Product Review: Fruttare Fruit Bars

Last week I tried the Fruttare Fruit & Milk bars.  While at the grocery store recently, I saw Fruttare also had a fruit-only bar.  I tried the mango flavor, although they also come in Strawberry, Lime and Orange.  At 60 calories and 0 g. fat per bar, I thought they would make a good low calorie summer treat.  I'm not always a fan of frozen fruit bars, but I was pleasantly surprised with these.  They were smooth and creamy, almost like a frozen sorbet on a stick.  They had a "fresh" mango taste and weren't "icy" as many frozen fruit bars are.  I'd probably try them again. They weren't filling at all and were kind of small, but it was a nice treat while sitting outside on the patio. 

Product Review: Fruttare Fruit & Milk Bars

I'm still on my ice cream and frozen treats kick!  I've seen a lot of commercials and ads for these new Fruttare fruit bars and I thought they might be a nice, healthier treat to try out for the blog.  So far, I've tried the banana & milk flavor, which come in at 120 calories / 3.5g. fat per bar. A box of four bars cost $3.99 at my local Krogers.  It was a creamy fruit bar, with chunks of banana in it.  I did like them and they're a nice treat for a warm, summer day.  However, it did have a bit of a "fake" banana taste to it. Those who are not a fan of banana-flavored treats would probably not like these.  I'd potentially try this flavor again and would definitely give their other fruit and milk bars a try.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

A co-worker recently got promoted and as usual, I brought in a dessert to celebrate!  It happened to be a pretty busy week for me and I wasn't looking forward to rushing through making a fancy layer cake.  I find when I rush it not only takes the fun out of it, but I also tend to make mistakes.  I found this recipe in the Columbus Dispatch Wednesday food section.  I've wanted to try this recipe for a while now and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.  I was a little hesitant to bring it in as I was slightly embarrassed how easy it was to make, but everyone LOVED it.  I was shocked how quickly it went and the rave reviews it got!  When you let the dessert sit, the graham crackers soften and combined with the smooth pudding layer and sweet chocolate icing, it's the most perfect combination.  Any pudding flavor could be used, but I liked the vanilla / chocolate combination I used below.  Try this dessert recipe out for your next get together and I guarantee you'll get positive comments on it! 

Chocolate Eclair Cake
Serves 9

34 graham cracker squares (1/2 box)
1 (3.3 ounce) package vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cup milk
1 8-ounce container cool whip, defrosted
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 Tbs butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tbs milk
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Take out an 8x8 inch dish. Arrange 1/3 of the graham crackers on the bottom of it. It's okay if you have to break them or overlap them some.  Prepare the pudding by mixing the pudding mix and milk together. Once combined and thickened a bit, fold in the cool whip until combined.

 

Spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Add another layer of graham crackers (using about 1/3 of them) over the pudding mixture. Top with remaining pudding mixture and final layer of graham crackers.

Make the icing: Melt the chocolate and butter in a small-medium sized microwave safe bowl, in two 30-second intervals.  Stir between intervals.   Stir together the melted chocolate and butter until combined.  Add in remaining icing ingredients: confectioners sugar, milk, corn syrup and vanilla.  If mixture is too thick, add in an extra splash or two of milk. Spread the icing over graham crackers.  Use an off-set spatula to cover all graham crackers.  Cover and let mixture sit for at least 8 hours or over night.  Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa

Greek Pasta Salad

I'm always trying to think of new ideas for lunches I can take to work.  If I can make it on Sunday and then portion out into 4-5 lunch serving, even better.   Lately, I've really been trying harder to get more vegetables and whole grains into my diet, which is how I came up with this recipe.  The salad dressing is modified from one I found in an old Food Network magazine.  This lunch gets in quite a few servings of vegetables, as well as whole grains from the pasta and healthy oils from the dressing.  It is also very filling and stays with me throughout my work day. 

Greek Pasta Salad
Serves: 5-6

Salad:
6 ounces whole wheat pasta
1 red pepper, diced
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup yellow pepper rings, diced
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 bunch spinach, chopped
1/4 cup dressing, recipe below

Dressing:
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Make dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake until combined. 
Store left over dressing in the refrigerator for about a week.

Cook pasta according to package instructions.  Once finished cooking, drain and rinse under cold water

Dice the pepper and add to drained garbanzo beans, olives, garlic, yellow pepper, tomatoes and feta cheese in a large bowl.  Pour dressing over mixture and stir to combine.   Add in cooled pasta and stir to combine.  Chop spinach and add to pasta salad.  

*Note: If not eating the pasta salad right away, wait to add the spinach.  Otherwise the spinach will wilt.  For take-to-work lunches, I put some pasta salad at the bottom of a Tupperware container and then put some chopped spinach on top. At lunchtime I can toss the mixture together and spinach doesn't get wilted beforehand by only sitting on top of the pasta.

xoxo Melissa

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Sometimes you just need a little comfort food, even if it is 90 degrees in June.  Macaroni cheese was the perfect thing to fit the craving when my sister and her husband came up for dinner last week.  This recipe comes from The Picky Palate Cookbook. While the cookbook is sort-of geared towards meals you can make for children, I found it to be pretty delicious, without being too decadent as some mac & cheese recipes are.  I made it with unsweetened almond milk, which dramatically reduced the calories and fat.  Using almond milk still created a cheesy and creamy macaroni and cheese and the panko coated top added a nice crunch.  I will definitely keep this recipe in my go-to recipe files.  It's quick, easy, tasty and man approved - what else could you want from a recipe?  

Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Serves 4 (main course servings)

1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
6 Tbs butter, divided
3 Tbs. flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 2 qt. baking dish with cooking spray

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold water.

Melt 3 Tbs. of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, paprika and pepper.  Stir to combine all ingredients, until it's almost like a paste.

 

 Slowly whisk in the milk and stir until mixture is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.

 

 

Stir in the cheese.

 

 

Once smooth, add in the cooled macaroni. 

 

 

Pour macaroni mixture into the prepared pan. To prepare the topping, melt remaining 3 Tbs. butter in a small dish in the microwave. Once melted, add the bread crumbs and toss to combine. Sprinkle panko over macaroni and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, if you can wait! Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa

Product Review: Magnum Mini Gold

Continuing with my ice cream and frozen treat reviews, this week brings a review of the Magnum Mini Gold bars.  I've seen commercial after commercial about these bars and I thought it was about time I try them out!  I'm not one to eat an almost 400 calorie ice cream bar, so I was quite pleased to see they come in "mini" form.  At 170 calories and 12g fat per bar, it's a much more reasonable splurge in my mind.   However, they don't lie when they say "mini." As you can see from the picture below, they're pretty small, although it's "real" ice cream so a little goes a long way for me.  I'm not sure my husband would be satisfied after one, but I was.

The box describes the bars as "vanilla bean ice cream with a sea salt caramel swirl dipped in a golden chocolaty coating." I definitely liked the thick chocolate coating, which had a nice crunch.  The coating had a bit of butterscotch flavor, which I'm not sure was intended or not, but I enjoyed this either way.  There was a slight caramel swirl through the vanilla ice cream, although I don't know if I'd really consider it a "sea salt caramel" flavor as they stated.  It didn't have that typical salty caramel taste that so many other salted caramel treats have.  I still enjoyed it though and would be willing to try out some of their other "mini" flavors.

Product Review: Yoplait Frozen Yogurt

Since trying out Ben & Jerry's Greek Frozen Yogurt a few weeks ago, I've been on a little bit of an ice cream and frozen yogurt kick.  While at the grocery store a while ago, I saw this Yoplait frozen yogurt and thought I should probably try it out... as research for the blog, you know?  I've tried both strawberry banana and peach flavors now.  They are definitely not Ben & Jerry's Greek frozen yogurt, but then again, they're half the calories and fat (around 100 calories / 2 grams fat per 1/2 cup serving).  The texture was a little more "icy" than Ben & Jerry's or even Edy's slow churned versions and they definitely needs to sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften up before scooping. 

The strawberry banana has much more strawberry taste than banana, so if you are a big fan of strawberry-banana, this is not the flavor for you. I thought the peach had a nice fresh peach taste though, even if the peach chucks were a bit frozen.  I definitely enjoyed the peach much more than strawberry-banana.  If I wanted a low calorie strawberry ice cream/frozen yogurt, I would probably buy the Edy's slow churned version as it's larger and around the same price, although I might try the peach again or one of their other flavors.   If you don't want a whole quart of low calorie / frozen yogurt at home to tempt you, this smaller Yoplait version could definitely do the trick. 

B.E.S.T. Breakfast Sandwiches

I happened to have some left over bacon and was trying to think of what to use it for.  My initial thought was to use it for B.L.T's. My second thought was a bacon and egg sandwich.  Which one to choose, which one to choose...  Why not combine them both?   This is what I came up with, below.  I swapped out spinach for the lettuce as I thought spinach would go a little better with a warm egg sandwich, and it also gave me a great acronym: B.E.S.T. breakfast sandwich = Bacon, Egg, Spinach and Tomato breakfast sandwich.  That works, right?  Hope you enjoy this sandwich, which in my mind works well for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

B.E.S.T. Sandwich
Makes: 2 Sandwiches

4 slices bread or 2 English muffins
4 slices bacon
2 eggs
2 handfuls of spinach
2 slices tomato
Mayo or ketchup, optional

Cook the bacon and then drain it on paper towels while you prepare the other sandwich components.  Once it's cool, cut each slice in half.  

 

Then cook the two eggs however you wish.   I prefer my eggs over hard when making egg sandwiches. 

 

While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread slices and chop up the spinach and tomato. Once toasted, lightly spread mayo or ketchup on two of the slices, if desired.  Next layer on the bacon, eggs, spinach and tomato slices. Cut each sandwich in half, diagonally and serve. Enjoy!

 

xoxo Melissa

Cracker Candy

I've had some whole wheat saltine crackers sitting in my cupboards for a few months now and was tired of seeing them continue to sit there, uneaten.  While I was watching Trisha's Southern Kitchen on Food Network this morning, she made this recipe below.  I had the other ingredients on hand and thought I'd give it a whirl and finally get rid of some of the saltines!  I've had friends tell me about this "candy" recipe before, but have never tried it.  Let me tell you, I've been missing out!  It was not only super easy to make, but was really, really good!  I would have never guessed it was made with saltine crackers, whole wheat none the less.  It's crunchy, salty, sweet and has the added kick of chocolate.  I can see why Trisha referred to it as "crack."  This recipe is definitely a keeper and one I will definitely make again. 

Cracker Candy
Makes: 1 10x15" sheet pan

39 saltine crackers (one sleeve)
1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Cover an 10x15 inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Lightly spray it with cooking spray.  Lay saltine crackers in the pan, touching each other, salt-side facing down.

Combine the butter and sugar in a medium sized saucepan, over medium-high heat.  Stir until the butter is melted.  Bring mixture to a boil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until it comes to a boil and turns a light caramel color - about 5 minutes.

Pour the butter mixture over the saltines.  Smooth it out with a rubber spatula so all the saltines are covered.  Put in the oven and bake for about 5 minutes, until mixture is bubbly. 

Remove the crackers from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over it. 

 

Let them sit for a minute and then smooth the now melted chocolate, so it covers all of the saltines.  Place pan in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, until candy has hardened.  Break into pieces and enjoy!

 

xoxo Melissa

Fresh Salsa

This is another one of my husband's favorite summer dishes and one he created on his own! He's quite the chef if I haven't mentioned this already.  I would confidently say chips and salsa are one of his favorite foods combos.  This recipe makes a great big bowl for hours of snacking enjoyment!  It takes a little longer to prepare than simply opening a jar of store bought salsa, but you won't regret the time it takes after tasting it!  The one word to describe this salsa is "fresh."  Feel free to enjoy it with any type of chips you like.  I like to go the baked chip route, while my husband generally wants the "full fat" version.  Try making this next time you have company over and serve with a variety of chips to suit all guests.

Fresh Salsa

2 large Beefsteak Tomatoes, diced
1 medium Onion, diced
1 Green Pepper, diced
2 Jalapeno Peppers, diced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp Kosher Salt, to taste
large handful of Cilantro, chopped

Dice all vegetables and throw in a large bowl.  Then add the lime juice, salt and cilantro. Toss to combine and enjoy! 

xoxo Melissa

Favorite Fruit Dip

I've been making this fruit dip for years and it's always a guest favorite.  It comes from Kraft Foods. It can even be made lower in fat and calories by using low or no fat cream cheese and light or fat free cool whip.  I started making this dip in college when the dining halls served this amazing fruit dip and I started a quest to find my own favorite fruit dip!  This isn't anything like the one from college, but it's my go-to fruit dip recipe these days.  Instead of just serving a fruit salad at your next gathering, try this fruit dip with grapes, strawberries or apple slices.  I don't think your guests will be disappointed!

Favorite Fruit Dip
Makes: 2 cups

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup cranberry sauce
4 oz. cool whip (1/2 of a small tub)

Mix together the cream cheese and cranberry sauce with a mixer (standing or hand held) until blended thoroughly.  Don't worry if it looks lumpy at first, after a few minutes it will come together.  It's okay if there are a few lumps left in it.  Making sure the cream cheese is room temperature before mixing helps ensure it blends smoothly with the other ingredients. Once blended, fold in the cool whip.  Voila!  Serve with any type of fresh fruit. Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa

Summer Fruit Punch

Is there anything better than a cold drink, while enjoying the beautiful summer weather outdoors?  I don't think so! This is a super easy summer punch recipe, just perfect for a lazy summer evening or for having friends over for a get together.  This recipes has been adapted from one in Taste of the South magazine. It's quick to make and your friends will all want the recipe. Don't be embarrassed to share how easy it is, you're friends will only enjoy it more once knowing this!

Summer Fruit Punch
Serves: 4-6

3 cups pineapple juice
3 cups orange juice
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
orange slices for serving, optional
maraschino cherries for serving, optional

Pour all three juices into a large pitcher and stir together until combined. Chill for a few hours before serving.  Add orange slices and cherries right before serving.  Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa

Baked Cinnamon Apples

When I was little, I loved the restaurant Boston Market.  My family used to go there when we were on vacation in Florida and sometimes when we were on a special shopping trip in Columbus. Since we didn't have a Boston Market in my town, it always seemed like a treat when we got to go.  One of my favorite side dishes were their cinnamon apples.  I came across a copy-cat recipe in Top Secret Recipes Unlocked (by Todd Wilbur).  Since I haven't been to a Boston Market in years I thought I might give it a try.  Wow!  They are good and just like I remembered!  I literally could have drank the caramel sauce this recipe makes with the apples... good thing I had a little self restraint!  You could eat them on their own or add a scoop of ice cream, like I did, turning this side dish into dessert! 

Baked Cinnamon Apples
Serves: 5

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and each cut into 9 slices
3/4 cup water
1 Tbs flour
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Vanilla Ice Cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange sliced apples in an 8x8 inch or similar sized baking dish.

Whisk together the water, flour and cornstarch.  Then stir in remaining ingredients.

Pour sugar mixture evenly over the apples and stir to coat.  Cover dish with foil and bake for about 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  How easy was that!  Enjoy!

 

Clearly everyone loved it... no leftovers tonight!

xoxo Melissa

Product Review: Ben & Jerry's Frozen Greek Yogurt

 

 

To all of my friends who know me, I LOVE ice cream. I honestly used to have a scoop of Edy's slow churned ice cream on a daily basis.  I've since tried to become a little healthier and now refrain from this daily indulgence. However, I still feel a scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt every once in a while does a body good! 

 

A friend recently told me about this Ben & Jerry's greek frozen yogurt.  I always like to try new food products and thought I'd give this one a whirl.  I've so far tried three of their flavors: peanut butter & banana, strawberry shortbread and vanilla honey caramel.  The peanut butter & banana wins hands down, but then again, I am somewhat obsessed with anything peanut butter and banana!  The other two flavors I've tried were good runners-up.  The calories and fat content comes in somewhere between Edy's slow churned ice cream and Ben & Jerry's (full fat) ice cream flavors - between 180-210 calories and 5-8 grams fat per 1/2 cup serving.  The flavors have a slight yogurt "twang," similiar to some of the new yogurt shops popping up all over the place lately. The peanut butter and banana had a salty and crunchy peanut butter trail going through the banana yogurt and to me it was absolute heaven.  I've only been able to find that flavor at our local Target though.  The strawberry had decent sized strawberry chunks in a strawberry yogurt and small shortbread pieces running throughout.  The vanilla tasted a lot more like a traditional, fuller fat ice cream than the Edy's low fat version and had a  nice ribbon of caramel and honey running through it.  Vanilla might seem too plain to some, but I thought it had a really nice, clean vanilla flavor. 

 

Overall, for about $4.99/pint and a few hundred calories, I'd say this new product by Ben and Jerry's is a winner!  Considering this new greek yogurt and frozen yogurt trend, I think it'll be around for a while to come.  I know I'll be a repeat customer!

 

xoxo Melissa



 

Summertime Pasta Salad

This is my husband's favorite quick summertime potluck dish.  It's easy to put together, everyone loves it and works great for left-over work lunches.   Funny pasta salad story - We went down to my parents for a cookout last summer and my mom was serving a pasta salad as one of the side dishes.  I really enjoyed it, but there were these little "crunch" pieces in it that I wasn't sure what they were. When I asked her what was in the pasta salad, she got a funny smile on her face and said "oh, just some spices."  When I inquired further, she fessed up to using a box pasta salad mix! Mom!  When pasta salad is so easy to make, no one should be using a box mix!  She now likes to make this pasta salad in place of her former box mix and we always kid her when we ask what is in a certain dish... spices??  I hope you and your family enjoy this pasta salad as much as ours does.

Summertime Pasta Salad
Makes 6-8 servings

1 (16 oz) box spiral pasta
1 Green Pepper, diced
1 Broccoli head, cut into small florets
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, diced
1/2 cup Pepperoni, cut in half (feel free to subsitute turkey pepperoni)
1/2 cup Wishbone Italian Dressing

*feel free to add any other veggies you might like: olives, artichoke hearts, red onion, etc.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  While the pasta is cooking, cut up the veggies, cheese and pepperoni.  Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and run under cold water.  Toss the pasta, veggies, cheese and pepperoni in a large bowl.  Pour dressing on top and mix until everything is coated.  I like to chill the salad for at least and hour in the refrigerator before serving.  Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa

Homemade Sloppy Joes

When I think of sloppy joes, I think of golf.  Golf?!? you might ask?  Yes, golf.  When I was growing up my mom would often make sloppy joes for dinner on Sunday.  Of course, to my dad who is a huge golf fan, Sunday at dinner time meant the finale of that weekends golf tournament.  My mom, dad, sister and I would often spend Sunday dinner seated around the TV watching the end of the weekends golf tournament.  For some reason, although my mom is a good cook and made many different things for Sunday supper, sloppy joes just tend to stick out.  It's been many years since I've bought that iconic can of Manwich, but I've found many recipes for homemade manwich, which have been just as good, if not better!  This recipe might take a little longer to make than by using the can, but I don't mind.  This one is adapted from The Pioneer Woman and since I enjoy her so much, it has become one of my favorites and one I make most frequently.

Sloppy Joes
Makes: 5 Servings

1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 1/4 lb ground chicken
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp Worcester sauce
1 tsp Hot sauce
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
5 hamburger buns

Pour olive oil a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add ground chicken and cook, breaking apart, until it's no longer pink. Add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Saute until vegetables get soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the ketchup, water, brown sugar, chili powder, mustard powder and red pepper flakes. Stir to incorporate throughout chicken and veggie mixture.  Let simmer for 15 minutes.  Then add the tomato paste, worcester sauce and hot sauce.  Taste it and add salt and pepper as needed.  Put a good heaping on each hamburger bun and it's as easy as that!

 

xoxo Melissa

Strawberry Sauce

After having such good luck with my blueberry sauce, I thought I would try out America's Test Kitchen strawberry sauce.  Here's my adaptation of their recipe below.  This sauce would be great on regular oatmeal or baked oatmeal, as I initially intended it to be for.  However, just like the blueberry sauce, I think it'd be great on a number of different foods like ice cream, pound cake, yogurt, pudding, etc. The options are really endless! It's so quick and easy to whip up, I'm sure you'll be finding all type of reasons to make it! 

Strawberry Sauce
Makes about 1 cup

2 cups strawberries, hulled and diced
2 Tbs sugar
pinch salt
2 tsp lemon juice

Put 1 cup of strawberries, the sugar and salt in a bowl and stir until combined.  Let mixture sit for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After 30 minutes, transfer strawberries and juices to a small saucepan.  Add additional cup of diced strawberries.  Stir mixture for about 6 minutes, until sauce has thickened.  Add lemon juice and stir.  Pour sauce into a serving bowl and let cool for about an hour before serving.  Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa

Blueberry Sauce

Shortly after discovering my new favorite baked oatmeal, I came across this blueberry topping recipe.  Although it was supposed to be a topping for waffles, I thought it sounded like the perfect pairing for baked oatmeal.*  This recipe is so simple and I cannot even explain how well it turned out. I could literally drink it, no joke!  While tasting the sweet sauce, which has a bit of tang from the lemon juice, I started imaging all of the things this could top - ice cream, bread pudding, cupcakes, pound cake, angel food cake, you get the idea.  This sauce definitely goes in the "keeper" file and will be used many more times in the years to come.  Make it, you won't regret it and your friends and family will think you're a genius in the kitchen.

*Recipe modified from America's Test Kitchen.

Blueberry Sauce
Makes: about 2 cups

Ingredients
4 cups blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice

Put 2 cups of the blueberries in a bowl and mash with a potato masher.  Add sugar and remaining 2 cups of blueberries.  Stir to combine.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, pour blueberry mixture, including all accumulated juices into a small sauce pan, over medium heat.  Stir frequently for about 6 minutes, or until sauce slightly thickens.  Remove from stove and let cool for 1 hour.  Serve!

*When using as an oatmeal topping, I modified my baked oatmeal recipe by removing the 1/3 cup brown sugar, apples and walnuts.

xoxo Melissa

Baked Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal

I'm always looking for new breakfast ideas to change-up my usual english muffin and peanut butter routine.  While I really like my standard breakfast, it's good to switch things up every once in a while, right?  While browsing through an old Taste of Home magazine, I came across a baked oatmeal recipe.  I was looking to use up some extra milk and eggs and since I had all of the other ingredients on hand, I thought I'd give it a whirl.   The original recipe used a lot more sugar and walnuts and included raisins, which made each serving more caloric than I usually want for breakfast.  I reduced the sugar and walnuts and eliminated the raisins to make it more calorie-friendly. 

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking

Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Makes 6 servings

3 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 apple, cored and diced
6 tsp walnuts, chopped
maple syrup and additional milk for serving, optional

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray.  Combine the first six dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Whisk together the milk and eggs in a separate bowl.  Add milk mixture to dry ingredients, stir to combine.  Let mixture sit for 10 minutes.  Add diced apples and stir to incorporate throughout.  Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle 1 tsp chopped walnuts over each serving square.   Bake for 30-35 minutes. 

 

Remove from oven, cut into six servings and serve right away, drizzling with a little maple syrup and additional milk, if desired.   This also works great re-heated as a week-day breakfast.  I refrigerate individual servings of this oatmeal and take them with me to work and reheat in the microwave.  Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa