Slow Cooker Bluberry Muffin Oats

Hi I've never really prepped a few days worth of breakfast before- if I needed something to grab and go, I'd just throw together some overnight oats like this or this. But, as my schedule has gotten busier and busier I decided it would be really convenient to just have everything ready to go.

I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. It uses a mixture of steel coat oats and quinoa which adds some protein and omega-3 fatty acids to an otherwise carbohydrate based meal.

If you've never bought steel cut oats, you can find them right near the regular oatmeal. Both rolled oats and steel cut oats start as oat groats. The groats are roasted and can then be further processed and rolled into flakes (rolled oats) or cut into several pieces (steel cut oats). For this reason, steel cut oats take longer to cook, but provide a chewier texture and nuttier taste. As far as nutrition, they are pretty much identical.

The end result? Really delicious (and makes your kitchen smell amazing)! This is a really nourishing, filling breakfast that you can further customize with various toppings. I've topped mine with yogurt (for extra protein) and peanut butter (to add healthy fat).

You can find the original recipe here!

Slow Cooker Blueberry Muffin Oats 

Serves 6

Recipe by Jamie

Ingredients: 

1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
5 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1-2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons flaxseed
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3-4 tablespoons stevia (or pure maple syrup or honey)
3/4-1 cup cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I used 3/4 cup frozen)

Directions:

1. Spray the inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients and stir. Cook for 7-8 hours on low (overnight if you'd like).

2. Spoon oats into a bowl and add a splash of milk (optional) and other desired toppings. Store in the fridge.

*To reheat a serving, add 1/3 cup milk or water and cook for 1 minute on high in the microwave. Stir, then cook again another minute or so or until hot. It's also good cold- stir in some yogurt and it's just like overnight oats!

Nutrition Information per serving:  206 calories, 6 grams Fat, 32 g Carbs, 6 grams Protein

Meal Prep Basics: Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I love roasting sweet potatoes. I throw them into salads, stir-fries, and omelets to add a healthy and delicious source of carbohydrates to my meals . Roasting vegetables really brings out their natural sweetness.

Here's how I do it:

First, I preheat the oven to 400 F.

Next, I peel the sweet potatoes and cut them in half vertically. I cut each half lengthwise, and then cut each of those halves lengthwise as well. Then, I cut them vertically into half moon shapes.

I line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with non-stick olive oil or coconut oil spray. I spread the sweet potato pieces out evenly and spray them with the same olive oil or coconut oil spray.

You can add any seasonings and spices that you like, but I like to keep them plain! You can make them sweet by adding cinnamon and then tossing them in sugar-free or regular maple syrup, or make them savory by adding spices like garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, etc.

Finally, I bake them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until soft and just about golden brown.

                                

                                           

Maple Dijon Roasted Tempeh

I spend way too much time in the kitchen :) . I would seriously spend all day cooking if I could. Did some meal prep yesterday:

Here we have paprika sauteed mushrooms, miso-roasted eggplant, grilled eggplant, roasted acorn squash, and Maple-Dijon Roasted Tempeh. I'm OBSESSED with tempeh. I need to dedicate an entire post to it. Unfortunately, I'm super busy and work 439205834 hours a week. Therefore, I'll just post a yummy recipe and give you the short and sweet tempeh rundown until my schedule calms down a little bit:

Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans, it's high in protein, it has a FABULOUS nutty flavor, and a great meaty texture. My Maple-Dijon Roasted Tempeh recipe is a modified version of the one from Clean Food, and it will make you a tempeh lover IMMEDIATELY.

I use Soy Boy Organic Soy Tempeh. One three ounce serving provides 160 calories and 17 grams of protein! The entire package is 2.5 servings. I eat half the package for a total of 200 calories and 21 grams of protein.

Maple-Dijon Roasted Tempeh

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) block of tempeh
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons sugar-free syrup (or regular)
1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400.
2. Cut the tempeh into 1/2 inch strips and steam for 10 minutes.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the mustard, syrup, soy sauce and olive oil.
4. Pour marinade over the tempeh and stir until the tempeh is evenly coated. Marinate for 30 minutes.
5. Place tempeh on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
7. EAT!!

I served my tempeh alongside some grilled eggplant, mushrooms, and maple smashed acorn squash (greek yogurt + sugar-free syrup + cinnamon + stevia + my roasted acorn squash all mashed together!) The next day, I served it cold over a huge arugula salad with roasted brussel sprouts, miso-roasted eggplant, roasted acorn squash, heirloom tomatoes, fat-free feta, and my GO-TO three ingredient Dijon-balsamic vinaigrette (dijon mustard + balsamic vinegar + Truvia). Holy YUM.