Give your Oatmeal a makeover!

When I first started eating oatmeal I hated it!! I did not like anything about the taste or the texture. Now.. I am not talking about the pre packets of oatmeal with flavors like strawberries and cream or maple and brown sugar. Steer clear of those! They are filled with sugars and artificial flavors that are just not good for you!! Do yourself a favor and go get some old fashioned oatmeal and make your own oatmeal with flavors of your choice :) Its easy!
Over time I have figured out how to make my oatmeal make my taste buds do the happy dance :)
I have a new LOVE for oatmeal now! I came across many recipe for baked oatmeal, a lot of them filled with butter and sugar. So I decided to try a cleaner version of a baked oatmeal and let me tell you... DELICIOUS! So give this recipe a try if you are looking to spruce up your oatmeal a bit! The best part about it is you can make it the night before and have a whole dish for the week! Saves you time for busy mornings!

Berry Baked Oatmeal: 

Ingredients: 
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups milk
1 large egg
1 tbsp greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
Strawberries cut thin to line the bottom of the pan ( you can also use bananas here)
1 1/2 cup blueberries

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 375 
2. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with non stick cooking spray and cover the bottom with strawberries or bananas. 

3.In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and set aside. 
4. In another bowl beat together milk, egg, yogurt and vanilla 
5. Add the oats to the dish 

6. Gently pour the milk mixture over the oats evenly. Make sure the milk mixture goes all the way through the oats. 

7. Sprinkle the top with the blueberries 

8. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the oatmeal is set. 

Enjoy :) 

5 delicious and easy homemade salad dressings

This is for all my salad fans out there! Are you ready to jazz your salads up with your own homemade dressing?! Making your own salad dressing is so easy and it tastes  much better! Not to mention.. you won't have all those additives and extras in there.. you know what I'm talking about... the sugar, the high fructose corn syrup... those ingredients you can't even pronounce!! And forget all that heavy dressing,  it's not worth ruining your salad! Here are some of my favorite homemade salad dressings from The Ultimate Reset, Oxygen magazine and from recipes from Beachbody programs.

Creamy Avocado Dressing: 

1/3 cup olive oil 

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 cup cilantro, chopped 

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 large english cucumber, peeled and diced

2 ripe avocados, cubed

sea salt and pepper to taste

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, store in a jar and refrigerate. 

French Dressing: 

1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup low-fat greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 tsp worcestershire sauce 

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1 tbsp red wine vinegar 

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp sucanat 

1/2 tsp dried thyme 

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper 

3/4-1 cup water to reach desired consistency 

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Store in a jar and refrigerate. 

Creamy Italian Dressing: 

1 cup nonfat greek yogurt 

2 tbsp red wine vinegar 

1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

1tsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 tsp raw honey 

2 green onions, white parts only, minced 

1/2 tsp dried oregano 

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp sea salt 

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Store in a jar and refrigerate 

Citrus Vinaigrette :

 3 tbsp fresh 100% orange juice 

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp raw honey 

2 tsp dijon mustard 

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 

Combine orange juice, lemon juice and honey in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Stir in mustard, mix well. Slowly add oil while whisking, mix well. Store in a jar and refrigerate. 

Creamy Garlic Dressing: 

 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
 3-5 cloves of crushed garlic (you know you want 6!)

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp himalayan salt
 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp  raw honey or agave nectar 

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds. Store in a jar and refrigerate. Be sure to shake well before using it

Try these out and let me know what you think :) 

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Let's face it... we all get a little sweet tooth once in a while. And we all want a little chocolate sometimes! I found an AMAZING recipe that helps with that thanks to my friend and fellow coach, Abby. Seriously these muffins are DELICIOUS and super moist! Enjoy!!

 DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS: 

Ingredients: 

1 3/4 c oats 

3 egg whites 

 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 

1 tsp. vanilla extract (I actually used a little peanut butter instead of the vanilla extract)

 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt) 

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar) 

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder 

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 

1/4 tsp. salt 

1 cup hot water 

1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia 

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use white chocolate or peanut butter chips!) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth. Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans. Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin. Place the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight if you like. 

 Servings: 12 Big Muffins or 24 Smaller Muffins Calories: 116 Calories Per Muffin or 58 Calories Per Muffin