Peanut Butter Banana Oat Smoothie

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Smoothie

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1/8 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• 10 oz nonfat milk
• 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/4 cup oatmeal 
• cinnamon, to taste

And Action:

Combine all ingredients in the blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Healthy Oatmeal Banana Bars

I've been trying to eat healthy and get myself back on track. This has been a struggle for me the past two years. Yo-yo dieting and not committing to working out. I've turned into that person who makes excuses. Sigh. Who have I become?

A coworker invited me to join her do a half marathon coming up in March. Without hesitation I said, "Of course!" I can't even run a mile without gasping for air. What the hell was I thinking? I could register now and save money but I have anxiety about not being able to finish and haven't fully committed. I have serious commitment issues.

Granola bars are a go to in our household for breakfast. Because I have to juggle many things in the morning opening a wrapper and pouring a glass of milk is a no brainer, however, in the back of my mind I know I'm not providing the best nutrition for my son or myself.

Debbi from Debbi Does Dinner... Healthy & Low Calorie posted about Healthy Oatmeal Banana Cookies and I knew I had to give these a try since I had everything on hand. Being in a healthy mindset meant that I had to change the name from cookie to bar because serving a cookie for breakfast doesn't sound right and I have that fear of my son going to school and telling his teacher that mommy feeds him cookies for breakfast.

The base for these bars is made up of two simple ingredients. Oatmeal and bananas. You can get as creative as you'd like with mix ins. I added flaked coconut and raw almonds. The end result tasted just like banana bread. You could also swap pureed pumpkin in place of the banana. This is a breakfast option I felt good about offering to my son. Try these for yourself and taste the difference.

Healthy Oatmeal Banana Bars

Debbi Does Dinner... Healthy & Low Calorie

Makes 6 Bars

Stars of the Show:

• 1 cup oatmeal, regular or quick oats
• 2 bananas
• mix ins, optional

And Action:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mash bananas and stir in oatmeal and optional mix ins. Spoon onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment  paper. Form the mass into a rectangle about a 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 20 minutes or until desired crispness. I left mine in for 25 minutes. They will be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Two years ago while traveling to Ohio for our annual Christmas vacation Mr. Sideline Chef had pulled into a gas station somewhere in Kentucky. On the side of the road I had seen a sight that was foreign to me. An Amish couple was selling canned goods and other items such as aprons and rugs. They also had their horse and buggy.
I couldn't wait to get out of the truck and see what they had for sale. I bundled myself and itty bitty up and walked to the corner. As we approached, itty bitty who was 18 months old at the time got a glimpse of the horse and was so excited. We stood admiring the horse for a couple of minutes. The couple smiled and approached us with a bag of no bake cookies for itty bitty.

We made it over to their stand and after looking at all of the various items for sale I ended up picking up a jar of apple butter for Mr. Sideline Chef's grandma. I tried to pay them for the cookies as well but they simply wouldn't take it. It was such a generous act of kindness. I don't believe it was just because of the Christmas spirit but because their hearts were that warm and full of love.

Itty bitty nibbled on the cookies over the next day and a half and loved every last bite of them. I tried a bite and decided it wasn't a cookie I liked. Mr. Sideline Chef liked them though. It's just me. I don't get giddy over cookies.

6 months ago I had won a giveaway for Nordic Ware's The Great Cookie Book and it just arrived in the mail yesterday. Better late than never. Although I had forgot about it since I figured the lady had forgotten about the giveaway and mailing it. Imagine my surprise when I received a package and had no clue what it was.

I came across a recipe for No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, had all of the ingredients, and knew that I needed to make these. Not only for itty bitty and Mr. Sideline Chef but to see if I liked no bake cookies.

Sure enough, I do! Easy to make, easy clean up, and even tastier to eat. What's not to love? The peanut butter and chocolate in these cookies is a classic combination. A sure win!

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Nordic Ware: The Great Cookie Book: 50 Recipes for All Occasions

Makes 24 Cookies

Stars of the Show:

• 1/2 stick of butter
• 2 cups sugar - I used splenda since that is what I had on hand.
• 1/2 cup milk - I used skim milk.
• 4 baking chocolate squares - I used unsweetened baking chocolate squares.
• 3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup peanut butter - Homemade! Yummy! 
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

And Action:

In a large saucepan add the first 4 ingredients and bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the remaining ingredients and drop by tablespoonfuls on waxed paper.

Cool until set.

Linking this recipe to:


Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a 12 pack of Element Bars! Giveaway ends Monday, May 23, 2011 @ 5:00 a.m. when the winner will be announced.

Maple Walnut Oatmeal

Oatmeal can be so BLAH. I'm always looking for new ways to make breakfast, the most important meal of the day, a little more exciting. Oatmeal makes it's round on the rotation quite often. Many mornings I am in too much of a rush to really do anything special to my bowl of oatmeal. Oatmeal simmered in water. BLAH.

This morning was not a BLAH kind of breakfast. I simmered my oatmeal in milk and maple syrup with some dried apples and then topped it with toasted walnuts. Creamy, sweet, and crunchy. Perfection. This is the most incredible bowl of oatmeal I have made in a long time.

Another winner from the Flat Belly Diet Cookbook. This recipe is a definite keeper.

Maple Walnut Oatmeal

Flat Belly Diet Cookbook

Makes 4 Servings (Serving size = 3/4 cup)



Stars of the Show:

• 2 cups 1% milk - I used skim milk.
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup chopped dried pears or apples - I used dried apples.
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

And Action:

In a medium pot combine the milk, oats, pears or apples, maple syrup, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the oats are tender. Sprinkle with the walnuts.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

MUFA: Walnuts

Calories: 321

Protein: 10 g

Carbohydrates: 45 g

Fat: 12 g

Saturated Fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 6 mg

Sodium: 481 mg

Fiber: 4 g

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

So long packets of apple cinnamon oatmeal. This recipe for Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal is part of the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart . I'm not following this diet but have it bookmarked because I read that with trying to lose the last 10 pounds my body is holding onto I need to switch up my eating and try a more vegetarian approach. Mr. Sideline Chef only eats Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and remembering that this recipe was on that diet meal plan I decided to give it a try. It was a nice change to plain oatmeal for breakfast. Nice to know that this bowl of oatmeal was creamy and delicious and will be satisfying when I do commit to the eating plan.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

21 Day Vegan Kickstart

Makes 2 Servings (Serving size = 1 cup)

Stars of the Show:

• 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
• 2/3 cup apple juice concentrate - I used Mott's for Tots Apple Juice with 40% Less Sugar.
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins or currants (optional) - Raisins are a cringe worthy food to me. I left them out.

And Action:

Combine oats, apple juice concentrate, water, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the raisins, if desired. Let stand 3 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information: Per 1 cup serving

Calories: 312

Fat: 2.9 g
Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Calories from Fat: 8.4%
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Protein: 7 g
Carbohydrates: 66 g
Sugar: 32.9 g
Fiber: 4.7 g
Sodium: 29 mg
Calcium: 51 mg
Iron: 2.8 mg
Vitamin C: 2.1 mg
Beta Carotene: 0 mcg
Vitamin E: 0.3 mg