Hungry Quilter #5 - I Saw Elvis Eating Overnight Oats!

Have I yet to convince you that overnight oats are amazing? I know I'm kind of harping on them, but I can't stop thinking of new ways to create them. I love starting my morning with a healthy meal, it really sets the tone for the rest of my day. When my best Bestie, Karen - aka Desert Deals Diva, requested that I try a peanut butter mixture, I instantly thought of the King's favorite.. peanut butter & banana sandwiches. With that, I humbly present..

I Saw Elvis Eating Overnight Oats

1/2 cup old fashion oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (you can substitute with any type of milk you prefer)
1 1/2 tbsp peanut butter (any nut butter or sesame paste will work)

1 tbsp chopped peanuts
1 tbsp chopped banana

2 tbsp chopped dates
1 tbsp chia seeds
dash of banana extract
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1.) In a mason jar gently combine oats, milk, peanut butter, peanuts, banana, dates, seeds, and banana extract. Seal the lid and pop it in to the fridge.
2.) In the morning it will be a tad dense. Add the yogurt and stir till combined.
3.) Enjoy! Try not to be alarmed if your hips start swinging and you break out in a 50's musical.

The Hungry Quilter #4 - Tropical Overnight Oats

I am completely obsessed with the overnight oats right now. It's a beautiful thing! It's low cost, healthy, and I promise you that it tastes sooooo much better than that over processed, fake oatmeal (and I used to LOVE that!) 

The key for me is to remember the night before to make it.. This tropical version is my all time favorite so far!! I tried a pumpkin/apple that was okay, but not worthy of recreating. But this tropical one..oh yeah, baby it's worth making - you will love every bite..

Tropical Overnight Oats
1/2 cup old fashion oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (you can substitute with any type of milk you prefer)
2 tbsp chopped cashews
2 tbsp dried tropical fruits (papaya, pineapple, mango)

2 tbsp chopped dates
1 tbsp chia seeds
dash of banana extract
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1.) In a mason jar gently combine oats, milk, cashews, tropical fruit, seeds, and banana extract. Seal the lid and pop it in to the fridge.
2.) In the morning it will be a tad dense. Add the yogurt and stir till combined.
3.) Enjoy your quick to a tropical island..

Hungry Quilter - Pizza Night!

We love pizza in our house. Realllly love it! If it's Friday night then you can be sure that Hubby will leave work at 5:01, grab us a movie, and I'll be busy making a pizza. I don't usually change it too much.My pizza? It is sliced"clean" sausage links, onions, sauce made from fresh tomatoes (yum!), and lots of cheese. I guess it's probably not totally clean, but it's a way healthier alternative to the other pizzas out there.

For a long time I would buy one of the two types of ready made pizza crust sold at our grocery store. Bleh. Both of them taste like cardboard and would always prove to be a disappointment. I decided to try Bob's Red Mill gluten free pizza crust mix. It is sooooo good. It is pretty quick to make and one bag makes 2 crusts. I use one that night and place the other ball of dough in the fridge for the next Friday. It says it's supposed to be good refrigerated for a few days, and a week maybe pushing it, but we've never had issues.. in fact I think the slightly older crust taste even better!

Do you have a Friday night dinner routine?

The Hungry Quilter - #3 Blueberry Crumble Overnight Oats

I've always been a fan of a breakfast. I wake up hungry! Kiddo doesn't seem to need to eat till the afternoon, but Baby wakes up starving too. I've been on the look out for more clean eating recipes for breakfast as there are only so many egg whites I can happily eat. I've been seeing lots of overnight oat recipes and thought I would create one of my own. It is scrumptious and was devoured by my kids quickly!

Blueberry Crumble Overnight Oats
1/2 cup old fashion oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (you can substitute with any type of milk you prefer)
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp dried blueberries
2 tbsp chia seeds
dash of cinnamon
dash of agave
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1.) In a mason jar gently combine oats, milk, walnuts, blueberries, seeds, and cinnamon. Seal the lid and pop it in to the fridge.
2.) In the morning it will be a tad dense. Add the dash of agave and yogurt, and stir till combined.
3.) Enjoy the deliciousness and healthy start to your day!

The Hungry Quilter - #2 Lamb Vindaloo Review

I am a *huge* fan of Clean Eating Magazine - I have loved every dish I tried and I love that the cuisine is so varied. If you are looking to start eating clean, I highly recommend getting a subscription. In the past month or so, they have also added a digital format which is awesome to have.

The Lamb Vindaloo recipe is exclusively from their March 2012 edition. While the magazine does have many recipes on their website, they don't have all of them. I hate to review a recipe you would potentially have to go buy, but I can tell you that it is worth it.

I didn't use lamb, I don't eat lamb. I don't have an opinion on others eating it, but for me I can't get past their sweet little faces and demeanor. I substituted with beef stew meat and I left a few spices out that I didn't have in the pantry. It was delicious, but way too spicy for my kiddos (they ended up eating very non clean corn dogs because I wasn't anticipating needing a different meal for them). I think this would be a fabulous dish for a night you are craving Indian food! If you want to be able to serve it to the children, I would remove the Serrano chilies from the vindaloo sauce.

The leftovers are calling my name! Time for some lunch; I'm going to toss what is left on a bed of romaine and call it good.

The Hungry Quilter - #1 Tropical Mock Lara Bars

Some background...
I've decided to add a new segment to the blog called "The Hungry Quilter". I've always been a cooking enthusiast and for quite some time I had planned on becoming a pastry chef. I had a small bakery on Etsy while Kiddo was an infant and entered into countless cooking contests before Baby was born. Now I cook just for fun and well because the family expects dinner every night!

Last year I researched clean eating and feel in love. I lost weight quickly and in a healthy manner. It was amazing to see the impact on my family as well. My eldest daughter's digestion issues were radically improved in just a week and my husband enjoyed dropping the pounds without trying. It was easy for me to stay on track since I was training for a number of athletic events. When you are spending precious time training, you really don't want to eat garbage. Then our winter hit and I had a bad experience running.. I stopped exercising and enjoyed junk food for about 6 months. My weight went up 15#'s, my mood was not nearly as positive, and I watched sadly as both of my daughters return to suffering from reflux and other digestion issues.

Enough.
It's spring time, it's time to train again for events, and it's time to permanently change our eating habits. I'm hoping that the more clean eating recipes I learn and create, the more likely I am to stay on track. My regular quilt/crochet/life posts will continue in the mornings with the food related ones in the evening. I hope that you will be inspired to try clean eating and see what a difference it can make in your life. I promise the food will taste good. I loooove food and won't eat something that doesn't taste delicious.

I love Lara bars! If you look at their ingredient list, you will recognize every one listed. There are no harmful chemicals or junk. My only complaint is that at $1/bar (and our family loves them!), they quickly make a large dent in our grocery budget. The answer? Make your own!

I didn't come up with the basic recipe, if you Google for Lara bar recipes you will find plenty! Here is my take on a tropical bar.

Tropical Mock Lara Bar
2/3 cup chopped dates (plain dates, not dipped in sugar or anything like that)
1/2 cup dried mango slices
2/3 cup plain cashews (again..plain..no extra salt or anything)
a dash of unsweetened coconut flakes
a smaller dash of banana extract (probably not "clean", but it's a teensy insy drop)

Steps
1.) In a food processor, chop up the dates and mango slices until it forms a gooey paste. Remove from the processor and set aside.
2.) In the same processor (but you don't have to bother cleaning it first), chop up the cashews until they are good and small.
3.) In a medium bowl, mash the date mix with the cashews chunks. Sprinkle in just a pinch of coconut flakes and just a drop or two of the banana extract. Mash it up until it is well blended and sticks together; I use my hands for this step.
4.) Roll out the mixture and slice into bars. Wrap the individual bars with cellophane and toss into the fridge.

I love these for the super rushed mornings when I know I'll be tempted to stop for an artery busting breakfast sandwich. The kiddos love them too and are pretty sure they are a treat!