Baked Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal is turning into one of my favourite, go-to quick meals. It's a variation on regular oatmeal, but with a fluffier texture and a protein punch.

Begin with one half cup of dry quick oats.

Cook the oats by adding boiling water and letting it sit for approximately 3-5 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed by the oats.

Add one over-ripened banana and one large egg.

Other non-essential ingredients can also be added at this time (e.g. vanilla, raisins, cinnamon, nuts, chocolate chips, carob chips, chopped dates, peanut butter, cinnamon, protein powder, etc.). I decided to use a teaspoon of vanilla and a handful of sweet raisins this time.

A touch of honey or maple syrup can also be added at this point, to impart additional sweetness, if desired.

Combine the ingredients thoroughly, until the mixture resembles a muffin batter-like consistency.

Spread the batter on a foil-lined baking sheet, so that it is approximately 1/4 - 1/2" thick.

Bake the mixture until it is golden brown. To achieve this, I normally use a toaster oven, set at 250°F for 10 minutes.

Spoon the baked oatmeal into a bowl, while it's still hot, and enjoy.

Oatmeal Flavour Variations

Cold days like this that make me crave heavy foods. Often times, these heavy foods tend to be quite unhealthy.

That being said, I try to fill that craving with different variations of oatmeal. Oatmeal is a warm, heavy food that can be nutritious, satisfying and easy to digest.

For those of you who like a creamy texture in their foods, try oatmeal with coconut cream and bananas.

For people craving a spicy warmth, try oatmeal made with a dash of turmeric powder and a drizzle of honey.

For added protein, top your oatmeal with an all-natural nut butter like almond butter, cashew butter or peanut butter.

You can even make oatmeal into lunch or dinner by mixing it with a curry base and adding some pre-cooked chicken or turkey.

Eat well and stay warm!

Chickpea Muffins

This muffin recipe will allow you to make high-protein, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free muffins.

To begin, preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, combine together the following dry ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (a.k.a. garbanzo bean flour, gram flour or besan)

- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- a pinch of salt

- 6 tablespoons lucuma powder

Side note:

At this moment, you're probably wondering, 'what the heck is lucuma powder?'. Lucuma is a fruit native to Peru. In Canada, one can by lucuma in powdered form. It is relatively expensive, compared to refined white sugar. This one-pound package cost me $18.79 at a health food store. (No one said healthy alternatives were cheap. If it's worth anything, the package below will last me for approximately 1 year.)

The fruit powder is sweet and can be used as a sugar substitute. It is low on the glycemic index, which makes it suitable for individuals with diabetes. Additionally, it has a mild maple/butterscotch flavour.

To the dry ingredients, add the following wet ingredients and mix thoroughly:

- 2 ripe bananas (mashed)

- 2 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter

- 2 teaspoons honey

- 1 container crushed apples (100 mL)

- 2 large eggs

- 1/4 cup water

At this point, add 3/4-1 cup of carob chips or chocolate chips. I used unsweetened carob chips.

Using a spoon, fill muffin papers with the chickpea batter, so that they are almost full.

Bake the muffins for 20 minutes and enjoy.

Banana Oatmeal "Everything-Free" Cookies

This all natural cookie recipe will meet mostly everyone's dietary needs. It gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free and contains no refined sugars. Even if you don't have dietary restrictions, you'll probably like these healthy treats.

They are also ridiculously easy to make.

Ingredients:
3 ripened bananas (mashed)
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 tsp honey
1 container (110 mL) crushed apples
2 cups quick oats
Optional: unsweetened carob chips (my preference), chocolate chips, chopped dates, or raisins.

Combine all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and spoon onto a lightly greased baking sheet (greased with olive oil).

Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Allow for the cookies to cool before removing them from the baking tray.

It's that simple.

Banana Bread (Dairy-free with No Refined Sugars)

I've always had a good recipe for banana bread. However, it contains dairy and refined sugars. (To view that version of the recipe, you can click here. It's delicious.)

After doing a little bit of kitchen experimentation, I've come up with an amazing recipe for banana bread that is made without the use of dairy or refined sugars. I have to say that it tastes great!

You will need the following dry ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup white rice flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all of the above ingredients, in a mixing bowl, using a whisk.

Add the following wet ingredients:

2 over-ripened, mashed bananas

½-¾ cup loosely-packed, softened date paste (cut into small cubes/pieces)

1 egg
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 container (100 mL) pureed apples

1 teaspoon honey

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, in a greased baking pan (greased with olive oil).

This banana bread is guaranteed to please anyone's palate.

Breakfast Bulgar

If oatmeal has become your hated choice for breakfast gruel, you may want to switch things up by using bulgar (bulgur) instead.

Bulgar is a cereal food made from the hulled kernels (groats) of wheat. The wheat is normally parboiled and contains a fair amount of fibre.

To make it, simply bring 1 part bulgar and 2 parts water to boil in a pot. Cover the pot and let the bulgar simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. (Cooking times will vary depending on the size and type of bulgar you are using.)

In any case, the cooked bulgar can be enjoyed in any way you like. I like to have it with some warmed almond milk and a dollop of all-natural jam.