Monthly Archives: July 2012
Oatmeal Obsessed
My favorite daily breakfast is oatmeal. It’s so filling and there’s SO much you can do with it. You have to get creative! I use an instant packet of oatmeal as a “base” to add in my own fillers.
It’s important to get the right oatmeal though, making sure it is low sugar or sugar-free, high fiber or raw. The amount of sugar in the “Cinnamon Roll” and “Dinosaur Egg” varieties is absurd and totally sabotages your awesome breakfast. I recommend Better Oats’ ‘Oat Fit,’ a sugar-free instant oatmeal with flax seeds and only 100 calories. They also have ‘Organic Raw’ with flax seeds and only 1g of sugar. Another favorite of mine is Coach’s Oats, a stove-top oat that is cracked so it has a different texture. Otherwise, any brand of instant oatmeal that is low-sugar/high-fiber will do (when sugar is paired with fiber, like in fruits, it is absorbed more slowly by the body).
Today I used a lower-sugar maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal. Then I add my fruit! My favorite is any kind of berry, but today I used peaches. Warm peaches are so delicious, especially with the spoonful of cinnamon I mix into every bowl of oatmeal. It smells AMAZING.
Sometimes I add bananas and almonds; other times I’ll throw in milk and honey. I’ve even mixed in sunflower seeds and craisons. You really can’t go wrong with a bowl of oatmeal and it is so filling and healthy.
Berry Greek Yogurt “Cheesecake”
This recipe was adapted from “Eat Run Live’s” Peach and Honey version. I used a homemade graham cracker crust though.
Cheesecake is SO heavy and so fatty if made traditionally. You’ve got mega sugar, loads of cream cheese, heavy cream (Cringe!) and butter. It is the definition of diet disaster. So when my neighbors came over for a summer BBQ the other week, I was in charge of dessert. I wanted something summery and fruity. The grocery stores had raspberries and blackberrries on sale. After finding this recipe on pinterest, I tweaked it a little and it was a HUGE hit! Everyone loved it, and begged for the recipe. It contains NO cream cheese, but you’d never know it – it tastes exactly like the real cheesecake.
10 graham crackers, crushed
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
Combine all three ingredients and press into the bottom of a greased 9″ spring-form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
Filling:
2 Cups Vanilla Greek Yogurt (2%)
2 eggs
2/3 Cup sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
1 Tbs corn starch
pinch of salt
Fruit topping of choice
Beat the yogurt, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Add in the cornstarch and salt. Pour onto the hot crust and continue to bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Allow to cool, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Top with your favorite fruit!
Strong Like My Coffee – Debut!
Summer is the most inspiring time of the year to restart your healthy habits. With the rising temperatures comes less and less clothing, and nothing screams “self-consciousness” like a bikini after a winter of hibernation. So what better time than now to launch my own blog? I have a lot of ideas and a lot of passion for living healthily and actively. You can learn all about me here. I highly recommend reading this blog’s posts with a fresh cup of coffee… (something about the caffeine just makes it so much more exciting!) So you bring the mug, and I’ll bring the healthy tips, recipes, workouts and silly stories. Deal?
