Healthy & Delicious Banana Bread Oatmeal

This morning I made a bowl of oatmeal and it started as an ordinary bowl of steel cut oats until I decided to transform it into Banana Bread Oatmeal.  It was a bowl of oatmeal that was too good not to share with you all!  My daughter scarfed it up, and even my hubby who isn't the biggest fan of oats loved it!  Score!  It was relatively simple, the longest part being the cooking of the steel cut oats, which take longer than the old fashioned variety.  The first thing I did was put my water on to boil so I could get the oats in and simmering while I got everything ready for this delicious bowl.  I was also getting the rest of our breakfast ready...Applegate chicken sausage and eggs.  I can't tell you the last time I didn't have eggs with my breakfast, we love our eggs here.  Anyways back to the oatmeal, I will share with you my recipe, but first a few health benefits of steel cut oats, which in my humble opinion blow the rolled oats out of the water.


The health benefits of steel cut oatmeal:

• Nutrient Dense- there are plenty of nutrients in just 1/4 of steel cut oats.  5g of fiber, 5g of protein, and its also rich in iron and B vitamins.  
• Aids in Weight Loss- The fact that the steel cut oats haven't been cooked as processed quite as much as the rolled oats means that more of the fiber and protein is retained. This means your bowl of oats can help you stay full longer and keep the mid-morning munchies at bay.  
• Helps Control Blood Sugar-  The fiber in steel cut oats called beta-glucan has been found to keep your blood sugar levels stable in the morning and makes it easier to keep it stable all throughout the day, especially if you are eating fiberous rich foods at the rest of your meals.
• May Help to Lower Cholesterol- studies have shown that the beta-glucan fiber helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels when consumed regularly.  People who eat more daily fiber have been shown to have a decreased risk of developing heart disease.

So if those benefits aren't enough to get you eating your oats, check out this article from PopSugar about Why Oatmeal For Breakfast is Best for Weight Loss.  Now that you are fully convinced, here is the recipe for my healthy and delicious Banana Bread Oatmeal!

Healthy and Delicious Banana Bread Oatmeal
1/4 cup dry organic steel cut oats
1 1/2 cup water (or organic milk of choice, I use water)
1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1/2 chopped banana
drizzle of honey or a sprinkle of organic cane sugar (if desired for a little added sweetness)

*Bring water or milk to a boil, add in oats.  Let simmer on low for 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.  Place in bowl, top with walnuts, sunflower seeds, banana and sweetener (if desired).  Mix well in bowl and ENJOY!

I hope that you give this Banana Bread Oatmeal a try, it will become a morning staple in our house for sure.  If you do try it please come back and let me know what you think.
Thanks so much for stopping by!

My Power Oats + I was Published at Health Your Way Online

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day hands down.  I always feel the the most creative when I am making oatmeal.  This morning I made something inspired by my aunt.  She has this little device that helps get the pomegranate seeds out very easily, so the last time I was over I got a ton of seeds to use.  She mentioned that she uses them in her oatmeal!  Genius!  They are so sweet that you don't need to add any sweetener.  My power oats as I call them, have whole cooked oats, pomegranate seeds, blueberries, and roasted chopped almonds.  It was amazing!  I also had some eggs for added protein and I am still full! 

Are you a breakfast eater? It is such an important meal!  It sets you up for success for the rest of the day.  I have always been a breakfast eater, so for me it is easy to get up and eat.  You should eat within an hour of waking, after drinking a large glass of ice water, this gets your metabolism started for the day.  Your breakfast should always include protein, a complex carb (i.e. oatmeal) and some fruit or veggies (toss them in your omelet).  You are the most insulin sensitive in the morning so in order to stave off your insulin response (fat storing) you need to have protein.  If you are grabbing a bagel and coffee loaded with sugar you are turning off your fat burning response and turning on your fat storing response, continued for a long period of time results in serious health problems and fat gain, not exactly what you want.  It really is the most important meal.  What is your favorite healthy breakfast?

Health Your Way Online

 I want to share some exciting news...I have two articles published in Health Your Way Online.  If you haven't yet head on over and check them out! 
Here are the links:
Get Your Fitness Back on Track
Healthy Weight Loss Tips
Health Your Way Online is a great online resource for healthy living and workout articles.  Make sure to check it out.  You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.  They even host healthy living chats on Twitter on Monday nights 8pm EST.

Have an amazing Healthy and Fit Day!
~Angelena

My peanut butter pancakes I made for breakfast! Yum!

After all the talk of Peanut Butter Pancakes yesterday I had to make them today for breakfast!  I made a few changes, because I needed enough for 3 of us.  I will say that my 19 month old gobbled these up!  My wonderful hubby (who worked out with me), made the blueberry topping.  It is simple and adds another layer of flavor to the delicious pancakes.
Here is how I made them this morning, it made 8 total pancakes:
1 cup old fashioned oats
3 tablespoons peanut butter (organic if possible)
6 egg whites
1 tablespoon coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pour 1/4 cup for each pancake into a preheated pan on medium heat.  Cook evenly on both sides, Enjoy!

Blueberry topping
1/2 c blueberries
water
dash of organic cane sugar to balance out the tartness (optional)
Heat blueberries and just enough water to cover the bottom of a small pan, once blueberries are warm mash with for and simmer until desired consistency is reached.  Spread on pancakes.

If you made these pancakes, please let me know what you thought and if you made any changes to yours.

Thanks for stopping by!

Peanut Butter Pancakes Recipe

Clean eating Peanut Butter Pancakes...YUM!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and with a yummy clean eating meal like these Peanut Butter pancakes, how can it not be?!?

1/2 cup old fashioned oat meal
6 egg whites
2 tbsp. organic peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
*splash or 2 of coconut or almond milk if needed
(optional, top with a few banana slices)
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated.  Add coconut or almond milk if mixture is too thick.  You want a little bit of a runny consistency so the batter pours into the pan.  Heat pan on medium heat and coat with organic cooking spray.  Pour batter into pan and cook until pancake is firm and flip, cooking the other side.  Enjoy!
Makes 2 servings-Nutrition information (from myfitnesspal.com) Calories: 220, Fat 9.4g, Carbs 17.2g, fiber 3g, Sugar 1g, Protein 17.5g

Please come back after you make this recipe and let me know what you think!  Feel free to share your own quick and clean eating breakfast recipe!

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