Blueberry Pie Stovetop Oats

Does it get much better than warm pie straight out of the oven with fresh fruit inside and a nice crumble on top? I didn't think so. So when breakfasting (is that a word? Definitely making it one) earlier this week, something in me was just craving the satisfaction that comes only after fresh baked pie. So I figured why not try to bring all of that goodness to my morning oatmeal? 

I also saw that I had some blueberry Lifeway kefir on hand, and I thought that would not only add the perfect flavor but really bring a delicious, rich consistency to the oats. And trust me, it does. I warmed up a nice, quick, and easy crumble to add on top, plus some extra blueberries, and a cashew butter drizzle, and we were good to go! It was so comforting and satisfying and the perfect way to get that pie fix early in the morning.

Here's What You'll Need:

For the Oats:
-1.5 cups rolled oats
-8 oz blueberry Lifeway kefir
-1.5 cups water
-1/2 cup frozen blueberries (fresh also works)
-2 tbsp maple syrup
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-Pinch of sea salt

For the Crumble:
-1/4 cup rolled oats
-1 tbsp almond flour (I use this one)
-3 tbsp coconut butter (I use this one)
-1 tsp coconut sugar
-Pinch of sea salt

Serves 3

Instructions:

1) Mix together the 1.5 cups rolled oats, water, and kefir in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
2) Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, and add in the remaining oats ingredients.
3) Continue to cook the oats, stirring regularly, until they thicken to your desired consistency (about 5-8 minutes).
4) Remove them from the heat and split between bowls.
5) In the meantime, heat up the remaining 1/4 cup oats in a pain over medium heat to toast them just a bit (2-3 minutes).
6) Add in the coconut butter and cook the two until the coconut butter is fully melted.
7) Add in the remaining crumble ingredients, stirring to combine well. Remove from heat.
8) Split the crumble to top each bowl.
6) Add any extra desired toppings, serve, and enjoy!

As I mentioned earlier, I topped mine with a extra frozen blueberries and cashew butter which I'd highly recommend, but feel free to play around! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Vanilla Chai Protein Waffles

Coming off of the Newport Beach Cleanse this week, I was really excited for waffle Wednesday. I couldn't really think of a way to incorporate waffles, even spiralized ones, into the cleanse without using eggs (which weren't permitted) as a binding agent. But that gave me two full weeks to think of some new, delicious waffle combinations, and trust me they were brewing (see what I did there). 

Besides waffles, I was thinking about this Chai tea conentrate I received from Dona Chai, which inconveniently came right around the time I was starting the cleanse (and caffeine is not permitted). Chai is easily one of my favorite flavors. I'm not super into very sweet things, but give me something that's a spice-y sweet, and I am SO in! 

As I was really getting into the details, I thought, is there anything better than chai? Only vanilla chai. So why not add in a scoop of my favorite superfood powder, Ka'Chava and also keep it gluten free and protein packed by using Almond Pro almond flour. So it was pretty much all laid out in my mind, I followed it through, and the result is REALLY. FREAKIN. GOOD. So let's get into it.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1/2 cup Almond Pro almond flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 scoop vanilla Ka'Chava (you can use the code allroadshealthy10 for a $10 store credit)
-1/4 cup Dona Chai chai tea concentrate
-2/3 cup water
-1 egg
-Pinch sea salt
-1 tbsp coconut oil

Serves 2

Instructions:

1) Heat up your waffle maker. I also usually coat mine in a little coconut oil so that the waffle doesn't stick, but do whatever you normally do.
2) Mix together all ingredients in a bowl. Yes, it's that simple. I generally do the dry ingredients, and then add in the wet. But realistically, it's all going to the same bowl eventually.
3) Add half the mixture to the waffle maker, and cook according to your waffle maker's instructions.
4) Remove the cooked waffle, and repeat with the second half of the batter.
5) Serve, top with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

I cooked up some peaches in a little maple syrup and cinnamon to top mine, and I would definitely recommend the combo! But feel free to do whatever works for you. Let me know what you think in the comments below and what toppings you are going to add or have added to yours!

Loaded Breakfast Sweet Potato

I honestly don't have a great back story for this (sorry). I was thinking I wanted to make a stuffed sweet potato for breakfast, but I wanted to use cottage cheese instead of yogurt. This got me thinking on more of a savory route, and before I knew it I had loaded potatoes on the brain. Swap out sour cream for cottage cheese, add in some extra greens, and I was salivating just thinking about it. 

This thing literally came together in like 10 minutes. I took the easy way out and microwaved the sweet potato. Feel free to bake it (I generally prefer to avoid the microwave), but the time crunch was real. Easy AND delicious - does it get much better?

Here's What You'll Need:

-2 small sweet potatoes
-5.3 oz classic Good Culture cottage cheese pack
-1 cup baby arugula
-1 clove garlic, minced
-2 pieces of uncured, all natural turkey bacon
-1/2 tbsp olive oil or ghee
-Hot sauce to taste

Serves 2

Instructions:

1) Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork all over to create little holes. Cook them in the microwave for 3-5 minutes, flip over, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
2) In the meantime, heat up the olive oil/ghee on the stove top. Once hot, add in the garlic and cook for about a minute.
3) Add in the arugula and cook for about 2-3 minutes until it is cooked down. Remove from heat.
4) Cook the turkey bacon on the stove top according to directions until crispy, and chop into small pieces.
5) Remove the sweet potatoes from the microwave and cut each in half.
6) In the middle of the halves, add half the cottage cheese pack to each potato.
7) Top the cottage cheese with half of the arugula and bacon pieces.
8) Top each with desired hot sauce, serve, and enjoy!

This combo is just the perfect balance of salty and sweet with that little kick of heat (if you choose to add hot sauce). This one will definitely be on repeat over here. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
 

Spiced Pear Oat Parfait

Sorry for rolling out all the oat recipes on you, but hey, it's winter, and oats are warming AND delicious! This one's a little bit of a twist because I decided to throw them into a parfait, and it is seriously BOMB!

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup rolled oats
-2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or your milk of choice)
-1 tbsp and 1 tsp maple syrup, separated
-1 tbsp and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, separated
-1 tsp nutmeg
-dash of sea salt
-1 /2 pear, chopped
-1 tbsp ground flax seed
-1 tbsp chia seeds
-1 6 oz container of nonfat plain Greek yogurt
-1 (0.36 oz) package of Crispy Green Snacks freeze dried Asian pears
-2 tbsp slivered almonds

Instructions:

1) In a pot on the stove top, heat up the oats and almond milk on high heat until boiling.
2) Once boiling, reduce the temperature to low and begin stirring regularly.
3) Once the oats begin to thicken a bit (about 3-5 minutes), add in 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp cinnamon, the nutmeg, sea salt, flax seed, chia seeds, and chopped pears.
4) Continue to stir the oats until they become thick and the consistency of oatmeal (another 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat.
5) In a bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, remaining cinnamon, and remaining maple syrup. 
6) Begin layering your parfaits - do one layer (about an inch thick of the oatmeal followed by a thinner layer of the Greek yogurt mixture followed by the crispy pears and finally the almonds. Repeat until both parfaits are complete.
7) Enjoy!

If you aren't a fan of pears, you can easily switch them out for apples (and Crispy Green Snacks does make freeze dried apples as well). I like using Crispy Green Snacks because 1) they're non GMO verified and 2) they're pure fruit which means no added sugar like a lot of dried fruit. Let me know what you think in the comments below! I look forward to hearing from you!