Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Overnight Oatmeal

Breakfast is a hard meal for me to plan. I want something quick and easy, especially with school getting ready to start again, but I also want something clean, healthy, and filling.

The other night I was browsing on Pinterest (where all of the best ideas come from, of course) and I came across a link to this post over at The Yummy Life about no-cook overnight refrigerator oatmeal. I loved that the oatmeal is prepped overnight, which will be a major time saver for me in the mornings. With ingredients like oatmeal, chia seeds, and fat free greek yogurt I knew it would also be healthy and clean, not to mention filling!

The flavor suggestions in the post all sounded delicious, but I decided to use what I had on hand to create my own overnight oatmeal flavor. I'm finishing up a bowl right now, and I must say it's pretty delicious! 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Overnight Oatmeal

Adapted from The Yummy Life 

1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup milk (I used low-fat milk--I think almond or coconut should work and would be yummy)

1/4 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt 

1 1/2 teaspoons chia seeds

1-2 teaspoons maple syrup (100% pure, not pancake syrup. You could also sub honey or another sweeter of your choice.)

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1-2 tablespoons raisins

Splash of vanilla extract

In a half-pint mason jar (or Tupperware container), add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup. Close the lid and shake well to combine all ingredients. Open your container and add in the cinnamon, raisins, and vanilla extract. Stir to incorporate. Refrigerate overnight and in the morning enjoy a ready-to-go, yummy, healthy breakfast! 

FYI--this is supposed to be eaten cold. It's a little strange at first, but if you get the idea of hot oatmeal out of your head it works. I think of this recipe as more of a play on chia seed pudding.

Make sure to stop by The Yummy Life and check out all of her overnight oatmeal recipes. She has lots of delicious ones from which to choose! 

The Best BBQ Turkey Burger

This burger is dee-licious, and mostly healthy too! We had some raw veggies on the side and it was the perfect summer meal. 

A note on the raw veggies: We've recently started using the NutriBullet to make green smoothies, and part of their transformation plan is incorporating more raw veggies into your meals. We've found it to be a yummy change in our diet, and I won't lie, it's so much easier to prepare dinner now! 

The Best BBQ Turkey Burger 

1 package lean all natural ground turkey

Ground mustard

Garlic powder

Salt 

Pepper

Worcestershire sauce

BBQ sauce

Panko bread crumbs

Sweet onion, sliced into rings

Colby Jack cheese

Mix turkey, spices, worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, and bread crumbs in a bowl. Add the spices to taste. I tend to be a little more heavy handed when cooking with turkey because I think it needs a little help in the flavor department. I did a few shakes of worcestershire and about a tablespoon of BBQ sauce. You don't need much panko, maybe a few tablespoons. It helps to hold the patties together on the grill. 

Grill the burgers and the sweet onion rings (I added a little oil and salt and pepper to the onions first). Once the burgers and onions are done you will assemble the burgers while they are still on the grill. Put some grilled onion rings on top of each burger. Squeeze a small amount of BBQ sauce on the center of each burger (it fits perfectly in the hole in the center of the onion rings!). Layer the colby jack cheese on top and close the grill lid until the cheese is melted. 

That's it! We served them bun-less with some fresh sliced avocado and a mix of raw sugar snap peas and baby carrots. 

Enjoy!

Honey Lime Grilled Shrimp Salad

One of my favorite things about spring and summer is cooking on the grill. Not only do things cooked on the grill taste amazing, but it makes for easy cleanup. Anything that has me doing less dishes is a win in my book.

If you've been here before you know my recipes (unless I'm baking) don't really include measurements. I like to consider it part of my cooking philosophy: relax, have fun, and throw in a little of this and a little of that…or maybe I'm just a little lazy. Seriously, I should probably re-name this blog, "Sorry Ya'll I don't Measure When I Cook". Regardless, I hope that you can make my recipes work for you. Cooking shouldn't be about following a bunch of rules, so take my idea, make it your own, and enjoy!

Honey Lime Grilled Shrimp Salad

Marinade
Olive oil
Juice of 1 fresh lime
Honey
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Fresh cilantro

Salad
Chopped romaine
1-2 ears of corn, husks removed, grilled, and cut off the cob
Avocado, sliced
Grape tomatoes, halved
Sliced red onion
Grilled marinated shrimp

Dressing
Make the same as the marinade only omit the garlic powder.

How to make it
Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl. You want slightly more olive oil than lime juice, about a 2:1 ratio. Use a smaller portion of the honey. It will emulsify your marinade (basically make your oil and acid combine.) Take your raw, cleaned, and deveined shrimp and toss them in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Brush your ears of corn with some olive oil and grill until corn is tender and slightly charred, once cool cut the corn off of the cob. (TIP: Stand the ear of corn in a bowl to cut the kernels off. The kernels will fall into the bowl rather than flying all over your kitchen). Grill the shrimp until cooked through.

Toss all salad ingredients together and top with dressing. Enjoy!

This salad is light, fresh, and perfect for a hot summer night. I especially love making homemade dressings to go along with my salads. Store bought dressings are full of extra salt and ingredients I can't even pronounce. My basic formula for homemade dressing is an oil (usually olive), an acid (vinegar or fresh citrus juice work well), an emulsifier (mustard or honey are my go-tos), and some seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, fresh herbs, etc.)

Ole

Okay ya'll I am seriously obsessed with this recipe for homemade flour tortillas. I have made them 3 times now and they are so delicious and easy. So far hubby and I have enjoyed them with black bean and cheese quesadillas and chicken tacos.

Here is a copy of the recipe from Dancing Branflakes, with a few of my comments added in:

Mix together:

3 cups flour (I use regular all purpose, but I think whole wheat would be good and a healthier alternative)

1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil because I think its healthier and adds a good flavor--its a good fat, right?)

1/2 tbsp salt

Add in 1 cup warm water. Knead until the dough forms a ball that is shiny and no longer sticks to your hands (I just do this in the bowl...keep it simple!). Cover with a towel and let rest for a half an hour.

After a half an hour flour your surface, pinch off a small ball of your dough, and roll out into the best circle you can make, as thin as you can--I am just starting to get the hang of this part. 

Heat a pan over medium heat, do not add oil or any kind of cooking spray, and let your tortilla puff. Once it starts to puff flip to the other side. Let it puff again and flip. Do this until both sides are a nice toasty color. 

Depending on how big I roll out my tortillas this recipe usually makes about 6, more if you make them smaller.

I am getting pretty good at watching the one puffing in the pan over my shoulder as I roll out the next so I can keep the process moving quickly.

Voila...that's it! Homemade tortillas that are totally delicious, easy to make, and free from all of those chemicals and processed junk that come in the store bought kind.

Sure they have a little extra fat from the oil, but I challenge you to read the ingredients list on those fat free tortillas you have been buying at the store. Can you read the ingredients on the list? Probably not! For me healthy eating is more about clean eating than always eating low fat or low calories. I'd rather have a little extra fat and calories than chemicals in body.

So take a little time, whip a batch of these babies up, and you'll be in love! Ole!

P.S. The few pictures I have of my tortillas are terrible (I seriously need to work on my camera skills), so hop on over to Dancing Branflakes and check hers out...they are lovely!

P.P.S If you choose to use olive oil like me, your tortillas won't turn out as white as the ones in the pictures, so don't worry....you did it right!

A New Fave & 2 Recipes

Breakfast is usually a hard meal for me to figure out. I need something filling with protein to get me through the morning, but I am perpetually running late, and I never have the time or energy to bother with an elaborate breakfast.

Recently I have been enjoying a yogurt parfait for breakfast. I make it with my new fave yogurt, Kroger brand {fat free} vanilla greek yogurt sweetened with Stevia. I love that it is quick to make, and if I am really running late I can throw it in a container and take it to work with me.

Reasons I am obsessed with this yogurt: it has the perfect amount of sweetness and vanilla flavor, it is loaded with protein, it is fat free, it is all natural, and it is sweetened with Stevia! Stevia is a plant based calorie free sweetener that is considered a safer alternative to artificial calorie free sweeteners. Although I have recently read several articles that claim Stevia is not as safe as people believe...who knows...at this rate anything and everything we are exposed to is toxic, unless you live a 100% clean eating lifestyle, which as much as I would love to, is insanely hard to do.

Once I get some of my yummy yogurt into the bowl I top it with Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal (also high in protein) and fresh fruit. Last week's choice was cantaloupe. The cantaloupes I have had so far this year are already so sweet and juicy, yum! I have also used blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple to make my parfaits. Here is a past post about a blueberry yogurt parfait I made.

Because I was so excited about my yogurt I decided to try it another way by making a delish dip I found via Pinterest.

This dip combines vanilla greek yogurt, honey, cinnamon, and peanut butter. I used mine as a dip for apples, but honestly it was so delish I could just eat it with a spoon for dessert. As is typical I didn't measure. I just spooned a little of each into a dish and mixed it up, but here is the source where I got the recipe and she shares her measurements.

Do you have any other yummy ways you use vanilla greek yogurt? Now that I am obsessed with it I am anxious to try it in some other recipes. What about Stevia? Do you use it or do you prefer another natural sweetener?

FYI--This post was not sponsored. All opinions are unsolicited and 100% my own.

Power Lunch

One of the best parts about being on Spring Break is being able to make lunch at home. For teachers, who don't get the option to run out on their lunch break, trying to pack a lunch every day gets so old!

Today I experimented with some produce that needed to be used up and I ended up with a delicious lunch. I present to you...

Roasted Sweet Potato and Spinach Salad:

{Sorry for the terrible picture. I was super hungry and in a rush, so when I stopped half way through to take this pic with my phone I was not too concerned with the quality. Although, I wouldn't say I'm known for my great photography anyway...}

Peel and dice one sweet potato. Put onto a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally (I like mine to be a little crispy on the outside so I let it go for longer).

Let sweet potatoes cool slightly. Put a generous handful of fresh baby spinach in a bowl, top with sweet potatoes, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

That's it! It tasted really fresh and delicious and had some awesome vitamins and nutrients for me and baby girl.

Spinach contains: Vitamins A, K, C, and folate, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium {source}

Sweet Potatoes contain: Vitamin C, calcium, folate, potassium, and beta-carotene {source}

I enjoyed some cheese and crackers and greek yogurt with my salad to make up the rest of my meal. This power lunch full of vitamins, minerals, whole grain, and protein definitely made up for my Easter brunch yesterday of cinnamon baked french toast and bacon (...with a side of fruit, if that counts for anything)!

Got Magazines?

I don't have time for a long post today because I have homework to do:

Yes, this is my homework. I love getting magazines and they are where I have gotten tons of great ideas on decorating, gardening, and cooking. In fact, most of my recipe binder is made up of Southern Living recipes that I have clipped out of my magazines. That being said, with my schedule this summer I feel like I have barely been in my own home, much less had time to sit down and read a magazine. So, now that summer is winding down I am left with this lonely stack of magazines that have been neglected for the last few months. I'm sure I will come across some great new ideas and recipes in this gigantic stack, so I'll be sure to share the best with you!

The magazines that I currently get in the mail are: Southern Living (thanks, Aunt Kathy!), Veranda (thanks, Grammie!), Traditional Home (thanks again, Grammie!), Clean Eating, and Food Network (thanks, Arthur fam!). Phew! That's a lot of magazines isn't it (and I love each one of them!)?! I have a very generous family. :) I am off to catch up on my reading. Catch you all later!