Oats Rock

Oats are awesome.  I used to think they were boring or mushy, but I'm a grown up now and I realize that I never gave oats much of a chance.

Instant oats have come along way and they have some pretty delectable flavors.

But I really like to make my oats with whatever flavor comes to mind, so I keep giant containers of quick oats and old fashioned oats on hand to do just that.

Oh, and I must mention that oats are really good for you and have lots of health benefits.  Here's more on that if you are into it.

Here are 2 of my favorite oat-y recipes lately:

Cocoa, Peanut Butter Oats

1/2 cup quick oats

1/2 cup almond milk

1 spoonful of cocoa

1 sweetener packet

Combine and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes.  Add more almond milk if needed.

Top with 1/2 of a sliced banana and a spoonful of peanut butter (I used crunchy) & stir it up.

Ewww-not a pretty picture.  But you get the idea.

Overnight Oats in a Jar 

I was like abnormally excited when my almond butter got low enough to make oats in the jar.  It's the little things, I guess.

This is so awesome to make, because when you get up in the morning, your breakfast is already made!

Here's how you make it.

When you have a jar of peanut butter, almond butter or Nutella that is down to less than a tablespoon, it is the optimal time to make this (you could also make it in a bowl, but it's less awesome that way).

Into the jar goes:

2/3 cup quick or old fashioned oats

2/3 cup almond milk

1 sweetener packet or a squirt of honey

Mix it in the jar with a spoon or put on the top and shake it shake it shake it.

Then, in the morning, stir it up and if you need a little more milk, add a little more milk.

I like to finish it off with fruit and/or nuts.  In this particular jar, I added slivered almonds and half of a banana (are you sensing a trend here?).

And, come on~no dishes to wash!  Sounds like a winner to me!

Here's some oat recipes I've bookmarked to try:

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookie Balls from Bake Your Day

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal for One from Healthy Food for Living

Banana Pecan Coconut Baked Oatmeal from Peanut Butter Fingers

Yes, it is clear that I like peanut butter and bananas in my oats!
Have an oat filled day, ya'll.

Oatmeal Cookie Protein Shake

Ok, so I never got the whole protein shake thing until I started making them.

I get it now.

They are like really awesome milkshakes that help you get healthy and stuff.

Love them.

Need them.

No, seriously, I only do a protein shake only once or twice a week.  You don't want it to be your main source of protein.  I get my protein from lean meat, beans and legumes mostly.

But this is an awesome treat & you should totally try it.

Oatmeal Cookie Protein Shake

• 1 frozen banana (note- peel your bananas before you freeze them)
• 3/4 -1 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used Silk)
• 3 Tablespoons old fashioned oats
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (this is my protein powder of choice)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. 

Recipe from Eating Bird Food

Check out my chocolate covered strawberry (sweetheart) shake, too ;)

Or if you just have to have a cookie, try this giant oatmeal cookie or this skinny cookie pie.

Oh, by the way, just found this awesome website where you can customize a print with you & your sweetie's initials:

Here's mine!  Here's the link: The Wedding Chicks.  I am totally printing ours out & framing it!

Overnight Oats in a Jar

Don't you hate throwing away the jar of peanut butter? Well, don't do it—make this instead. It is a great way to get the last of your peanut butter out of the jar (without having to stick your face or hands in it).

We all know of my love for breakfast. I made my breakfast for today last night, which I'm pretty sure I've never done before.

Enter overnight oats in a jar.

I read a few healthy living blogs, and all those healthy-fied girls rave about oats in a jar. I don’t know why it took me so long to try them (as I go through lots of jars of peanut butter), but I’m glad I tried them today.

Here’s what you need



1/2 c oats (I used old fashioned, but you can also use quick cooking)
3/4-1 c milk (I used almond, and I also used a full cup)
Dash of cinnamon
Drizzle of honey (about 1/2 tbsp)
Empty peanut butter jar (or almond butter)

Put all these ingredients in the jar, shake it up with the top on (or stir it) and store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. I made mine at 9 p.m. last night and left them in there until 7 this morning. They were awesome!

You can either eat them straight out of the fridge or microwave them. I ate the oats cold and really enjoyed the experience. The honey added just enough sweetness and the cinnamon really went well with the peanut butter. The oats were just the right amount of tender, but still had a slight bite to them.

You can play with this recipe a bit. I looked at probably 5 or 6 different recipes out there and modified it to me. Bananas would be great in this, as would canned pumpkin (perfect for Fall). Next time you have an empty jar of PB, give it a try.



On a completely random and unrelated note—is it mushroom season or something? There are mushrooms popping up overnight all over the grounds of our apartment complex. So far, I’m the only dork crouched outside with a camera! But mushrooms are so cool looking. They look like cartoon characters or something. So as not to waste my nerdy pictures, I’ll share some with you today: