10 ways to make oatmeal...

Everyone's heard the hype about oatmeal... high in fiber, low in calories, high in satiation... and oatmeal has gotten popular again with the kiddos with Quaker Mix Ins and other similar varieties... but here's what you should do, for your health and your budget. Make your own!

Since I am unsure I could actually rank my top ten, I will list all my favorites in no particular order except possibly how they enter my brain.

All you need is a 1/3 cup of Old Fashioned Oats - they have a little more nutrients than quick cooking oats and are generally less expensive, but you can still make them in the microwave! 1/3 cup of oats only has 100 calories!

1. Banana, Raisin, Cinnamon, Peanut Butter Delight - Add half a banana and 1/2 tbsp. of The Peanut Butter Co. Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter to 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal. Total Calories = 200. If you want it a little sweeter add Splenda or real sugar but it will add to your calories.

2. Triple Berry with Honey - Add 2 sliced strawberries, 10 blueberries, 5 raspberries and 1/2 tablespoon of honey to 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal. Total calories = 150.

3. Pumpkin Pie - Add 1/2 cup pure canned pumpkin, 1/2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice, baking Splenda or other artificial sweetener and 7 chopped almonds to 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal. Total calories = 200.

4. Baked Apples - Dice up one half of a small apple. Add raw apple, 1-2 tsp. cinnamon, and baking Splenda to 1/3 cup uncooked oatmeal. Total calories = 130.

5. Chocolate Peanut Butter - Need a chocolate fix? Add 1 tbsp. of Nestle peanut butter and milk chocolate chips to 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal. Total calories = 170.

6. Maple Nut - Add 2 tbsp. sugar free maple syrup (should have 35 calories for 1/4 cup serving) and 7 chopped almonds to 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal. Total calories = 170.

7. Cinnamon Raisin - Add 15 raisins, 1-2 tsp. of cinnamon to 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal. Total calories = 120.

8. Apple Raisin Nut - Add 15 raisins, 1/2 small apple - diced, 7 chopped almonds, 1-2 tsp. cinnamon and Splenda to taste. Total calories = 200.

9. Honey Nut - Add 7 chopped almonds and 1 tbsp. honey to 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal. Total calories = 200.

10. Plain - Sometimes, you just want the taste of oatmeal. Add a few tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk and some Splenda and it's pure warmth. 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal = 150 calories.

Tell me... your favorite fall inspired food!

Fall brings many great things to the table... the changing of leaves, hoodie weather, an excuse to cuddle, brisk walks and incredible food.

Some of my most favorite fall foods:

Apple Cider Donuts - don't judge! you have to let yourself indulge every now and then.

Anything Pumpkin flavor - ice cream, donuts, cakes, breads, pies, muffins, cookies, soups, etc.

Soups - all kinds, warm and brimming with broth and veggies.

Hot Apple Cider  & Hot Chocolate - these speak for themselves.

What are YOUR favorite fall foods? Please share! And if you have a recipe please share that too.

Tropical Fruits.. what IS that!?

One of the perks of having a part time job at a food market is sampling! We had a grand tour of some of those weird fruits you always pass in the grocery and say to yourself or shopping buddy... "what is that??" So I've decided to share my recent education with you...

CHERIMOYA

This fruit looks really bizarre like an artichoke and a pear or green apple had a baby. It looks even more odd as it ripens and turns into a deep army green color. The seeds are poisonous so make sure you don't eat those but the rest is an interesting texture, sherbet like actually. This fruit has been called the "custard apple" and Mark Twain called it "the most delicious fruit known to men". There are about 80 calories in half of one fruit or 100 grams. It has a sort of sweet flavor and tastes like an apple, pear and mango to me. 

STARFRUIT

Starfruit has a crunchy texture sort of like a crisp apple. You can eat the skin if you want or trim it off. There are little seeds in there a bit smaller than apple seeds. Ripe fruits are yellow with a little green and firm. Tastes have been compared to a combination of pear and citrus fruit because it is slightly tart.

RAMBUTAN

This is probably one of the most bizarre fruits I've ever seen. But... it's tasty! You peel off the weird "hairy" outer casing like you would peel an orange. Inside is a small fruit that looks and has a texture similar to a skinless grape. You can bite the fruit off the pit similar to a peach. The taste is sweet and something I cannot quite describe. You'll just have to give one a shot!

DRAGONFRUIT

This fruit is very low in calories and sugar content unlike many other fruits. The seeds are edible and the texture of the fruit is like a softer pear. You scoop out the white flesh from the pink skin and can dice into cubes. It has a mild sweetness and has been compared to a melon flavor.

PASSION FRUIT

The passion fruit has a really great sweet flavor but the texture can be a bit off putting. You can eat the seeds if you wish or strain them out but there isn't much "fruit" inside each skin. It is most often used as a juice but you could also mix in the pulpy insides into a fruit salad to utilize it to coat the other fruits. 

These are just a few of the fruits you may come across in the grocery and wonder what could that be? What does it taste like? How do you eat that?! 

Be adventurous! Take one new fruit or vegetable a week and give it a shot. The only thing you have to lose is a couple bucks, which is a cup of coffee house joe or a bag of chips - instead, choose healthier!

Eggplant Parm with Homemade Marinara... shut. yo. mouth. or... open it!

Here's the deal... I've tried eggplant on numerous occasions, several different ways. Italian Eggplant Parmesan the fattening way. Middle Eastern Babaganoush. Indian Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry). Ratatouille. Baked Eggplant tossed with other baked veggies and ricotta cheese and still... still... the texture kills me.

I have a part time job at a family owned food market in the produce department and we were given a grand tasting tour of exotic vegetables and fruits with free take home samples. So, I took home a bunch of stuff. I also took home Japanese eggplant.

Now, the Japanese variety is a lot smaller and the rind is a thinner but it's still a dark purple. So, I decided to give it one last shot...

And I liked it! Of course, you can coat pretty much anything in Panko and it will taste good. Regardless, here are some recipes.

JAPANESE EGGPLANT PARMESAN

2 - 3 medium Japanese eggplant

1/2 c. Panko Japanese bread crumbs

2 tbsp. grated reduced fat Parmesan cheese (20 calories per tbsp.)

1 cup homemade marinara (see recipe below)

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp. dried basil

Makes 2 small servings - 180 calories each

Feel free to double, triple or quadruple this batch.

This is super easy.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice eggplant in 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle tops of slices with sea salt (this will help bring out some of the moisture). You can also add pasta to this for added calories and carbs. Beat the egg and set it aside on a small plate. Mix Panko, basil, and Parmesan cheese and set aside on another small plate. Dip eggplant slices into egg, then Panko mixture and set onto Olive oil sprayed cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes on one side and flip, bake another 8 minutes. Divide half, and top each half with 1/2 cup of marinara.

Even easier... Marinara!

5 INGREDIENT MARINARA 

1 large can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)

1.5 tbsp. chopped garlic (use fresh or jarred)

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. dried basil

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

Makes about 7 1/2 cup servings - 30 calories each (less than half of store bought!)

Toss all ingredients into a sauce pan on medium. Once it comes to a simmer lower heat by half. Allow to simmer 20-30 minutes for all flavors to marry. I like my marinara chunky - you can easily do this with a potato masher. If you like yours smoother, toss into a food processor or blender.

Change it Up!

When was the last time you changed your workout routine?

If you are looking for results and you've noticed that you aren't getting any... something is wrong.

Either you are eating too many calories.

Or...

Your body is used to your workout, therefore it cannot progress any further.

Do you walk on the treadmill at the same speed, for the same amount of time, twice a week and wonder why you aren't losing weight? That's why! Switch to a different machine, workout harder, run a little in between walking, add an incline... do something different!

Peanut Butter... how I love thee.

Does anyone else love peanut butter as much as I do? Sure, it bangs a large caloric punch for such a small amount but they contain minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for achieving optimal health. Plus, who doesn't love a good PB & J??

Peanut Butter has kind of exploded on the market in the last few years with all different flavors; honey, cinnamon raisin, dark chocolate, less sugar, added omega 3's, maple, all natural, organic, etc. If you eat as much as I do you also notice it's incredibly expensive.

The Peanut Butter Co. out of New York has some of the most unique flavor combinations and freshest taste around, but it's also around $5 a jar and not easily found at every grocery.

I also recently stumbled upon Peter Pan's Whipped Peanut Butter - which offers 40-50 less calories per serving, 1/3 less sugar and is smooth as silk!

Here's a question... why can't I make my own?

So, I did some research and it appears all you really need is a few basic ingredients:

Peanuts (of course!) - You can either roast and salt your own or buy them roasted.
Salt (if you prefer to leave that out, it's your choice! - another benefit of making your own)
Peanut Oil - this is optional - natural peanut butter you find at the store will likely not contain this.
Any flavorings you wish...

A good powered food processor - I learned the hard way.

For years I've been getting by with this little 2.5 cup food processor, I use it to make Pesto and Salsa... however, I don't think it makes a good peanut butter - so for this reason, use a bigger, better food processor - you will find lots of other uses for them in your cooking adventures. So go ahead, splurge a little and pass up the $15 smaller version.

Now, I will still eat the peanut butter I made even though it's not as pretty (and why there isn't a photo for it!) because it still tastes pretty dang good. I was attempting to use the peanuts I had on hand... bought them in a can - honey roasted - but they weren't as "roasted" as I liked... so... I roasted them at 300 degrees for 5 minutes on a baking sheet, tossed them around with a spatula and roasted them for another 4 minutes.

Once cooled, I added them to the food processor with some ground cinnamon. You basically just want to grind them down to the consistency you're looking for. Try it on high for one minute, scrape down the sides, another minute, and repeat process until you get the smooth or chunky peanut butter you're looking for.

The oil will help push the nuts around if you decide to go that route. I attempted to add a tablespoon or two of water so as not to raise the caloric value but am not sure that helped much in the way of texture.

If you have your own peanut butter recipe successes, trials or failures please share them in the comments section below! I'd love to hear other opinions since I am very new at this process!!

Top 5 Favorite Peanut Butters:

1. Jif- Creamy - maybe it's childhood nostalgia - but for whatever reason, this is always my go to!

2. Kroger Maple Peanut Butter - such a warm, fall flavor, and not overwhelming!

3. Peter Pan Whipped - good smooth texture - great on calories and sugar

4. Peanut Butter Co. - Cinnamon Raisin Swirl - I love this, my only issue is I'd like less raisins and more peanut butter!

5. Peanut Butter Co. - Dark Chocolate Dreams - how can you go wrong with dark chocolate and peanut butter? You can't.