Healthier Baked Oatmeal Recipe

I run across baked oatmeal recipes over and over again on the web, but most of them contain tons of butter and sugar. Since I am trying to keep my hubby's cholesterol healthy, and my waistline happy, I came up with my own version of this yummy treat, and it's a hit in our home!



Michele's Healthy Baked Oatmeal

2 cups rolled oats
1/8 cup brown Splenda
1/4 cup regular Splenda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt

Stir above ingredients together.

1 cup almond milk
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ripe mashed banana

Stir above ingredients together.

Stir in:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or your choice of nuts, or not)

At this point you may also stir in a little unsweetened, flaked coconut, dried fruits, etc...whatever you like.

Then spread out flat into an 8x8 pan (like a brownie pan) - that has been sprayed with non-stick spray (I used non-stick canola spray)

Then bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes, then cut into squares. You can then put it in the fridge for the morning if you want. May be eaten cold or heated up in the oven. (It's even better the next day this way!)

Healthy Cornbread! Mmmmm!

Ingredients:

* 1 cup cornmeal
* 1 cup unbleached flour (can use whole grain also)
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 cup 2% or skim milk
* 1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
* 1/8 cup honey
* 3 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or canned or thawed) -optional-


Directions:

1. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in bowl.
2. In a second bowl beat together egg (or egg whites), milk, honey, and olive oil. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined.
3. Stir in corn kernels, if using, and fill into prepared tin (either a 8 inch cake or pie pan, or 12 muffin tins).
4. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes (until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).
5. Enjoy!

P.S. about the granola!

I almost forgot to tell you about an amazing perk of making this yuumalicious granola...
When you mix it all together with your clean hands, you're left with that raw mixture of oats, sugar, honey, and oil stuck all over, so I actually rub my hands together, using it like a scrub, then rinse under warm water and end up with the softest hands!

It's a win-win situation! ♥

Homemade Granola

Don't know if you've noticed but the price for a decent granola is ridiculous, especially considering how cheaply it can be made at home. Here's my recipe, but this is incredibly versatile, so tweak it all you want until you find your perfect granola!

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats (don't use quick cooking or instant as they are not as good for you and the glycemic index is raised when they're processed this way)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon oil (I use canola or vegetable)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup loosely packed Splenda brown sugar mixture (you can use real brown sugar, but firmly pack the cup if you do)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/3 cup sliced almonds (or slivered or even chopped)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (you can used waxed paper, too.)

In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt.
In a smaller bowl, combine oil, honey, brown sugar, and extracts.
Whisk until completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats and use your clean hands to combine them. You'll need to gather up the mixture a few times, making a fist each time to make sure all the oats are coated and you've got a little bit of clumping going on.

Spread it out evenly, leaving a few clumps here and there, onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and using a metal spatula, lift and flip all of the granola.
Now sprinkle the almonds over the top and return to oven, and bake another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. Then remove from pan and into an airtight container. After it's cooled, you can toss with dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries, etc... if you want.

This will keep about a week in the airtight container, but it always gets eaten before that in my house.

Meatless Mondays!

In an effort to save money on my food budget, we've jumped onto the "Meatless Monday" bandwagon! Tonight I made one of my favorites from the low-fat early 90's! I practically lived on beans and rice (which may explain why my first husband and I divorced) while I was a devout follower of Dr. Gabe Mirkin.

Here's the recipe I used...and yum, it makes me wish I didn't eat low carb 90% of the time! Oy!


Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 3+ if you're already married)
* 3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
* 1 1/2 cups low sodium, low fat vegetable broth
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 3 1/2 cups canned black beans, drained

Directions

1. In a stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes.
2. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Add the spices and black beans.

Brussel Sprouts...revamped!

OK...I'm probably in the minority because I LOVE baby brussel sprouts, but here's a recipe I use often, and even my husband likes them this way!

In a large frying pan, cook 5-6 slices of bacon*** until crispy.
Remove cooked bacon and drain on paper toweling.
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
Slice one small onion into super thin rings and toss it into the bacon grease leftover in the pan.
Cook and stir until it's soft, then dump in well-drained, cooked baby brussel sprouts.
In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of water, 1 TBLS. dijon mustard, and 2 TBLS. apple cider vinegar...pour it over the brussel sprouts, stir...toss in bacon.
Let sautee a bit until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Serve. YUM!


***You can replace regular bacon with turkey or veggie bacon (my favorite is Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips) and trust me, I learned from my fabulous cook of a sister that the best way to make this taste so delish that even carnivores will love it, is to put a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, lay in the veggie bacon strips, then sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook, flipping once, until crispy. Then you can use the remaining EVOO in place of the bacon grease to continue with the original recipe.