Cacao Oatmeal Bake w/ a Cashew Cream Spread (GF, DF)

in ,

A super simple oatmeal bake filled with collagen, anti-inflammatory agents and gut friendly ingredients that'll keep you satisfied all morning. It seriously tastes like brownies! 

Typically for breakfast I’ll either have a smoothie, a few energy bites, or pick at leftover veggies from the day before with tahini. I am usually not hungry when I first wake up and tend to wait till mid morning to eat, while sometimes that might not always be ideal, I then often need food that I can take on the go or make ahead of time that will last for a few days! Secondly, I always want to make sure that it is packed with gut and brain healthy/ friendly ingredients; such as fiber, protein, contain anti-inflammatory agents, antioxidants, boost my mood, healthy fats, and last but not least- collagen; an ingredient that seems to do it all these days! This way, even if I am taking something small with me on the go or having a light snack mid morning, I know that it is packed with benefits that will keep my body fueled and properly nourished until I work up an appetite!

SO, one thing that I love making ahead of time is either overnight oats or baked oatmeal. I honestly prefer baked oatmeal because it kind of feels like you are eating a cross between a cookie and a brownie; especially when it is warm out of the oven. The edges are super crispy and the middle is soft and can be gooey depending on how long you bake it for and what you put in the mix (chocolate chips, fresh fruits, nut butters etc!). I made this raw cacao collagen packed oatmeal with a few things in mind: first:

I wanted to use ingredients that are good for you; really good for you: I filled it with turmeric, ginger, maca powder, raw cacao, cinnamon, ground flaxseed and Vital Proteins Marine Collagen. We all know that the ones mentioned before the collagen can each separately help with inflammation, balancing hormones, boost your mood, help with digestion, contain omega 3’s, contain antioxidants, give you energy, balance your blood sugar levels, and so much more! So, what about the collagen?

I have a few recipes throughout my blog using the collagen and usually add the collagen into my daily smoothies, my baked goods (cookies, breads, desserts), chia puddings, and really just about anything you can think of! One of the best part about the collagen is that it is completely flavorless. Even if you add it to your morning coffee or latte, I promise you, you will not taste a think but will reap it’s benefits while you are sipping! The Marine Collagen is great for anyone that does not include meat in their diets or simply stays away from beef! However, for this recipe and anything else, their grass feed Collagen Peptides works interchangeably. 

Why collagen: On the Vital Proteins website, you can see the major benefits of the collagen listed here, but for starters; you all know that I suffer from major digestive issues such as SIBO, leaky gut, and IBS. Since I’ve started to incorporate collagen into my diet for the last two years, even just a few times a week, I’ve noticed major changes! Not only is it great for gut health because it helps repair damaged intestinal lining and restores the health of your gut! This is why I am so obsessed with drinking bone broth; which side note, they now have bone broth to-go packets! So you can essentially heat up water and pour one it and drink up! Another major changed that I noticed once I started to incorporate collagen into my routine was the growth of my hair and nails. My hair was becoming longer and my skins were too; as well as stronger! My skin was even glowing! It is also packed with protein, so adding it to this oatmeal bake was an easy decision!

Also! I decided to make a bake around the 4th of July holiday theme since it is only a few days away! Since many of us travel, it is such an easy breakfast to make for family or friends. It is super quick to prepare and only takes about 30 minutes in the oven and you can really add in anything you want. Going with the theme, I topped it with fresh blueberries and strawberries and this amazing cashew cream that had just a hint of sweetness! The cashew cream reminds me of the inside of an Oreo cookie and since this oatmeal bake is primarily chocolate; it feels like you are eating a brownie; yet it so so GOOD FOR YOU!

Oatmeal Bake: 
Prep time: 5 minutes
Bake time: 35 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

What you need:
2 cups oats
1.5 cups + 2 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted & cooled
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp almond butter (or any nut butter of choice) 
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp of EACH: ginger, turmeric, maca powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. cacao powder
2 scoops marine collagen
1tbsp ground flaxseed or chia seeds
3 tsp. cinnamon
fresh berries for topping 

*Note: you can omit the ginger + turmeric if you wish or add less of each! 

Cashew Cream:
Prep time: 4 hours (soaking of cashews)
Total time: Soaking time + 5 minutes to blend together. 
Yields: 1.5-2 cups

1.5 cups soak cashews (for at least 4 hours or more)
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
pinch of sea salt
3/4 cup fresh water
1 tbsp. vanilla
dash of cinnamon
1 scoop vital proteins marine collagen 

What you need to do: 

First prepare the cashew cream by soaking the cashews for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

  1. Drain and rinse them with clean water after they have soaked.
  2. Add them to a food processor with water, maple syrup (start with 1 tbsp first), sea salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. 
  3. Pulse for 1-2 mins, until well mixed. 
  4. The spread should be very creamy and smooth in texture. If not, add more water (start with 1 tbsp at a time). Taste test at this point and adjust to preference with either more sweetener, cinnamon, sea salt, vanilla etc! 
  5. Place in an air tight container while you prepare the oatmeal bake so the spread thickens

Oatmeal Bake:

  1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees and grease your cast iron pan with coconut oil. If you do not have a cast iron use a 9x13 oven safe pan and either grease with oil or line with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients (almond butter, coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla). Mix completely until well combined
  3. Add the dry ingredients. 
  4. Mix until well incorporated
  5. Pour into your pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The edges will be crispy and the middle with be soft to touch. 

NOTES: 

I did not add any sweetener into the oatmeal bake because of the cashew cream spread on top, which contains maple syrup. This had more a rich chocolate taste. Note, that most of my recipes contain no sweeteners, therefore if you are used to things on the sweeter side or added in maple syrup etc, I would add in 1-2 tbsp. of liquid sweetener of choice. 

You can sub any nut butter you prefer 

The first time I baked it for 35 minutes and then the second time I baked it for 30 minutes. I preferred it cooked less because oatmeal tends to become a little on the drier side when you bake it. Therefore, I would either bake it LESS OR add more liquid. 

Cashew Cream:

It will last up to 5 days in the fridge.

You can make this the day before.

Any leftovers can be used on cupcakes, other desserts, breads, toast, mousse, cakes, dipped in fruit, etc! 

You can also top this bake with peanut butter or almond butter etc! It still tastes so good, but I love it with the cashew cream because it is just something different! Plus the cashew cream stays fresh for about 5 days!

Chocolate Cherry Oat Smoothie

in ,

a simple mood boosting and digestion friendly thick chocolatey smoothie!

You may or may not know that I am not a huge breakfast person and it isn't because I am lazy or don't have time in the mornings. I work from home so typically I have all the time in the world, but normally I am not hungry first thing in the morning and more often than not my body doesn't ever crave the typical breakfast foods: chia puddings, toast, eggs, or a big bowl of oatmeal etc! I would honestly rather eat a salad with a big piece of chicken on it! Sounds so out there, but that's what I do most mid mornings. 

OR, I love a big thick simple smoothie!! Ones that are filled with veggies, fibers, healthy fats, and that are filling and hydrating enough after my morning yoga classes. I also like to add ingredients to my smoothies to serve a purpose for my body or mood, in particular my digestion; since most can leave me feeling pretty terrible, which is we are here with this chocolate cherry oat smoothie! Filled with cacao powder, chia seeds, cinnamon, cherries, and chocolate cherry oats from Modern Oats! 

You already know that chia seeds can help with digestion and keep these moving, but so can cherries! The fiber in the cherries can help too and the acid in them helps aid in your digestion! The antioxidants and the vitamins in cherries are beneficial in keeping your digestive system in order! With cacao; it always seems to boost my mood and give me a little energy kick! Just a few tbsp. to my smoothies or a hot drink usually does the trick. It is super high in antioxidants, and once again, the fiber in cacao helps aid in digestion, plus it's full of iron and magnesium. 

Lastly the oats! Chocolate cherry oats! Before this, I haven't ever added oats to my smoothies and wasn't sure how it would go. After adding in the amount and blending it on high for a few minutes, it blended completely smooth! You couldn't even tell they were there and it actually thickened the smoothie even more! These chocolate cherry oats from Modern Oats have 9 grams of protein, are gluten free and are filled with chia seeds, almonds, chocolate, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc! They have a so many options to choose from. High in fiber and protein it was the perfect add in for this smoothie! Plus after making this smoothie, there was still a good amount left in the to go cup, which was ideal to make for another smoothie or make overnight oats for your breakfast the next morning! 

The smoothie is simple to make and tastes super chocolatey and not overly sweet or tart from the cherries! 

What you need:
Yields: 1 thick smoothie

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups frozen cherries
1/2 cup frozen cauliflower
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp. cashew butter
1/3 Modern Oats Chocolate Cherry
2 tbsp. cacao powder
few dashes of cinnamon 

What you need to do:

1. Add the almond milk, cauliflower, chia seeds, cashew butter, oats, cacao powder, and cinnamon to your blender. Blend until everything is combined and completely smooth. 

2. Add the frozen cherries along with a few ice cubes. Blend.

3. Top with your favorite toppings! 

NOTES:

The first time I made this, I used chocolate almond milk and didn't use cacao powder. If you aren't using chocolate almond milk, use as much cacao powder to your preference.

I personally do not think you need to add any sweetness to the smoothie, but you can always add in half a banana, 1 date or a 1 tbsp. of a liquid sweetener of choice. 

For the cauliflower, I steam then freeze the cauliflower. You can not taste it at all! If you want to sub that out, you could use zucchini or spinach! 

Easy Breakfast Egg Muffin Cups

in ,

A simple protein & veggie packed make ahead breakfast for the week in under 20 minutes. 

Each week I get hooked on a new breakfast and then overeat it until I get sick of it and move on to the next thing. Anyone else guilty of doing that? I get so addicted to one thing and can't stop! I always need something quick, pretty simple to make, healthy and filling. In order to save a little bit of time in the morning I like to plan a few meals ahead of time, especially breakfast and make a few bit batches on Sunday, whether it be chia puddings, oats, yogurt bowls, smoothies etc. This week was these simple egg muffin cups. They aren't anything new and you've all seen them floating around, but they are so addicting and kind of fun to make! Also, prep time is so minimal and you are set for the week with breakfast or a healthy protein filled snack. Each muffin cup can be filled with different ingredients and spices too so you won't be bored each morning when you grab one on your way out the door.

All you have to do is crack how many ever eggs in a bowl (egg whites work too) fill the bowl with your favorite veggies (meat if you're feeling that), any spices you want, grease a muffin tin with coconut oil and pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes. Done. How easy is that? 

Here is the basic recipe: 

Ingredients: 
(8 eggs filling 1/2 cup gave me 7 muffins)* it will depend on how you fill the muffins and how much filling you have (ie. veggies/meats etc)

8 organic eggs
2 handfuls chopped spinach
1 cup chopped zucchini
2 tbsp. diced onion
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
few dashes of sea salt
few dashes of black pepper
dash of turmeric
2. tbsp. nutritional yeast
Coconut oil or spray for the muffin tins
 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and generously spray your muffin tin with desired cooking spray. Set aside

2. Crack the eggs into a large mix bowl and mix. 

Side note here: You can either, quickly cook the zucchini and the onions over the stove top on medium heat in a sauce pan before placing them in the egg mixture or add them raw. They will cook a bit in the oven, personal preference. I didn't the first time and they were tender. IF you are adding meat (sausage, bacon etc) to the egg muffins, you will need to cook before!! 

3. Add the veggies and the spices to the egg mixture and mix until well incorporated. 

4. Distribute evenly into the muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Let them cool before removing. Store them in the fridge and to re-heat place under the broiler for a few minutes or heat the oven to 400 degrees and place them in the oven for a few minutes until warm. 

I like to serve them with avocado, salsa or on top of toast.

Ideas!!!

Sweet potato apple chicken sausage egg muffins (sweet potatoes, apple chicken sausage, onions, eggs, peppers, spices)

Pizza egg muffins: cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, cheese of choice, spinach, sea salt, pepper, eggs.

Kale & Chive: kale leaves, ham, chives, cheese of choice, onions, red peppers, pepper, sea salt, eggs.

Traditional: bacon, cheese of choice, sea salt, pepper, eggs, onions, spinach.  

Enjoy xx