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?

 



Egg White 'Cupcakes'

I am always looking for new and interesting and tasty ways to get more protein into me throughout the day, especially after a run or a sweaty strength/core exercise session.  Protein makes good recovery fuel!

According to fitsugar,  I should be eating around 80 to 85g of protein per day... that is a lot more than I have been eating.  So I am making a concerted effort to get in more...  more lean meats such as chicken, pork, tuna, salmon, eggs, egg whites, and also adding protein powders to my smoothies, and yogurts.  I have been making protein 'sludges' as well and really like to mix up new combinations of ingredients for them.

I recently found this post by  Chef Katelyn, and a fabulous recipe she calls The World’s Biggest {Baddest} Paleo MicroCake.  In case you are not familiar with the term 'paleo' it simply refers to a way of eating that eschews grains, legumes and dairy in favor of meat, most fruits and vegetables, some healthy fats, nuts, and seeds.

I would call this cupcake a Chocolate Souffle!  But whatever you want to call it, it is absolutely easy and delicious and very filling. 

I followed Katelyn's instructions to make the first one... using Splenda instead of the stevia powder she calls for, cause I don't have any... and it turned out just great!

The cupcake as it came out of the mike...

 

then cut in half to share with The Captain, topped with peanut butter...

 

and topped with yogurt... neither of which are paleo, but are delicious!

 



 

 

The Captain love it too, and commented from another room that he could smell the chocolate cooking.  Mmmmm...

 

For my Weight Watchers buddies... you are gonna love the N.I. on this because egg whites and unsweetened cocoa have such few calories and a lot of protein.

 

Per serving (1/2 of the cupcake no topping).

Weight Watchers P+ = 2.

Calories 79; Protein 14g;  Carbohydrate 6g; Fat 1g; Fibre 0g.

 

You don't even need to put any toppings on it if you don't want them.

 

The next afternoon I made it up again, without the cocoa... but used some cinnamon and a splash of vanilla instead!  Awesome.  This time I just put a bit of almond butter on the top.

 

The cinnamon rises to the top as the egg whites cook.

 

 

Divided in half and topped with almond butter, which is paleo!

 



 



 

Per serving (1/2 of the cupcake no topping).

Weight Watchers P+ = 1.

Calories 61; Protein 13g; Carbohydrate 1g; Fat 0g; Fibre 0g.

 

Basically all you have is 1/2 cup of egg whites with some seasoning... but look at all that protein! And you just cannot beat the taste.

 

You can easily halve the ingredients if you like  - I wouldn't cook more than I planned to eat and try to save the leftovers.

 

I am going to be making this a lot - and I hope you will give it a try.  Find the recipe and the instructions by Chef Katelyn, and leave her a nice comment to tell her I sent you! 

 

How do you get more protein into your day?

 

 





Quinoa Porridge with Fruit

I rarely think about having quinoa for breakfast... unless I have some leftover in the fridge. Then I might sprinkle it with cinnamon, toss some berries and a bit of yogurt on the top, and pack it along in a container to eat after I do my monthly weigh-in at a Weight Watchers meeting.

But hot quinoa?  Like hot oatmeal?   Not ever... I have never cooked it in milk...until I saw a recipe in a local food market's newsletter. 

The Captain and I recently attended a gluten-free tour of this store, led by a dietician, and I have been getting their newsletter ever since.  But I think even if you don't care about gluten-free, this is a great start to a cool Fall morning!  Cooked in milk, the quinoa is thick and creamy and really satisfying.  The Captain, who is sort of so-so about quinoa, said he loved it and would like to have it again... hurray!

 I will give you the Nutritional Information as I calculated it, and the recipe as I made it.

Feel free to make substitutions for the milk and the dried cranberrries (raisins, anyone?) and the fresh fruit with appropriate standins. I think coconut milk would be really nice here and so would fresh mangoes or strawberries or kiwi fruit.  I used a sweetened almond milk which made the final dish taste a lot like it had brown sugar in it.  If you use an unsweetened version, the P+ count would be 1 or 2 less, I am sure.

Once you get the basic idea, I bet you will find lots of ways to make this Quinoa Porridge part of your regular rotation on cool mornings.  So great to find a new breakfast meal!



Quinoa Porridge with Fruit
Makes 2 servings.  

• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained if not organic
• 1-1/2 cups almond milk
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 1 medium banana, sliced
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 Tbs honey or maple syrup (or use a sugar free brand if you like) - optional if you have used a sweetened milk

1. Place the quinoa, milk, cranberries, cinnamon, vanilla,  and salt in a small-to medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot and bring the mixture to a light boil.
2. Cover the pot, lower heat to medium-low, and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Uncover and stir the quinoa mixture.
4. Cook and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally (so it does not stick and burn on the bottom), 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the quinoa is quite tender and the mixture has thickened, but is still creamy and porridge-like in texture.
5. Divide mixture between 2 bowls. Top each with half of the fresh fruit. Drizzle each with 1 Tbs maple syrup or honey and serve.

Per serving, not including fresh fruit, syrup or honey.

Weight Watchers P+ = 7.

Calories 273; Protein 6g;  Carbohydrate 51g; Fat 5g;  Fibre 5g.

Cook the quinoa mixture on a simmering heat, covered.

I topped our Quinoa Porridge with some fresh blackberries and banana slices... a drizzle of sugar free syrup for me... unnecessary as it turns out with having used a sweetened almond milk in cooking the quinoa.

 

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