Oat Scones... I Still Love Them

No matter what new food plan I set out to try, I always come back to an old favorite... tried and true... from Weight Watchers. It has gone through several evolutions, but for many years now, has been called the Simply Filling Technique.

In its simplest form, it involves eating from a comprehensive list of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins including meat and dairy, whole grains, and healthy oils.  It is based on whole, real foods.  Easy. Simple. Nutritious, and yes, filling.  Whole, real food fill you up and keep you satisfied. It is true.

I like the plan as I naturally gravitate to these kinds of foods and like to shop and prepare my meals at home, whether I am going to eat there or pack them along with me to have out.  I am a big fan of park bench and beachside picnics and snacks.

The plan does allow for occasion off-list indulgences, so I can still get in some nut butters and dried fruit, and the occasional glass of wine, too. No deprivation here.

Now, I admit, I don't eat a lot of grains. I prefer to get my carbs from fruits and veggies... I will occasionally eat some rice when I have sushi but for the most part, even quinoa only makes a rare appearance on my plate.... usually when I make a bowl-style lunch.  I cannot recall the last time I cooked oatmeal at breakfast.

But I was looking through some old posts and this recipe for Oat Scones piqued my interest. I had completely forgotten about it.  They really appealed to me, I decided to make them up and add them to my week's menu.  And I am happy to say they were as good as I remember.

I  have learned over the years that weighing dry foods on a scale, rather than measuring with cups is a more accurate way to calculate nutritional values. My original recipe, which you can find here, calls for 1-1/2 cups of oats. The package shows that 40g is equal to 1/2 cup so I weighed out 120g of oats instead of measuring 1-1/2 cups.  When I compare them, the 120g is less for sure.   I also weighed the oat bran.  I used 95g instead of measuring out 1 cup.

Do I need to even mention I use gluten free oats?

And I chose a rectangular cake pan because I currently do not own a pie plate. The cake pan is about 8 inches X 11 inches.  I cooked the scones for 40 minutes and made sure to let them rest for 15 minutes before I cut them into 8 pieces and tested them.  That waiting was hard!

I have been enjoying them all week... my favorite way is to make up a bit of PB2 and slather that all over the top.

Nope, PB2 is not part of the Simply Filling Technique... you have to count 1 Smart Point for it.  And nope, I do not usually use a fork to eat it either!

I have since learned that if I cut the scone in half horizontally, it lasts twice as long... and half a scone is actually sometimes all I want!  Imagine.

So, if you follow the Simply Filling Technique, these Oat Scones are a no-count food.  If you top them with something not on the list, just count those Smart Points.  And if you are a Weight Watcher who counts Smart Points, here is the pertinent nutritional information for you.

Per serving of 1 scone or 1/8th recipe

Weight Watchers SP = 4.
Calories 122
Saturated Fat .5g
Sugar 3g
Protein 6g

Is oatmeal part of your food plan?  What is your favorite way to enjoy it?

Melanie's Prize Winning Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

I recently found a recipe that one of my fellow Fitfluential Ambassadors, Melanie, developed for a Quaker Oats Contest... and I thought it looked and sounded too good to pass on.  It is an Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal.

It does take a few minutes to assemble and get into the oven, and it has to cook for 45 minutes, so this is not something you are going to do on a busy workday.... but on a weekend, yes, do give it a try.  And once it is made up, it keeps in the refrigerator for a couple of days and can be re-heated on those mornings you are in a hurray.  Always nice to have something quick.

Since I have had to start outfitting my kitchen, almost from scratch, I haven't purchased any pie plates yet... so I used a glass cake pan to make up Melanie's Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal... but I am going to share my pictures with you anyway. 

Chopped apples, oats, nuts and spices.

 

The wet ingredients added with the dry.

 

And poured into a prepared baking dish.

 

After coming out of the oven.  Smells wonderful!

 

A 1/6th serving....

with a bit of yogurt and syrup for The Captain.\

 

And mine is a 1/8th serving... not that much smaller really.

 

I did make a couple of small changes... I substituted walnuts for pecans, and I used coconut oil in place of vegetable oil. I did use a sugar free syrup, too, to keep the calorie count down for me and the other Weight Watchers who will want to make this dish.  Minor tweaks and I know you will want to visit Melanie's blog, nutritious eats, for the recipe and instructions for this delicious Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal... and also see her beautiful photos!

 

For my Weight Watchers friends who like to know how things shape up nutritionally, I am going to share the N.I. for the pie the way I made it up, noting my substitutions in the ingredients as described.

 

Per serving of 1/8th of pie, not including topping.

Weight Watchers P+ = 5.

Calories 194; Protein 5g; Carbohydrate 23g;  Fat 10g; Fibre 3g.

 

Per serving of 1/6th of pie, not including topping.

Weight Watchers P+ = 7.

Calories 259; Protein 7g; Carbohydrate 30g; Fat 13g; Fibre 4g.

 

By the way, I just found out that Melanies' recipe won the contest.  Congratulations, Melanie!

 

Are you an oatmeal fan? Have you ever tried baked oatmeal?

 



My Favorite Oat Scones... I Hope You Love Them Too!

I am so excited to share this recipe with you today!  It was probably 4 or 5 years ago that I first found it on the bootcamp buddies forum on healthdiscovery.net. I usually make it during the Winter months when we have been housesitting and have a freezer to use.  We both really like it.

I made only a slight change from the recipe as I found it and posted it last Spring, leaving out some salt and artificial sweetener as I don't think they are required.

These scones are very versatile and quite portable, too.  You can eat them as is, or put some peanut butter or perhaps honey or jam on them... you can break them up in yogurt and top with fruit, or even top them with a slather of Laughing Cow cheese or a slice of cheddar.  Eat them cold or reheat them in the mike... it is up to you.  If you wrap them in plastic you can easily take them along with you for a snack or for lunch.

The cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices make the kitchen smell wonderful as the scones are baking and cooling.  Mmmmmm.

The recipe freezes very well so I often package them in two's and then pop them into the freezer... they only take an hour or so to thaw on the countertop, or a few seconds in the mike.

Oat Scones
Makes 8 servings

• 1 cup fat free milk
• 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or other spices to taste the same.. allspice, cloves, nutmeg)
• 1 cup oat bran 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat fat free milk till scalded - about 2 minutes in the microwave oven.
3. Add milk to regular oats in large mixing bowl, and let sit for a few minutes to soften oats.
4. Spray large pie plate with non-stick spray.
5. Add fat free plain yogurt to oats, along with the egg and unsweetened applesauce, and mix well.
6. In another bowl mix the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and oat bran.
7. Stir the 2 mixtures together and pour into prepared pie plate and put into preheated oven.
8. Bake approximately 30 minutes, or until golden on top.
9. After removing from oven, let sit for about 15 minutes and then cut into 8 wedges.

Per serving of 1 wedge.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 122; Protein 6g; Carbohydrate 22g; Fat 3g; Fibre 4g.

UPATE 2017 for Smart Points calculation.
Per serving of 1 wedge or 1/8th recipe
Weight Watchers SP = 4.
Calories 122
Saturated Fat .5g
Sugar 3g
Protein 6g

Add oats to scalded milk and let sit so the oats can soften.

Add the yogurt, egg, and applesauce.

Stir to mix well.

Stir in the other already-combined dry ingredients.

Pour the batter ino a prepared pie plate.

After baking for 30 minutes, let sit to cool somewhat before cutting.

The wedges are easily removed from the baking pan.

And are generous in size.

.

With a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese....

and jam

Printable Recipe

Banana Baked Oats for One

This morning I was craving baked oatmeal for breakfast, but The Captain wanted eggs, so I opted to make up a single serving of the crunchy baked oats.  Instead of using applesauce, I used mashed banana, and it turned out quite nicely.

Banana Baked Oatmeal with Cinnamon and Raisins
Makes 1 serving

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• dash of cinnamon
• splash of vanilla
• 1/8 cup mashed banana
• 1/8 cup water
• 1 Tbs raisins 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Combine raw oats, spices, applesauce, and water.
3. Coat 1 small ramekin with non-stick spray and pour batter into it.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, or more until it’s firm.
5. Change setting on oven to “high broil” for 3 more minutes (for crusty effect).
6. Remove from ramekin to cereal bowl and add toppings.

Per serving, without toppings. 

Weight Watchers P+ = 3.

Calories 130; Protein 5g; Fat 2g; Fibre 5g.

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Put in ramekin that has been coated with non-stick spray.

When baked, remove to a cereal bowl and top with your favorites... yogurt, fruit, nut butters are lovely additions.

Printable Recipe

Baking not Boiling... a Nice Change for Oats

I opened a can of pumpkin a few days ago and have been looking for ways to use it up.  I love the baked oatmeal idea so thought using pumpkin instead of applesauce might work.  And it did, very well! I just changed the spices a bit. 



Spicy Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• dashes of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg
• 1/4 cup cooked pumpkin
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbs raisins

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Coat 2 small oven-safe ramekins with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Mix all the ingredients and divided between the 2 ramekins.
4. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Turn oven setting to Broil, and cook for 3 minutes, to crisp the top.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before turning out into serving bowls.
7. Add toppings of choice.

Today I used 1/4 cup fat free vanilla yogurt and a few banana slices.

Per serving. Not including toppings.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 115; Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 23g; Fat 1g; Fibre 3g

Mixing the ingredients together.  If it is a bit dry looking, add some more water.

After turning out of the ramekins into serving bowls.

Topped with vanilla yogurt and banana slices.



Printable Recipe

Cinnamon and Raisin Baked Oatmeal

I was looking at a food blog called Chocolate-Covered Katie and came across some ideas for baked oatmeal, which Katie calls boatmeal, and I knew I had to try it.

I altered the ingredients slightly and here is what I came up with:

Cinnamon and Raisin Baked Oatmeal
Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 cup Rogers' Porridge Oats
• dash of cinnamon
• splash of vanilla
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp raisins

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine raw oats, spices, applesauce, and water.

Coat 2 small ramekins with non-stick spray and pour batter into them.

Bake for 20 minutes, or more until it’s firm.
Change setting on oven to “high broil” for 3 more minutes (for crusty effect).

Per serving. 
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.

Calories 130; Protein 5g; Fat 2g; Fibre 5g.

They are very hot when they come out of the oven so I let them sit for a few minutes.  Then I popped them out of the ramekins and into bowls, and topped them with a bit of yogurt, half a banana, more cinnamon and 1 tsp honey.  Mmmmm.....



Printable Recipe