These Tropical Overnight Oats were created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill.

For the most part, I’m a savory egg and toast kind of breakfast girl. When the weather warms up though, I go through phases of cold and sweet fruit-filled breakfast cravings, specifically overnight oats like these Tropical Overnight Oats I’ve been enjoying this week. I don’t remember exactly when I started making overnight oats, but I’ve been hooked for some time now. I love saving the last of peanut butter jars for an extra special breakfast concoction that I can’t wait to dig into after I get home from the gym in the morning. Seriously so so good.

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Growing up in NY, then later on in FL, my family always had several fig trees in both my parent’s and my grandparent’s yards. Lots of fig trees, lots of figs. This is the time of year where we would stand under our fig trees and just pull off basketfulls of plump fresh figs off branches, sampling a few along the way of course. It was ridiculous how many we would have in such a short period of time, and the only way I really remember eating them was straight up, sometimes washed and slightly peeled.

https://instagram.com/p/wg724Slg-a/

As an adult, in my 3rd home since I grew up and moved out of my parent’s home, I finally have a fig tree in my own yard. My grandfather came over last December and put it in the ground for me and routinely checks on it when he visits or calls, making sure that I’m keeping it watered. My grandpa has the greenest thumb I know and I wish I could say my thumb was as green as his – it’s not, but I do try.

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Let’s talk about breakfast. I have always been in the “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” club and I can honestly say that if I miss my breakfast it really impacts the rest of my day in so many ways. Lately I’m noticing that I am not getting around to eating my morning meal until way later in the morning (closer to lunchtime sometimes!) and it’s becoming a bit of a bad habit for me. I’m making a huge effort to change that.

On the days that my kids ask for oatmeal, I am starting to make myself these refrigerator oats. What I love about refrigerator oats is that they can be ready to eat whenever you are (well, for the most part – they do need to sit in the fridge for about an hour). When I’m prepping my kids’ hot oatmeal I scoop out some oatmeal in a bowl for myself. While they are eating, I finish preparing mine with almond milk and stick in in the fridge for later. As long as it sits in the fridge for about an hour the oats will absorb most of the milk and have a slightly firm, nutty texture that I really love. Once it gets to this point it’s ready for all the fixins’ which for me is a spoonful of peanut butter, chopped banana and fresh or frozen berries (if using frozen I prefer blueberries). You can sprinkle some cinnamon on there too! A dollop of your favorite yogurt would be a nice topper too. With all the fruit and peanut butter I don’t feel the need to add any sweetener but if you do go ahead and drizzle a little agave, honey or pure maple syrup (or whatever sweetener you like).

I’ve been pretty excited about my refrigerator oats lately. It’s a nice change from eggs, it’s easy to prep (you just need to remember) and they are forgiving, meaning you can forget about them and come back later or take them with you if you have to run out the door. Since I never know when baby boy is going to let me have breakfast this has definitely become a breakfast I’m enjoying. Not to mention it’s not such a shabby way to kick start the day!

Refrigerator oats for the win! 🙂

Refrigerator Oats with Berries and Banana

Ingredients:

• 1/4 heaping cup old fashioned oats or Coach's Oats (see note in post on Coach's Oats)
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
• chopped banana
• fresh berries (or frozen blueberries)
• sprinkle of cinnamon or sweetener of your choice, optional
• dollop of your favorite yogurt, optional

 

Directions:

1. In a cereal bowl, combine oats, chia seeds and almond milk. Place in refrigerator and let sit for one hour. Most of the milk will be absorbed.
2. When oats are ready, stir in your peanut butter and top with banana and berries (or fruit of choice!) Drizzle with sweetener and add yogurt if using.

Note: My all time favorite oats are Coach’s Oats. The best way to describe them is a cross between steel cut and old fashioned oats. They cook up quick and have more of a grainier texture than regular oatmeal, which I love. I discovered them a few years ago when I came across a sample of them and also started seeing them mentioned on other blogs. I have only found them at Costco, but I’m sure that Whole Foods or other natural foods stores carry them as well. My Costco doesn’t have them anymore so I’ve been ordering them from Amazon.

There are Amazon affiliate links in this post.

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There’s a new butter in town folks, and it’s made with one of my most favorite things in the world – coconut. Coconut butter may not be all that new to some of you, but it’s new to me. I’ve seen it popping up around here and there and I finally broke down and bought some today. At first, I didn’t see much of a difference flavor wise or texture wise as coconut oil, and I felt confused. But as I dug my spoon in a little deeper into the jar I saw a slight change of color and I knew then that I had found gold. Holy cow, this stuff is good (if you love coconut that is).

What is coconut butter? Well, it’s basically just the flesh of the coconut ground up and processed until creamy – similar to nut butter. You get all the nutrition of eating pure raw coconut into a small amount that can be used as a spread or as a supplement to meals such as smoothies, granola bars or even oatmeal. Coconut is full of good stuff – lots of fiber, vitamins & minerals, along with a little protein and good for you fat.

When I got home with my jar of gold I immediately knew I wanted to add it to a smoothie. I love simple banana smoothies, especially right after a morning workout. This smoothie isn’t your typical thick smoothie – it’s light and refreshing and makes a perfect snack for those in between meal times. Enjoy!

So tell me, am I the last person on Earth to try coconut butter? If you’ve had it, tell me how you like it!

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There definitely was a time in my life, not long ago, that I was not very familiar with making smoothies at home. I would drink my smoothies out, BIG smoothies to be honest, and then was horrified to find out that the smoothie I was drinking had around 500-700 calories in it. Eek.

Sorry, but I’d rather eat pizza for those kind of calories. Or a bag of potato chips.

Of course, I could have always just ordered a smaller smoothie, but whatever…I just started making my own at home instead.

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Who wouldn’t want to start their day with a plate of this?

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Sounds like a pretty good gig right? I’m definitely smiling. 🙂

So let’s get started…

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That is if peanut butter, banana and chocolate are your thing.

It’s my thing for sure. As a matter of fact, a pie like this – light or not – is really not safe in my house. A pie like this could quickly disappear without the family even knowing about it. Yeah, it’s scary like that. But I promise I will share…

This dessert is a perfect treat for our upcoming warm summer nights. It’s simple to put together and even easier to put in the freezer until it’s ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Oh and if peanut butter and banana aren’t your thing, but chocolate is…check out Jamie’s Triple Chocolate Cheesecake recipe over at Mom’s Cooking Club for our last day of Cooking Light!

Frozen Peanut Butter-Banana Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup graham cracker cookies (about 10 sheets)
• 2 TB sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg white
• cooking spray

  Filling:

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter (I used Smuckers Natural Chunky)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8-ounce) container frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups sliced banana (about 2 bananas)
• 1/4 cup fat-free chocolate sundae syrup (I used a crunchy chocolate topping)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place cookies in a food processor; process until finely ground. Add sugar, butter and egg white; pulse 6 times or just until combined. Press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Place 3/4 cup brown sugar, cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Arrange banana in bottom of prepared crust. Spread peanut butter mixture over banana; drizzle with syrup. Cover and freeze 8 hours; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe from The All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook

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Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

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for picking such a great Barefoot Bloggers recipe this month! Who wouldn’t love these pancakes?

I tweaked a few things in the recipe like subbing whole wheat flour and adding some healthy flax meal and crunchy almonds. These were such a treat for me…I grew up on Bisquick so making pancakes from scratch is something I just recently did for the first time when making these Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes. Sorry Bisquick, but I think your days on my pantry shelf are over.

Whole Wheat Banana-Nut Sour Cream Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon non fat milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 2-3 tablespoons flax meal
• Non stick spray
• 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, crushed
• Pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined. In a separate bowl, add diced bananas and crushed almonds and gently toss together.
2. Spray large skillet with non stick spray and heat over medium-low heat. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of banana-almond mixture on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more non stick spray to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas and maple syrup.

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook

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Tonight is a big night in my little part of the world…

Good Luck FLORIDA GATORS in the
National Championship Game!

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