This recipe and post was created in collaboration with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, however the views and opinions included are my own.

Since 1970, April 22 has been known as a national day of awareness focused on our environment – Earth Day! This Earth Day I am partnering with the dairy community to tell you about how dairy farmers work hard to take great care of their cows while committing to sustainable practices on their farms. My family consumes a variety of dairy on a daily basis, such as the milk in today’s Cinnamon Peanut Butter Chia Seed Pudding recipe, and I can appreciate knowing it’s coming from a place that is strongly dedicated to preserving our environment and providing a fresh, quality product.

Food memories, they can creep up on you when you least expect them to. My daughter and I recently watched a video for chia seed pudding and she asked if we could make it together. As I was pouring the mixture into the small jars and glasses I suddenly remembered how my mom always had little homemade pudding cups for us in the fridge. Granted, it wasn’t chia seed pudding – instead flavored pudding made from the box – but it was one of my favorite snacks or dessert when I was a kid. Pistachio was always my first choice, chocolate a close second.

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This recipe was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill.

My children have pretty big appetites. I feel like they are always eating – as I’m clearing up one meal they are already asking for a snack. I’m not going to say this bothers me in the least, seeing their love of eating definitely makes my Italian mama heart happy. But, it can be a challenge to keep up with having smart, healthy snacks always available for them so they don’t turn to junk. I typically offer them yogurt, cheese sticks, fruit, pretzels or granola bars…but they do get bored.

I wanted to try out a new kind of snack on my kids a couple of weeks ago while we were off school for a long holiday weekend. My kids LOVE parfaits, and ask for them all the time. They keep me on my toes in the granola making department that’s for sure, I really don’t make it often enough for them (we go through it so fast when I do make it!). Instead of parfaits this time, I offered them a plate of Blueberry Almond Oatmeal Bites served along with a bowl of Greek yogurt drizzled with honey. Fancy, huh? It actually took less effort than making 2 parfaits!

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People often tell me they have trouble having breakfast in the morning and I have to tell you, I have never had that dilemma. If I don’t eat something before I fully start my day then I’m setting myself up for trouble, meaning I’ll probably binge on cheese and crackers at lunchtime or get a headache or just feel really off and cranky later in the day. I need my breakfast…and I truly believe it is the most important meal of the day.

Most days during the week I’m up very early to go to the gym and all I can handle at that time of day before a workout is a banana. I have a few regular breakfast I tend to make regularly for myself depending on time, this Blueberry, Banana And Peanut Butter Oatmeal being one of them. (Other breakfast favorites: Spinach and Egg Breakfast Sandwich, Refrigerator Oats, peanut butter Ezekiel toast and Cinnamon Pear Green Smoothie)

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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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Last week I picked up a new cookbook at my local Scholastic Warehouse Book Sale. Have any of you been to one of these? It’s a book lovers paradise, a warehouse filled with rows and rows of books of all kinds – all 50% off. Yes, this book nerd finds this extremely exciting.

Not only was I excited about the overwhelming amount of books in general, but I got pretty happy when I stumbled into the cookbook section. I had been eying this cookbook from The Mom 100 ever since it was featured on #SundaySupper a few months back. After having it in my hands for a few days already, I have to tell you – I’m glad I picked it up.

I made this for the kids and myself while my husband was away on business last week. I don’t usually cook up anything outside of our few ‘regular’ meals when it’s just the three of us, but I had been craving these sesame noodles since I laid eyes on them – and I was keeping my fingers crossed that the kids would eat them too.

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The family is getting together today to celebrate and meet a new addition to our growing family…baby Brady is the 2nd great grandchild and one of 16 cousins – Welcome to the family Baby Brady!!  It also happens to be Jamie’s birthday (as well as Brady’s parent’s 5th anniversary!  Big congrats!) and since I know how much she loves PB and Chocolate (something we have in common!) I wanted to surprise her with some of these cupcakes!  I’ve been eying them in Ina’s Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook for sometime now and this was the perfect occasion for them.  Unfortunately I am not making it to the family get together, but have sent the cupcakes up with the husband and kids!  And I forgot to leave one home for myself!!  I did get to taste a piece of cupcake and frosting separately and that was really really good…can’t imagine what I’m missing not having an entire cupcake to enjoy all to myself with a glass of milk!  Maybe Jamie will let us all know if they are as delicious as they look…

Here is a copy of the recipe on Food Network’s site!

Enjoy your birthday Jamie…and your cupcakes!  Big birthday hugs to you!

Also…congratulations to the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner giveaway…I drew a number using random.org and Cindy from FarmgirlCyn is the winner!  Your gift bag is on its way Cindy!  Thank you to everyone for entering!

PS…thank you all so much for the nice comments on my new design!  I am really excited about it and want to extend a BIG thank you to Hannah from Sherbert Blossom for all of her hard work in creating Aggie’s Kitchen’s new look!  It’s still a work in progress on my part, but I hope you will find it easy to navigate and resourceful!  Stay tuned for an organized recipe index…

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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!

The post Cooking Light Week – Day Seven: Frozen Peanut Butter-Banana Pie appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

This salad is officially a new favorite in my book. I had no idea it would be this good! I made this the other night for dinner for a friend of mine and I. We served it over fresh spinach leaves for a light weeknight dinner and it was perfect. Leftovers for lunch the next day were even better.

The salad was really easy to put together. I had roasted the chicken earlier in the day so that it was ready to be shredded. I also blanched the asparagus at the same time and kept them in the fridge to chill. The dressing was a breeze to throw together – I just love making my own fresh salad dressings. I originally thought about serving this salad over some cold sesame noodles or even in a pita, but the fresh spinach leaves worked out wonderfully to make this a great dinner salad.

Thank you to Kenzie over at Kenzie’s Kitchen for choosing this month’s recipe…go check her out along with the rest of the Ina Garten fans over at Barefoot Bloggers! The Barefoot Bloggers are a group of cookers and bakers brought together to test out the talented Ina Garten’s always fantastic recipes…come join us!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on) (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.
3. Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.
4. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Recipe from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Parties! and Food Network

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PS…I will be posting my Craving Ellie in my Belly recipe tomorrow…it’s dinner tonight!!

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Are you on Twitter? Last week I was introduced to a whole new world of communicating…I’ve had a Twitter account for a while now, but not doing anything with it. I was a little unsure of what Twitter was all about. And if it was as addicting as Facebook, do I really need it in my life?

Apparently I did…I am now addicted to Twitter.
(don’t tell my husband…)

So, on Thursday afternoon, I sent out a tweet to all my Twitter friends asking for ideas on what to do with overripe bananas. Immediately, I got two responses from my ever so reliable foodie friends Maria and Dawn…a recipe for Banana Cinnamon Chip Cake and Mama Dip’s Famous Banana Bread. Since I had everything on hand for the cake, I went with that recipe. But my mouth is watering for some of Mama Dip’s Banana Bread so that one is officially bookmarked.

I have not been able to find Cinnamon Chips yet…I know I am missing out…so instead I used what I had on hand, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips. You can’t go wrong with PB, chocolate and banana in my book! I love how easy this cake was to make. One bowl!! This is so my kind of baking. And the banana makes it so moist…you’ll never miss the butter or oil.

So come and join the fun…follow me on Twitter…you know you want to!! 😉
(see right sidebar for updates!)

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup peanut butter and chocolate chips

  For topping:

• 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add the eggs, and stir well to combine. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and stir to mix. Add ¾ cup of the cinnamon chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining ¼ cup chips.
   
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod, Banana Cinnamon Chip Cake

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Have a great week!

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Since I’m not one to bake unless I really have a reason to, I’ve been waiting patiently for the perfect occasion to make these. Well, my mom’s birthday is this weekend and we are going to surprise her with a visit tomorrow with the kids (hope she’s not reading this tonight!)…my mom loves peanut butter so I’m thinking these are a perfect birthday treat for her.

I just recently discovered a brand of peanut butter that I have totally fallen in love with…Peanut Butter & Co. They have the most amazing flavors…ones I’ve tried are Dark Chocolate Dreams, Cinnamon Raisin Swirl and White Chocolate Wonderful. I like adding a heaping teaspoon of these delicious flavors into a bowl of plain lowfat yogurt for dessert…mmmm. So good.

When I decided to make these bars today I had all the ingredients in the pantry…as far as peanut butter though, all I had was the White Chocolate Wonderful. This peanut butter isn’t the most inexpensive peanut butter so I cringed a little using up the whole jar for the recipe (actually 2 oz. less than the recipe called for), but I figured it would make the bars that much better.

I thought the bars turned out good…crumbly and buttery, but they held their shape well. My only complaint was that I thought there should have been more jam than what the recipe asked for. Next time I will just eye ball it and make sure to spread a nice thick layer of jam on them. Also, I think my pan might have been too small…my bars came out kind of thick, but that’s not really a bad thing.

If you are a PB&J lover, bake up a batch of these bars and grab a glass of milk…

(I’m loving my new Martha Stewart Collection plates from Macy’s…)

White Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (I used Peanut Butter & Co. White Chocolate Wonderful)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam (I used strawberry)
• 2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I totally forgot to add these!)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.
4. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
5. Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Recipe by Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa at Home

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Happy Birthday Mom!!
xoxo

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