Mango Blackberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal

Mango Blackberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal

by | Jul 4, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

You all know I enjoy cooking, but I can also appreciate the savior that is meal-prepping.  It makes a difference to batch-cook entrees or staples items to have easy to assemble meals throughout the week.  I thought lunch, dinner, and snacks were the only thing worth prepping until today.  This past weekend I whipped up a Mango Blackberry Coconut Oatmeal Bake for my family breakfast and got to ride the wave of leftovers for two days.   And let me tell ya…

Oatmeal bakes are highly underrated. 

Not only is the one-dish meal convenient for feeding a crowd but it keeps really well, too!  It tastes amazing on Day 1 but then something magical happens when the leftovers go into your fridge.  The texture gets better and the flavors meld together even more (similar to the way banana bread gets better the day after you bake it)!  Leftovers keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge. You can eat it cold, if you prefer, but I like to reheat a portion in the microwave for a minute, then add it to a cast-iron skillet greased with coconut oil so the bottom gets crispy. 😉  Oooh yeaaah.

Plus, if I haven’t already convinced you, baked oatmeal is versatile and a great way to use up lots of fruit.  My inspiration for baked oatmeal actually comes as an adaptation of a Love and Lemons recipe for Blueberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal.  Her recipe is splendid but this tropical version with mango and plump juicy blackberries is so perfect for summer! 😀

This bake can be assembled ahead of time or simply the day you want to serve it.

Also, don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients.  You likely have most of them on hand already and, if not, sub in what you do have!  I like making the oatmeal mixture the night before so that way all I need to do is slip it into the oven in the morning.  EASY.  The oatmeal could also be assembled and baked straight away if that’s more your thing. My instructions are for the latter option but do what works for you.

Mango blackberry coconut baked oatmeal

If you like oatmeal, also be sure to check out my single-serving

Zucchini Stovetop Oatmeal!  It is chewy, creamy, and involves zero fruit!

Mango blackberry coconut baked oatmeal

Who’s making this for weekend brunch? 🙋 Drop me a comment or tag me on Instagram if you do!

Mango Blackberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal
Recipe Type: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons warm water
  • ¾ cup water or almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • ¼ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¾ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp coconut extract (optional)
  • 2 cups whole rolled oats
  • ½ cup chopped or slivered almonds (save half for topping)
  • ⅔ cup coconut flakes (save half for topping)
  • 1 cup packed diced mango (from about 2 large mangoes)
  • ½ – 1 cup blackberries (mixed in or as topping)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8×8-inch (or 9×11) baking dish with coconut oil or use cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed and warm water and set aside to thicken for about 5 minutes.
  3. Then, combine the water OR almond milk, coconut oil, and brown sugar and whisk to combine.
  4. Next, add in the baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and extracts. Stir in the rolled oats and HALF of the almonds and coconut flakes.
  5. Mix in the mango (and blackberries, if desired. I like to serve them fresh, as shown in the photo) before pouring the mixture into a baking dish. Cover the top with reserved coconut flakes and chopped almonds, lightly pressing the toppings into the oatmeal.
  6. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top is crisp and golden. If the coconut flakes have browned then definitely remove the bake from the oven.
  7. Lastly, let the oatmeal cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Top with as many fresh blackberries as your heart desires!
Notes
You can substitute whatever fruit you like. I find that 1-1 ½ cups of fruit is ideal. The bake is only lightly sweetened but you can add in an extra ¼ cup of either sugar if your fruit isn’t very sweet or if you just prefer sweeter food.

Mango blackberry coconut baked oatmeal 

Adapted from: Love and Lemons Blueberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal
Yogurt Pro Bowl & Unique Topping Suggestions!

Yogurt Pro Bowl & Unique Topping Suggestions!

by | Jun 12, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

Do you remember a year or two back when yogurt bowls were super trendy?  It seemed like yogurt was all the rage for breakfast and healthy snacking—especially once Greek yogurt hit the scene.  How, you might be thinking, can a food be trendy?  Well, sorry, folks, that is a question for someone else.  I don’t start the food trends I just utilize them.

In early 2016, I was on the biggest Greek yogurt kick and would start each day with a bowl.  I’d eat it with berries and granola, melon, or stone fruit—oh, yogurt could do no wrong!  Though, sometime during the summer, I had one too many bowls and got turned off.  Now, it has been months since I’ve consumed it but recently I found myself craving the creamy, refreshing, gut-healthy food.

First things first, I picked up individual serving containers of Silk’s blueberry soy yogurt and Kite Hill’s plain almond milk yogurt.  For the yogurt bowl shown above, I used the almond milk one but you can see me use blueberry coconut flavor in this Instagram post.  I think I like the coconut version the most out of the two but use whatever non-dairy or regular yogurt you like.

As I previously mentioned, yogurt with fruit is an easy pairing.  Nowadays, I want a little more out of my yogurt bowls so I like to add sweet potato, oatmeal, and nut butter to tackle all the food groups at once!  Side note: I like to give credit whree credit is due so, I first saw the idea from @olive.eeeats on Instagram.  It’s hearty, comforting, and a breakfast I can get behind.  It’s a total Yogurt Pro Bowl, if you will.  Also, if some of the items I included aren’t your thing, I’ve included suggestions at the end of this post on how to jazz up your yogurt bowl in an unconventional way.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUCR_LEArbF/?taken-by=tiu.melanie

For a well-rounded yogurt bowl, I like to include:

Whole grains

Vegetables

Berries or other fruit

Fats

Admittedly, my yogurt bowls turn out different each time so, while I’ve provided my recipe, this is just a guideline.  If you want more or less food, adjust as needed.  There’s no wrong way to measure or plate any of these foods so just eat according to what you’re craving and enjoy!

Yogurt Pro Bowl
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American, Vegan, Vegetarian
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 yogurt bowl
The yogurt pros (that’s us!) prep their ingredients ahead of time. So, use your breakfast yogurt as a chance to toss in some roasted veggies, fruit of choice, and healthy fats. It will give your mind and body the fuel it needs to tackle the day!
Ingredients
  • Overnight oats: 1/3 cup oats, 2 tsp chia seeds, 1/2 cup water or milk, 1/2 tsp maca powder, 1/2 tsp cacao powder
  • 1/2 cup yogurt
  • Roasted sweet potato fries (from 1/2 small-med sized potato), sprinkled with cinnamon
  • 1/2 small-med sized banana
  • 1/4 cup raspberries
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1 tbsp ground flax
  • 1 tbsp of peanut butter (I used Wild Friends Pumpkin Spice)
  • 2 tbsp granola, optional but recommended for texture (I used Purely Elizabeth Chocolate Probiotic)
  • A pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt, recommended to sprinkle on avocado (I used San Francisco Salt Company)
Instructions
  1. For the oats, combine all of the ingredients the night before. Alternatively, warm, stovetop oats could be substituted.
  2. For the yogurt bowl, first add the oatmeal to one half of the bowl and the yogurt to the other half.
  3. Then, I like to strategically lay out all of the toppings in different sections of the bowl but feel free to toss them all in together. Though, I should say, the sweet potato fries are best left on the sides of the bowl to utilize as yogurt dippers. 😉
  4. Lastly, sprinkle salt on avocado, drizzle nut butter, and add a few clumps of granola before taking a spoon and devouring!

 

yogurt pro bowl

In my opinion, what makes this elevated yogurt bowl different is that it doesn’t solely rely on fruit to make it awesome.  Plus, it doesn’t shy away from carbs or fat.  Normally yogurt is considered the low-calorie, dieter’s choice breakfast.  Which it can be but I’d like to prove yogurt can be fun so long as you know how to jazz it up! 🙂 Actually, as a matter of fact,…

There are many choices for yogurt bowl add-ins!

Whole grains: Stovetop oats or overnight oats, buckwheat, quinoa cooked in coconut milk, warm barley, or simply use a homemade whole grain muffin—YES!

Vegetables:  Roasted or sautéed carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts if you’re feeling adventurous!

Spice it up: Cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, rosemary, paprika, or sweeten with maple syrup or raw/coconut sugar.

Fruit: As you probably know, ANY fresh, frozen, or sautéed fruit you like will work!

Fats: 1-2 tbsp peanut, almond, or sunflower seed butter; toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds, cinnamon-maple glazed pecans, ¼ of an avocado, or coconut flakes will do.

Bonus: Granola, hemp seeds, adaptogens, flax or chia seeds.

Here are some pairing ideas I cannot wait to try:

Roasted carrots with blackberries, quinoa, and sunflower seed butter; crispy roasted Brussels, with cinnamon maple-glazed pecans, blueberries, and barley; also, sautéed turmeric butternut squash with coconut oil sautéed apples, and toasted walnuts.

Of course, those are just a few ideas.  Mix and match according to your taste buds!  Also, please let me know how you enjoy yogurt or if you’ve got any wild yogurt pairings.  I’d love to try out something new!

Zucchini Stovetop Oatmeal

Zucchini Stovetop Oatmeal

by | May 23, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

Have I sunk to a new low?  Am I really writing a post about how to cook oatmeal?  In all fairness, a year or two back, I was still only making overnight oats because I had no idea how to cook hot oatmeal, and much less with zucchini.  When I was growing up, my mom used to cook oatmeal in a way that involved way too much water so the oatmeal would boil and be left swimming in murky liquid.  It was often super mushy, too.  Like, when people associate oatmeal with being old people’s food, that is because they have suffered through bland, mushy oatmeal.  I was one of those people but I’ve come out on the other side with a revived interest in stovetop oatmeal.

zucchini stovetop oatmeal

No offense to my mama’s wonderful cooking, she just never measured.  Dishes don’t necessarily come out well or consistent if you don’t measure.  That is why I looked to Rachael’s Good Eats when I wanted to cook up some real good oatmeal.  Not just any oatmeal though—oatmeal with vegetables!  You’ve seen me throw zucchini into smoothies here and here but oatmeal may be my favorite way to use zucchini.

zucchini stovetop oatmeal

I’ve been taste-testing bowls of oatmeal over the past few months and I have finally found a method I like.  Rachael’s recipe calls for a little bit less oats and a scoop of protein powder.  That works as long as the protein powder you’re using tastes good.  Though, personally, I’d rather not add protein powder because it can overpower the flavor of oatmeal.  I use flax and chia seeds to bulk up the oatmeal and give it creaminess without mushiness.  Then comes the zucchini: an undetectable but healthful addition.  You could totally leave it out and the oatmeal would still be awesome but I promise it’s so worthwhile to try it with zucchini!  It makes me look forward to eating oatmeal! 🙂

zucchini stovetop oatmeal with toppings

As always, let me know if you give this a try by dropping a comment down below or hit me up on Instagram!

Zucchini Stovetop Oatmeal
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Oatmeal
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
This quick-to-make oatmeal is anything but mushy. The rolled oats are flaky and the seeds add a creaminess. The contrasting textures perfectly compliment each other. Plus, there is a sneaky serving of veggies!
Ingredients
  • I/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp ground flaxseeds
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup shredded zucchini
  • 1/4 cup almond milk, for serving
Instructions
  1. In a small pot, heat half a cup of water on the stove. Once boiling, add in the rolled oats and cook for 1 minute on high, then, reduce heat to med.
  2. After the oats have started to absorb some water, sprinkle in the chia, flax, and cinnamon and stir, stir, stir! It is important to incorporate the seeds well so that they don’t clump. They will begin to gel and make the oatmeal creamy without compromising the texture of the rolled oats.
  3. Once incorporated, stir in the zucchini and cook for about 2 more minutes on medium before taking the pot off the heat. It may look like a measly amount of oatmeal but here’s where the magic happens: put the oatmeal into a bowl and pour the almond milk over it, stirring to incorporate. The hot oatmeal soaks up the milk and fluffs up nicely.
  4. Add addition milk if desired and your choice of toppings.
Notes
I topped my oatmeal with 1/2 cup strawberries, 1 tbsp Wild Friends Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter, 2 tbsp granola, and 1/2 tbsp flaked coconut.

 

Gingerbread Stovetop Oats with Cashew Cream

Gingerbread Stovetop Oats with Cashew Cream

by | Feb 22, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

Today I was reading about NASA’s recent discovery of exoplanets that may be similar to our planet Earth.  It seems that they are in a prime zone for habitation and may even have oceans.  See the article here.  I don’t avidly follow space and scientific findings but something about the excitement surrounding the discovery of the planets really cheered me up this morning.  I think the optimism about the possibility that life may exist elsewhere is a really neat thought.  It is a wild thought but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

I have something a little less wild and not very space-related to share with you today: Gingerbread Oatmeal!

I know we are in the month February but who says the gingerbread flavors are only for November/December?  I’m still totally digging spiced flavors in my breakfast!

I must admit, I’m usually a much bigger fan of overnight oats than I am of warm, cooked oats.  It’s a texture thing.  One exception is this recipe for gingerbread oatmeal.  The molasses and spices are so comforting and delicious that it would be a crime not to try them warm!

Another factor that kept me from liking hot oatmeal in the past was the bland taste of it.  I felt it was necessary to add sugar to make it taste like something!  Hold your horses because there is NO sugar needed for this recipe.  We’re using the au natural sweetness of banana 😀  Then, we top off the oatmeal with some fruit of your choosing ( I like pear) and some delectable cashew cream.  I say we soak some cashews NOW so that we can whip up the cashew cream and this oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow! 😉  Who’s with me?!

Gingerbread Stovetop Oats with Cashew Cream
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 bowl
A warm bowl of oatmeal, sweetened with banana, and bursting with the flavors of molasses and gingerbread spices. A comforting breakfast for one or double up, as needed, to serve more. Top with fruit of choice and cashew cream.
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 medium banana (half mashed, the other half sliced)*
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ginger
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 1/8 tsp cloves (optional)
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp blackstrap molasses
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp ground flax seeds
  • Cashew milk or milk of choice, for serving
  • Sliced pear, optional
  • Cashew cream**, for serving (see notes for recipe)
Instructions
  1. Add the water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Then, add the oats, mashed banana, spices, vanilla, and molasses. Turn down the heat to a medium level.
  2. After about two minutes, once most of the water has been absorbed, stir in the flax and chia seeds until well-dispersed and cook on low for one additional minute.
  3. Take the oatmeal off the heat and let sit for a minute. This is important because the banana makes the oatmeal retain a lot of heat so it will be REALLY HOT if you dig into it right away.
  4. Serve oatmeal with the other half of the banana, sliced pear, a small pour of milk, and a scoop of cashew cream.
Notes
*If desired, applesauce could be substituted for the banana in the recipe.[br][br]**You will have leftover cashew cream if making this recipe to go with the gingerbread oatmeal. [br][br]Cashew Cream recipe is as follows: [br]¾ cup raw cashews[br]1/3 cup water, plus more for soaking[br]1 ½ tbsp maple syrup[br]¾ tsp vanilla extract[br]A pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt or kosher salt[br][br]Simply place cashews in a bowl and fill with water until they are covered. Let them soak to soften. I recommend soaking cashews overnight in the fridge but between 2-6 hours is all that is necessary. Once cashews have softened and expanded, empty the soaking water and add them to a blender or food processor. Blend up the cashews until crumbly, then add 1/3 water, the maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. The resulting thickness will depend on the power of your blender or food processor. I left mine a bit clumpy but blend until desired consistency is achieved.[br][br]Cashew cream yields about 3 servings of 1/4 cup portions.[br][br]NOTE: Prep time does not include soaking time for the cashews.

 

Let’s embrace the last days of winter and enjoy the warm spices of gingerbread!