November 20, 2010

Cranberry Oatmeal

9:36 PM 4 Comments


 I'm not much of a juice drinker but one morning I had a revelation and thought "Hey, why don't I try cooking oatmeal with some juice?" we had some cranberry juice so I decided to use that.
Oh my, was it ever marvelous! Honestly it was all I could think about every morning and I haven't gone a week without making it since!
The juice adds extra taste and sweetness to the oats, bringing it to a whole new level.
I would say this is the perfect bowl of oatmeal to have around the holidays. What says Christmas more than cranberries?


Oatmeal with whipped cream just for fun

Cranberry Oatmeal
1/3 cup quick oats
1/3 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
ground flax seeds (optional)
dried cranberries

Combine oats and liquids in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce to medium heat and add dried cranberries and ground flax seed.
Cook for a few minutes until all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently
Remove from heat and if desired sprinkle some more dried cranberries on top or drizzle on some extra cranberry juice.

If you like, you could substitute some of the water or milk for more juice which would make the cranberry taste even better.

* If you are on a gluten free diet, ensure that the oats are labelled gluten free.

 

November 16, 2010

The Oatmeal Obsession

9:57 PM 0 Comments
Yes I like many, love oatmeal.
There's just something about a warm creamy bowl of oats that I can't get enough of.
If you haven't caught on to this cult like oatmeal following yet here are some reasons why you should:

  1. The phytochemicals in oats may have cancer-fighting properties
  2. Oats are a good source of nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, maganese, and magnesium. They are also a good source of protein
  3. Oatmeal can lower blood cholesterol because of a special fiber (betaglucan) found in it which takes out bad cholesterol as it travels through your body
  4. It can aid in weight loss as it makes your tummy feel full. Also oatmeal is only 150 calories per half a cup!
  5. Oats are low in fat and full of carbohydrates so they're a good source of energy
  6. Oatmeal has plenty of vitamin B, which is important for the brain and nervous system to function properly and may help aid in memory function


If these reasons don't get you eating it, (or if you already are) stay tuned because I'm going to be posting some delicious oatmeal recipes!

November 13, 2010

Gluten Free Oatmeal Almond Butter Cookies

8:18 PM 2 Comments


My mom has a wheat allergy so naturally I bake a lot of gluten free things for her.

Recently a gluten free diet has become increasingly popular as we are finding that the gluten in wheat products is covering our digestive tracts,  resulting in less than optimal absorption of nutrients. Therefore, many people are beginning to believe that cutting out all gluten is healthy. This is good for my mom as now many companies are offering gluten free options.


I really like this cookie recipe because not only does it not use any flour, all the ingredients are easily accessible. These cookies are delightfully crunchy and perfect for dunking into your beverage of choice as all the liquid is easily absorbed by the oats.

Gluten Free Almond Butter Cookies
makes around 30
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1 tbsp ground flaxseeds (optional)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped and roasted
dried cranberries (optional)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup almond butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix together oatmeal, baking soda and ground flax seeds. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix together white sugar, brown sugar, butter or margarine and peanut butter. Beat until combined and creamy. 
Beat in egg until combined.
Combine the two mixtures.
Mix in almonds, chocolate chips, and dried cranberries.
Wet your hands. Roll into small balls. (they will spread out quite a bit)
Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.

November 9, 2010

Honey Cupcakes

6:42 PM 2 Comments

I always choose natural alternatives when I sweeten something. My favorite is agave followed by maple syrup and then delicious honey. I also like to tell myself that I am baking something slightly healthier when I use these.

Natural sweeteners are still like sugar because they are essentially empty calories. However, they are less harsh on your blood glucose levels than refined sugar and also may offer some healthful properties such as antibotics (specifically in honey) and zinc (specifically in maple syrup). You can also take into account that typically natural sweeteners are sweeter than sugar so you can use less. This helps save in calories!
My reason for choosing natural sweeteners is simply because I think they taste better.

This recipe was inspired from a cook book that  commemorated a similar cupcake to a region in France. The base is a super moist honey cupcake with a creamy blueberry goat cheese frosting.
If you don't have blueberry goat cheese you can substitute plain goat cheese or even cream cheese if you like then add some fresh or dried blueberries in (my goat cheese had dried blueberries).

Honey Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup white all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda,  and salt in a a small bowl.
In another bowl beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Then beat in egg.
Alternating, slowly beat in dry ingredients and milk on low speed until well mixed.
Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full.
Bake 20-25 min until golden and firm.

Blueberry Goat Cheese Frosting
Enough for 12 cupcakes

2/3 cup (150 g)blueberry goat cheese (or plain goat cheese or cream cheese)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Beat goat cheese and vanilla till creamy
Add sugar and juice  then beat till combined
Frost onto cooled cupcakes

November 7, 2010

Day One

9:20 PM 1 Comments
Hi everyone and welcome to my blog!
To start off let me introduce myself. My name is Katarina, I am 18 years old and in my first year of Kinesiology. I love health and wellness and try to incorpoarte healthy living every where I go.
I've been reading blogs and collecting recipes for a long time. I love healthy food and I LOVE to bake.
and oh yeah I adore cupcakes!
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