and nuts of choice to mix into oatmeal – dried fruit, fresh berries, almonds (optional)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar (I omitted this)
Whipped cream, optional

Reserve all cut-away pieces. Place carved apples in lemon water. Chop cut-away apple pieces into small chunks, removing any core or seeds. Toss with 3 tablespoons honey and cinnamon; set aside.

The New Year is quickly approaching, which means many of us are racking our brains with ways to make our 2010 better than our 2009.  Some of us want to volunteer more and spend more quality time with family, and others want to lose weight and/or live a more healthy lifestyle…or you want to do all the aforementioned, plus more!

Let me start by stating what is the obvious to me – my dad is my hero.  Everything he does, aspires to be, and accomplishes is so motivating and so awesome.   His New Year’s Resolutions are a little different than your typical lose weight and save more money resolutions.  Not that those aren’t great… every year I vow to lose the same weight and it never happens.  I tend to lose some weight, rejoice, and then overindulge.  Oops.  Some day love handles… I will defeat you!

Anyway, about my dad…sure he’s running 5 miles a day now (GO PAPS!)…

It must be disclosed that we are loyal Temple Owls fans despite the Nittany head gear

…but what makes his resolutions so intriguing are how personal they are.  And the fact that he sticks to them:

• Don’t sweat the small stuff or even the large stuff
• Let others finish what they are saying before he speaks
• Read one book a week

These are all great ideas!  I am sure that many of you out there in cyber-world also have very cool resolutions that set themselves apart from the traditional ones.

For those of you that are like me and can’t help but want to live a healthier lifestyle each January, this recipe is for you.

The holiday seasons are coming to an end, and I have allowed myself to overindulge a little (okay… a LOT) without guilt.  Seriously what’s the point of eating the food if you’re going to feel guilty about it?  You don’t enjoy it.  So I say if you are eating the savories and sweets this week, please take time to enjoy them.  If you’re going to fret about it, you might as well not do it.

That being said, I am noticing that I am feeling a little more sluggish and run down than usual.  And it’s simply because I haven’t been eating and exercising the way I should be.  It’s amazing how food alters your mood and more importantly your health.  You are what you eat.  This week, I am sweet, fat, and delicious because that is what I am eating.

Well not today!

I had my biweekly bout of insomnia and starting researching new recipes that are easy and healthy.  Just the way I like it.

I came across Oatmeal Pancakes from the Clean Eating Magazine.  These were very good although the texture was initially off-putting.  Pancakes don’t normally feel like oatmeal.  BUT oatmeal is so good for you (Oprah starts her day off with a bowl of it every morning) and it is incredibly filling.  Often I get so excited to eat my oatmeal and then taste it and wonder what I was thinking.  This recipe is a new way to consume that healthy bowl of oatmeal.  I added a little turbinado sugar to the batter so it wasn’t as blah as unloved oatmeal can be.  I’m glad that I did.  Next time I will add vanilla extract, too.

I couldn’t finish the meal!  I am a piggy, and I could not finish one serving.  LOVE that!  And it’s a different type of being full.  When I eat junk and need to unbutton my pants, I feel sleepy and overloaded.  These pancakes fill you but unbuttoning is not necessary!  I still feel light and healthy even though I am quite full.

Try these out!  They are a little different in texture, but they are a great start to a healthy and satisfying day!

Oatmeal Pancakes

Source: Clean Eating Magazine Online -  Nutritional information on website.

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

3/4 cup quick cook oatmeal
3/4 cup egg whites (from 5 or 6 large eggs)
1 Tbs. low-fat cottage cheese
1-2 Tbs. turbinado sugar (not reflected in nutritional value)
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 Tbs. agave nectar, honey, or pure maple syrup (Grade B)
1/4 cup berries (strawberries, blueberries) – (I used bananas and added a little almond butter to each pancake, also not reflected in nutritional value)

Directions:

Mist small pan with cooking spray and set over medium heat.

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except agave and fruit (and almond butter if you’re using that as well).

Pour into pan in pancake form. When sides start to brown, flip, cooking for about 3 minutes per side. Serve with agave and berries.

That one banana slice decided to be different.  I was just haphazardly slicing them onto the pancakes.  Ha.

Here’s to a healthy and fun-filled New Year!

Well I’ve been pretty crappy at posting recipes this month – again.  I now have two jobs, which consequently have led me to leave for work early in the morning and get home after dark.  Needless to say, I have had zero time for cooking, let alone taking pictures when it’s light out.

That will change – I promise.

For now, I have this awesome oatmeal that adds flare to what can be a very blah but healthy breakfast.  If you remember my Coconut and White Nectarine Muesli post, I mentioned that it can be made the night before or in the morning with quick oats.  The difference is at night you can let all the ingredients soak in the fridge without using your stove top while making it in the AM requires using a saucepan and heating up the ingredients.  Your choice!  Either is delicious!

Chai Oatmeal

Serves 2-3
Ingredients:

3/4 cup quick oats
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1 1/2 cups milk (I used vanilla soy milk)
craisins or dried cherries
pumpkin seeds and/or sunflower seeds

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook according to the directions on your quick oats container.  Add a little extra cinnamon and nutmeg on top (I added shredded coconut flakes, too)!  And make sure to keep a close eye on it so the milk doesn’t burn in your sauce pan!

Most mornings during the week I wake up so early that I don’t want to have breakfast.  Sounds bad, I know, but the reason is because if I eat at 5-5:30am, I’ll be ready for a full-blown lunch by 9am.  I try to hold off breakfast until 7… at least by then it’s a suitable breakfast time that allows me to have a noonish lunch.  Mind you my breakfast is a last minute thought every morning as I’m heading out the door.  “Oh crap, I need breakfast!”  Breakfast bars are my typical breakfast during the week.  As much as I love the convenience, it gets old.  I want something more substantial to start my day.

Then I met Muesli.

This recipe is wonderful because you mix all of the ingredients with the exception of the fruit in a bowl and let it sit overnight in your fridge.  When you wake up, you have a superbly healthy breakfast.

You can also make this an oatmeal.  By cooking the oats and milk for a minute, then throwing in the rest of the ingredients once the oats are  cooked, you can have a quick, gourmet-looking, hearty breakfast.  Your choice.  Muesli or Oatmeal.  I’ve done both and they are both good.

Pick your favorite milk – soy, skim, almond, rice (or just water)…
Pick your favorite nuts and dried fruits – almonds, walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, craisins, golden raisins…
Pick your favorite fresh fruit – nectarines, peaches, cherries, apples, pears…
Mix in some coconut flakes and brown sugar (optional)

And you will have a delicious breakfast!

Coconut and White Nectarine Muesli

Ingredients:

Adapted from Daily Unadventures in Cooking

Serves 2-3

1 cup oats
1 cup soy milk or milk of your choosing
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons golden raisins and dried cranberries
2 tablespoons almonds
1 tablespoon flax (optional)
1 fresh nectarine
2 cherries for garnish

Directions:

Combine all of above up except nectarines and stir. Cover and put in the fridge overnight. In the morning chop up your fruit and serve on top.
**This will not be super sweet.  If you prefer it to be sweeter add some brown sugar on top.**