Crockpot oatmeal

I have been wanting to post this, but never get good pics. Well I have been making this now for the past 2 weeks. It is so easy and much better for you than those packets that are loaded with sugar. With this method, you control what you put into it.

Spray crockpot with a little cooking spray. Add 2 cups steel cut oats. It really needs to be steel cut, because regular will get way overcooked and gummy (gross). DO NOT USE INSTANT OATS! That would be even worse.









Add 6 cups water to the oats and if you want to add cinnamon or some brown sugar or fruit. I just do the oats and water and add my stuff when I eat it.



Put the crockpot on low for 8 to 9 hours. By morning you will have a pot of creamy goodness. (of course I forgot to take a picture of the finished product!)

But here is my bowl all fixed up with cinnamon, a touch of honey, walnuts, and fresh blueberries.




I then measure out the cooked oatmeal, one cup cooked for Sweety and 2/3 C cooked for me and put them in containers for the week. Then all you do is heat up, add your favorite stuff and you are good to go!! So good.

Today's tip: Try your slow cooker for things you may not have before. I know I don't use mine enough.

Blessings,

Trish

New favorite products

I have a few new favorite products. I found them both at our local food outlet, but I have seen them at our local grocery store as well.

As you know, I make a lot of pizza. My favorite tomato to use is Cento. The problem is, I cannot get this in our area of Tennessee, so I have to wait until someone brings me some from out of state. Then I stock up.

So when I was at the local store I saw this crushed tomato and did not think much of it. It is a common brand...not very Italian, but at 1.00 a can, I thought I would give it a try. Glad I did. It has such a great fresh taste and nice deep red color. It is Hunts crushed tomato with Basil.

The other product is Earth Balance peanut butter with coconut oil. Oh gosh, if you like coconut, this is for you. The recent findings of the health benefits of coconut oil make this a fantastic product. It is so delicious in my morning smoothie. Yum.




The tomatoes come in crushed and whole.

Both of these products are really tasty and very healthy for you as well.

Blessings,

Trish

Valentines Day

So this Valentines Day was on a Tuesday and we never attempt to go out on the day...way too crowded. I like to make a nice meal at home for Sweety. Usually I feed the kids and then we have a quiet dinner together. This year we all ate together. It was so nice. I enjoyed the dinner together so much.

Here is what I made. Some healthy, some not so much.

Antipasto platter with olives, cheese, and salami...yum. Homemade oat/wheat Italian bread, cauliflower bisque, shrimp scampi with thin spaghetti, and for dessert red velvet whoopie pies and chocolate covered strawberries.

Here are some photos. I forgot to take one of the finished product of my bisque, but you get the idea of how it got started.




After this cooks, just blend it up!




Ok, these were not as good as cousin Elizabeth's, but They still are gone, so they must have liked them.




Ok these were delicious!

Yes, I are a little too much, but it was a special day and I knew everything I ate because I cooked it myself.

Today's tip: if you cook, you know exactly what you are eating. So, try a gourmet recipe for a special occasion. Just let the kids do the dishes. LOL

Blessings,

Trish

Am I nuts?

Ok....I know after this post most of you will think I have lost my mind, but that's ok, I am used to it. I was reading some health blogs this week and came across this idea....this recipe that to even me seemed insane. How could it work? How could it even taste edible? It couldn't...could it?

Well first off here is the picture before I tell you the recipe and you tell me whether it looks edible or not...





Ok. That's it...so what do you think? Oh you need to see the inside? Ok, I can do that...




-So now what do you think?

It is chocolate chip cookie pie. Now I have made this before and it has TONS of butter and other yummy bad for you stuff in it so when I came across this blog (I forget which one...could be on pinterest too, not sure) I had to try it. So I did.

Guess what is the star healthy ingredient in this baby???????

White northern beans. Yep I said it. beans.

Yes I was skeptical as well. That is why I had to make it. When I tell you this is delicious...This is delicious. Don't believe me? Try it. Now it does have chocolate chips and sugar, but gosh beans and oatmeal! Can you say fiber.....

Ok, so here is what I did, since I get ideas and then adapt them to what I like.

2 cans northern beans
1 Cup quick cooking oatmeal
1/4 Cup applesauce
2 tbsp Canola oil
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
1 1/4 C brown sugar. (I will try this again with less or add honey)
1 C chocolate chips

Mix everything but the chocolate chips in a food processor until smooth.
Fold in chocolate chips

Bake 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Enjoy! You will not taste the beans!

Today's tip: Do something totally crazy like this! Lol

Blessings

Trish

(of course the 15 year old with bionic taste buds said this is healthy..I can tell...but he did not mention beans!)

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Indian feast

Our Pastor is on a trip to India for 3 weeks. Last night we had a pot luck dinner at our church and the theme was India. So we were encouraged to make Indian foods in honor of our pastor being in India. Know that is one ethnic food that I rarely eat and never cook. I was a little nervous. So I got online and started looking up recipes. I'm not a curry fan, so that is a problem because every recipe has curry in it. So, I decided on basmati rice and Indian spiced potatoes.

Here are my Spiced Potatoes, they were yummy:




I also made naan bread. I figured with all the bread I make I could tackle it. So, I did.

Here's the dough:


And here is the finished product:




Oh my we're they tasty! They came out great. I think they were a success because they were gone by the end of the night.

Here is the recipe. It is a little time consuming, so I had Elijah help me with the rolling. He did great!

Preheat oven to 500. Put a pan in the oven to preheat as well.

In a kitchen aid mixer or by hand mix
2/3 C very warm milk
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp yeast
4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp oil or butter (the Indians use ghee which is a clarified butter, I just used butter melted)
2/3 C plain yogurt
1 egg

Knead this and let raise for at least an hour. I let mine rise overnight in the fridge.

Break off small pieces and shape into a ball and then roll out. You will need a good amount of flour to prevent sticking.

As you roll out place the flat dough on the preheated cookie sheet in the oven. Be careful...it is very hot.

Bake for about 3 minutes.

Enjoy! They are so good.

Today's tip: Try a recipe that you never made before! It may be Italian, Asian, Mexican...or American, but go ahead....give it a try.

Blessings,

Trish

Test post

Having trouble again with the Blog app so this is a test post.

Blessings

Trish

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad