Click here to pin this Strawberry Almond Oatmeal Bites recipe!

I can’t believe this is my first post of 2017! I decided I needed a bit of a breather in January, some time to regroup after a month of helping my littlest guy recover from a tonsillectomy and my biggest guy (my husband) recover from a shoulder/rotator cuff surgery. I’ll admit, it was nice to take a break from worrying about picking up my camera and just focus on cooking for my family. My head is always spinning with new recipe ideas, as well as trying to figure out what to make for dinner that I honestly enjoyed just making recipes from cookbooks, friends and my blog without thinking too much of it.

One of the things I’m trying to get better at is making healthier snacks available for my kids to take in the car on their way to basketball or volleyball practices. We are full on entrenched in sports right now and spend many afternoons and evenings trekking back and forth between gyms. It seems like my kids are ALWAYS hungry and I’ve been trying to be more mindful about what they are snacking on and making sure they are eating more than just pretzels or crackers (it’s hard!). One thing I know for sure, anytime I make snacks like these oatmeal bites, quinoa bites or egg muffins, they are the go-to snack and don’t last very long. Seeing my kids choose those first is motivation enough to get myself into the habit of making quality portable snacks more often.

(more…)

The post Strawberry Almond Oatmeal Bites appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

These Breakfast Fruit Skewers were inspired by my friends at Produce for Kids.

It’s that time of year again – I’m happy to partner up with Produce for Kids to promote their healthy-eating focused campaign with Publix Super Markets. Last year’s campaign was able to provide 2.2 million meals to local families in need – that is pretty incredible work! Here’s how it works, the Publix and Produce for Kids campaign runs June 2 – June 29 and is supported by 13 fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers. With each Publix store purchase of any of these fruits and veggies from the supporting brands (see image for a list below), funds are donated to local Feeding America food banks. To stay up to date with campaign happenings be sure to join the Produce For Kids Campaign Page on Facebook (you’ll also have the opportunity to win $100 gift card to Publix!).

My heart is always behind any program or organization that promotes healthy eating and provides aid in feeding hungry families…this is why I love everything about Produce for Kids! Please support them any way you can – look for signage at your local Publix, find recipes on their website and and tag any healthy creations and ideas with #produceforkids.

(more…)

The post Breakfast Fruit Skewers – Produce For Kids appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

This recipe for Strawberry Almond Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill.

I’ve been wanting to make baked oatmeal for as long as I can remember. I could tell by the recipes I’ve found online that I would love it, mostly because of it’s texture. I’ve mentioned before, I’m more of a savory breakfast girl (eggs!) but I do enjoy a bowl of oatmeal or overnight oats every now and then. It’s so good for you and lucky for me, my kids love it too.

Baked oatmeal is exactly what it is – prepared oatmeal, baked instead of cooked on the stove top. I love using steel cut oats when I can, but I had a feeling that they could be tricky in a recipe for baked oatmeal because of their heartier texture and cook time. After doing a little research, I decided to follow Lisa’s method of baking steel cut oatmeal, and it turned out wonderfully.

(more…)

The post Strawberry Almond Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.