Tag: chia seeds

Jump on the homemade nut butter train with this chocolately spread with a bit of cookie dough flair! This #Choctoberfest recipe is made with delicious Barlean's Butter Flavored Coconut Oil.
Breakfast, Recipes, Spreads

#Choctoberfest: Chocolate Cookie Dough Peanut Butter

Sarah

Jump on the homemade nut butter train with this chocolately spread with a bit of cookie dough flair! This #Choctoberfest recipe is made with delicious Barlean’s Butter Flavored Coconut Oil.

Jump on the homemade nut butter train with this chocolately spread with a bit of cookie dough flair! This #Choctoberfest recipe is made with delicious Barlean's Butter Flavored Coconut Oil.

Have you made homemade nut butter yet? It’s one of those recipes that people give you a doubletake when you say, “oh, I made peanut butter this weekend.” It does sound fancy, I’ll admit. But can I tell you a secret? It’s not as impressive as it sounds! As long as you have a good food processor or blender, making nut butter is e-a-s-y. And it tastes amazing, especially since you can customize it a whole bunch. And that’s EXACTLY what I did here!

Jump on the homemade nut butter train with this chocolately spread with a bit of cookie dough flair! This #Choctoberfest recipe is made with delicious Barlean's Butter Flavored Coconut Oil.

I know almond, cashew, etc. butters are trendy, and they’re fun and good… but my personal favorite nut butter is the classic peanut butter! When I make it at home, I love throwing in some warm spices, chia seeds, and a little honey or maple syrup for sweetness. But since it’s #Choctoberfest, I had to go in the chocolate direction. Oh darn! But you know me… I didn’t want to JUST make chocolate peanut butter. I wanted to make it even more special. What to do?! Add some buttery goodness in the form of Barlean’s Butter Flavored Coconut Oil, along with some vanilla, brown sugar, and chocolate chips in a nod to cookie dough. Yes, please!

Jump on the homemade nut butter train with this chocolately spread with a bit of cookie dough flair! This #Choctoberfest recipe is made with delicious Barlean's Butter Flavored Coconut Oil.

Thanks to our fabulous #Choctoberfest sponsor, Barlean’s, this chocolate peanut butter really tastes great. Though you can make nut butter without any added oils, for homemade nut butter, a little oil really does help everything come together. Normally I use canola or olive oil, but this coconut oil (and its buttery taste) was so welcome. Barlean’s makes superfood nutrition easy, and that’s true with my chocolatey recipe!

Jump on the homemade nut butter train with this chocolately spread with a bit of cookie dough flair! This #Choctoberfest recipe is made with delicious Barlean's Butter Flavored Coconut Oil.

My family and I have been enjoying this Chocolate Cookie Dough Peanut Butter on the daily over the past week. I can’t decide on my favorite use. It’s great stirred into oatmeal or on a banana. But if I’m being TRULY honest… I’ve probably consumed half the jar by the spoonful. No joke. But it’s not just me! My two year old now says “spoon like Mama!” because he’s seen me sneaking spoonfuls of Chocolate Cookie Dough Peanut Butter a few too many times. Ooops! Guess that’s just an excuse to make a second batch. 🙂 I’ll have to experiment with different textures. I left this version a little chunky, but you can also smooth it out more if you prefer. I guess you’ll have to make a few batches too to see how it’s best! 🙂 Enjoy!

one year ago: Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup + Cold Brew Coffee Method
two year ago: Banana Espresso Chocolate Crumb Cake
three years ago: Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
four years ago: Asian Turkey Meatballs with Carrot Rice
five years ago: Cream of Broccoli Soup with Cheese
six years ago: No Bake Tropical Energy Bites
seven years ago: Garlicky Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
eight years ago: Pillow Cookies

Please check out other delicious #Choctoberfest recipes here! And enter our giveaway this week here! 🙂 

Chocolate Cookie Dough Peanut Butter

  • Servings: makes 2 cups
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Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces dry roasted unsalted peanuts
  • 3 tablespoons Barlean’s Butter Flavored Coconut Oil
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed (or to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse together peanuts and coconut oil until the peanuts are pretty broken down, but aren’t completely smooth yet.

Add cocoa powder, brown sguar, chia seeds, vanilla, and salt. Pulse a few more times until everything starts to come together, scraping the sides with a spatula as necessary. Repeat until mixture is smooth.

Add mini chocolate chips and pulse once to incorporate.

Store in a jar or other air-tight container in the refrigerator, up to one month.

For easier spreading, allow to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Alternatively, microwave for 15-20 seconds or until stirrable. This peanut butter is delicious on toast, with apples or bananas, on oatmeal, or just by the spoonful!

Disclosure: I received free product from Barlean’s to use in this recipe for #Choctoberfest. I was not required to review them or provide positive feedback. All opinions are my own. You can learn more about Barlean’s and get great recipe ideas from them on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Breakfast, Oatmeal, Recipes

Fantastical Food Fight: Everyday Stovetop Oatmeal

Sarah

Everyday stovetop oatmeal… don’t settle for a bowl of cold cereal for breakfast. If you have 10 minutes, you can have a delicious, hot bowl of oatmeal. And it’s practically hands free, so you can make it while you’re getting the rest of your day in order. 

Everyday stovetop oatmeal... don't settle for a bowl of cold cereal for breakfast. If you have 10 minutes, you can have a delicious, hot bowl of oatmeal. And it's practically hands free, so you can make it while you're getting the rest of your day in order.  #FantasticalFoodFight

When I saw that the Fantastical Food Fight theme for January was oatmeal, I may have squealed. You see, I love oatmeal SO much. I agonized over what I was going to make for this fun event. A new baked oatmeal recipe? A new overnight oat recipe? Finally try my hand at savory oats (that my husband thinks sound disgusting)? But then I talked some sense into myself. Don’t make it complicated! Many days I just make a bowl of oatmeal on the stovetop. And I’ve never shared my method on the blog! Perfecttt!

Everyday stovetop oatmeal... don't settle for a bowl of cold cereal for breakfast. If you have 10 minutes, you can have a delicious, hot bowl of oatmeal. And it's practically hands free, so you can make it while you're getting the rest of your day in order.  #FantasticalFoodFight

I know you can make oatmeal in the microwave, or you can use those instant oat packets, or even use those fancy single serving tubs. There’s a time and a place for all of those (I keep instant oats at work for emergencies, for instance). But most days? I make a quick batch of my everyday stovetop oats for breakfast. My son LOVES oatmeal mornings and so do I. What I love about these oats is how easy they are–literally dump, stir, cook, forget it (set a timer)! I let these oats cook on my stove when I’m running around the house getting ready in the morning… and they are so simple and pretty much foolproof. I also love how creamy they are! Half milk, half water is my preferred liquid ratio for taste and creaminess. I also add some chia seeds and the consistency is so great! I know it’s weird to say oatmeal is luxurious, but these oats are! Lastly, I love how these oats are the perfect vehicle for your favorite toppings. You can find an ultimate list of oatmeal toppings in the recipe notes below, but for starters… here are some of my favorite combos. Fresh blueberries, sliced almonds, and a touch of brown sugar. S’mores. Peanut butter and strawberry jam. Sliced bananas, sliced almonds, toasted coconut, and maple syrup. Fresh strawberries, almond butter, and honey. The possibilities are endless! The toppings in the pictures are diced Bosc pear, sliced almonds, and dark brown sugar. SO good. Enjoy, friends! Hope you hop on my oatmeal bandwagon. 🙂

Everyday stovetop oatmeal... don't settle for a bowl of cold cereal for breakfast. If you have 10 minutes, you can have a delicious, hot bowl of oatmeal. And it's practically hands free, so you can make it while you're getting the rest of your day in order.  #FantasticalFoodFight

one year ago: Annette’s Layered Chicken Enchiladas
two years ago: Amish Cheeseburger Soup
three years ago: Healthy Tropical Banana Muffins
four years ago: Cranberry Steel Cut Oats with Caramelized Pears
five years ago: Mexican Cornbread Pot Pie
six years ago: Lasagna Soup
seven years ago: Whole-Wheat Corn Bread

Find more oatmeal recipes at the link below!

Everyday Stovetop Oatmeal

  • Servings: 1
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Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup milk*
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds**
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • any desired toppings***

Directions:

Combine milk, water, oats, chia seeds, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Stir to combine.

Cook over medium heat, uncovered, for 7-10 minutes. Do NOT stir… resist the urge! Stir only when the oatmeal starts bubbling, usually about 6-7 minutes on my stove. Allow to cook until oatmeal reaches desired consistency.

Remove from heat and immediately transfer oatmeal to a bowl. Add desired toppings and enjoy!

Notes:

Recipe as written serves one adult. You can scale it up to serve more, or scale it down if the serving size is too big for you. When I’m making some for my toddler as well, I add an extra 2 tablespoons oats, 2 tablespoons milk, and 2 tablespoons water. It doesn’t sound like much but makes enough for him (and he probably gets a little of my portion as well).

*MILK… I usually have both dairy milk and almond milk in my fridge, so this oatmeal works with either. I usually use skim or 2% milk OR unsweetened regular or vanilla almond milk. Any kind of milk should be fine.

**CHIA…The chia seeds help thicken the oatmeal and give it a great consistency. A similar consistency can be achieved with flax or hemp seeds, but I wouldn’t substitute nuts in this step. But you can add them as a topping.

***TOPPINGS…

  • Fruit: I prefer fresh fruit instead of frozen in my oatmeal. Frozen blueberries or cranberries are the exception–just add them at the beginning of the cooking time. My favorite fruits for oatmeal include: any berries, sliced bananas, diced peaches, diced pears, and grated apples. Sauteed apples are good too, but usually too time consuming for busy mornings.
  • Dried fruit: Any kind! Soak them in the cooked oatmeal before eating. It’ll change your life!!
  • Jam: Any kind! Usually when I add jam I find I don’t need other sweetener.
  • Nuts: Any kind! Sliced almonds are my go-to.
  • Nut butter: Lots of people love nut butter in oatmeal… I personally am a little iffy on it because it feels too heavy. I can occasionally do a little peanut or almond butter with sliced bananas, or with jam for a pb&j twist.
  • Coconut: Bonus points if it’s toasted… sometimes I toast extra for a recipe so I can have some on hand for oatmeal.
  • Chocolate chips: A fun indulgence… usually means I don’t need any other sweetener, or just a tiny bit.
  • Sweetener: I like about 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup in my oatmeal. My husband uses more like a tablespoon, and I don’t give our toddler any most days. You do you!

Desserts, Other, Recipes

Baked Pears and Apples with Crispy Granola Topping

Sarah

My recipe for Baked Pears and Apples with Crispy Granola Topping has been submitted for the Steviva Blogger Recipe Challenge. Product samples received in exchange for posting this recipe as part of the recipe challenge. #steviva #sweetandeasy

My recipe for Baked Pears and Apples with Crispy Granola Topping has been submitted for the Steviva Blogger Recipe Challenge. Product samples received in exchange for posting this recipe as part of the recipe challenge. #steviva #sweetandeasy

Happy Halloween! I love candy as much as the next girl, but if I was being really honest I would tell you that I prefer fruit-based dessert more than chocolate-based desserts. Hence sharing a fruity dessert on the day ‘o candy, right? 🙂 But this isn’t just ANY fruity recipe. It’s a versatile sweet treat that’s healthy enough for breakfast and indulgent enough for dessert. Say whattt? Yup! Breakfast or dessert, it don’t matter. Originally I set out to make an apple crisp–using apples from a recent trip to the apple orchard, natch. But then I spied some pears in the fridge (from my brother-in-law’s parents’ house!) and added those bad boys in. Extra yum!

My recipe for Baked Pears and Apples with Crispy Granola Topping has been submitted for the Steviva Blogger Recipe Challenge. Product samples received in exchange for posting this recipe as part of the recipe challenge. #steviva #sweetandeasy

Since I was making this recipe as part of a recipe contest for Steviva, I wanted to make the crisp topping a little healthier than usual. (If you want, you can find Steviva on Facebook, Twitter, Google +,  Pinterest, and Instagram.) Instead of loads of butter and sugar in the crisp topping, I decided to toss in additional crunchy elements… chia seeds and sliced almonds, to be exact. And let me say… what a great idea! The crisp topping turned into this fanastic crunchy, granola-y layer. It actually stayed crisp in the fridge for a few days until we polished off the leftovers. Amazing! I used just enough Steviva Blend (erythritol and pure stevia) to sweeten up the topping a little bit. Plenty of warm fall spices and apple and pear flavor come through. This might be one of my new favorite recipes! It’s delicious served with vanilla yogurt or ice cream, and I think it would be perfect with a bit of whipped cream too! Enjoy!

My recipe for Baked Pears and Apples with Crispy Granola Topping has been submitted for the Steviva Blogger Recipe Challenge. Product samples received in exchange for posting this recipe as part of the recipe challenge. #steviva #sweetandeasy

one year ago: Apple Cider Pancakes
three years ago: Honey-Thyme Roasted Pork Tenderloin
four years ago: Sweet Potato Pie with Cranberry Compote
five years ago: Pumpkin, Kale, & Black Bean Stew
six years ago: Individual Pumpkin Pie Parfaits
seven years ago: Aunt Charlotte’s Tex Mex Corn

Baked Pears and Apples with Crispy Granola Topping

  • Servings: 12
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Ingredients:

for fruit

  • 8-10 cups chopped pears and apples, unpeeled in 2-3 inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger

for topping

  • 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/4 cup Steviva Blend
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 2-4 tablespoons sliced almonds, optional
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • vanilla yogurt, ice cream, whipped cream, etc. for serving, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 10 inch round baking dish with cooking spray. (A square baking dish or pie pan would also work.)

In a large bowl, toss together pears, apples, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Spread in prepared pan.

In the same bowl, stir together oats, Steviva Blend, chia, cinnamon, and nutmeg. If desired, stir in almonds. Cut butter into small chunks, then use a pastry blender or two knives to cut butter into the oat mixture until it is evenly distributed in tiny pieces. Sprinkle over fruit.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until topping is golden brown and crispy. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then serve with some vanilla yogurt, ice cream, or whipped cream, if desired.