Oatmeal the Old Fashioned Way (sort of)

This morning was a good morning for oatmeal.

I always keep organic whole rolled oats in my pantry for just such emergencies.  =)
(and for oatmeal cookies, of course)

This is pretty simple but it takes a bit of time.
Like 10-15 minutes, if you can spare it.
This ain't the Quaker's instant mush.

So here's the ingredients I used for today's version
(you can trade the xtras for other stuff as desired)

1 cup of whole rolled oats
1/2 cup dried fruit (cranberries are what I used today but raisins or apricots are tasty too)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (you can use hazelnuts or walnuts etc if you wish)
1 Tablespoon raw organic sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of almond milk (regular or coconut milk are great options too)
3/4 cup water

Mix the milk and water together in a sauce pan on the stove.

Bring to a boil and immediately add oats when it starts to boil.
Turn heat down to simmer and cook the oats.
When the liquid is half gone add the dried fruit.

When about more than half of the remaining liquid  is gone, add the nuts.

Right before taking it off the stove, add the sugar and cinnamon and mix well.

Serve it up.
Toss a few more nuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top and enjoy!!

Mango Energizer

This is pretty quick.
Great in the morning for a quick wake up and Sencha green tea suppresses your appetite
(or so I have heard)

I brew my own organic sencha tea

here's some info if you are interested:
http://delishknowledge.com/sencha-more-than-just-a-drink-in-japan/

Ingredients:
1 cup of brewed tea (chilled)
1/2 cup of frozen organic mango chunks
some ice cubes (3-6)

Feel free to add some ground or fresh ginger for a little zing!! 

Throw them all in the blender or Nutri-Bullet and enjoy!

Mini Quick Pizza

This can be made quickly in a toaster oven if you have one.

We start with mini pre-made pizza crusts.
They come in whole wheat and probably gluten free if you so choose.
I like gluten so these are not.
They are thin crusts.

Ingredients:
crust
shredded cheese of your choice
grape tomatoes
fresh spinach
onions
garlic
olive oil

(whatever stuff you wanna put on it)
you can add mushrooms or sauce if you want
I like a white pizza so usually skip the sauce.

Preheat oven to 425º
Toaster oven can be set to 425º a few minutes before pizza goes in.

- Coat the crust with some olive oil
- Add some garlic on top
- Add the greens then put the cheese on top of the greens
(this keeps them from burning)
- Add tomatoes and onions and other stuff you want to add

Put pizza in oven or toaster oven and bake for 8 - 10 minutes.
(or until the crust is toasty brown)

Take out, slice and enjoy!
A nice low cal easy snack that can be as healthy as you want it to be! 

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

This is a vegan recipe if you replace the butter with olive oil or the ever popular coconut oil.

Ingredients:

1 Sweet Potato
1/2 c Red Lentils
1/2 Large Shallot
3 c Water
1 pat of Butter
Dash of Nutmeg (1/4 tsp)
Fresh Spinach and Kale
Sea Salt

Cut the potato into cubes and add to the 3 cups of water in a pan.
Add a dash of sea salt.
Chop the shallot and add to the potatoes and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down and continue to cook the potatoes with the shallots.

When the potatoes are slightly soft, add the lentils and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the butter. (or olive oil/coconut oil)
Add a dash of nutmeg and a dash of salt.

Once the shallots become translucent and the lentils are getting soft, add the fresh greens.
Continue to cook until the greens wilt.

Once the greens wilt the soup is done.
The whole process should take under 30-45 minutes depending on how slow you peel and chop veggies!

Enjoy!!!!

Hibiscus Tea Refresher

It is 2015 and I am going to post stuff to this blog like I planned to 2 years ago.
Today's recipe is one that will help lower your blood pressure and hydrate you if you need that sort of thing.
It is also just really tasty!
Made from real hibiscus flowers:

The ingredients are pretty simple:
• Dried hibiscus flowers brewed to make a tea.
(I make mine in a regular coffee maker)
after brewing:
• 8-12 oz of the tea
• 3/4 cup of frozen organic blueberries
• 1/2 cup coconut water
• Ice cubes (3-6 depending how slushy you want it)

Add blueberries to the blender first (I use a NutriBullet) 
Throw in the ice cubes
Add the coconut water
Fill the rest with the tea

Blend well and enjoy!!