Banana Oatmeal Bake

My dad has been on an oatmeal kick lately. I made him a big, yummy bowl the other morning, but unfortunately don't have time to do that every day! I wish I did...but alas...I am a working girl now. So last night I decided to quickly whip up a baked oatmeal concoction that we could eat for the rest of the week without too much hassle. We tasted a bit of of it last night and it tasted wonderful! Just like warm oatmeal in a gooey baked form with the bananas oozing out. It was absolutely delicious. I definitely want to incorporate more oats into my daily life and figure out new and tasty ways to make baked oats recipes! Here is my very first one! :)

Banana Oatmeal Bake

I absolutely love using Pamela's gluten free baking products!! They are the best mix I have come across and never leave me disappointed with my baking results! I also love the GF oats from Trader Joe's because they come in a huge bag at a great price! 

I cut mine into 9 squares, so for each square the nutrition facts are as follows: 115 calories, 3g fat, 19g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 5g protein. 

You could have these squares anytime of day! I just paired up a square with a hard boiled egg before heading out for my workout! These would also taste great with some peanut butter on top...the possibilities are endless! And it's such an easy recipe to whip up. I hope you all get to try this recipe soon! 

Have a happy and healthy day everyone!

Pumpkin Blueberry Protein Pancakes

I've decided to make Wednesdays a waffle/pancake day. I am a huge waffle and pancake lover. I also love me some eggs, but once in a while, you need a break and a nice treat to start of your day. I start work later on Wednesdays which gives me the perfect opportunity to make a nice big breakfast. Good thing I make my pancakes/waffles gluten free, high in protein, and healthy! This morning, I wanted to combine pumpkin with blueberry and came out with this amazing breakfast which was super filling and delicious! Here is my recipe for Pumpkin Blueberry Protein Pancakes! 

Hope you all enjoy!

Gingerbread Bars

Gingerbread is one of my all time favorite Christmas treats. Last year, I developed a recipe using a blend of gluten free flours, including almond flour. This year, I am planning on taking gingerbread to my work Christmas party. I found out my supervisor has an almond allergy, as well as one of my best friends who just figured out she has an almond allergy too! I wanted to make an almond-free version of the recipe to make sure it still tastes good. And it does! It tastes even better. Here is my new and improved gluten free Gingerbread recipe!

I checked mine with a fork (as you can see) but toothpicks work best! I am so excited to make another batch next week for our work Christmas party! I hope you all get to try this new and improved recipe this weekend!

Banana Oatmeal Nut Muffins

Good morning all and happy Tuesday! How was everyone's Monday? Mine was a busy, stressful, but great one all at the same time! It started with a wonderful run and leg day workout, busy day at work, yummy dinner, yoga, and hanging out with the fiancé! All in all, I'd say a pretty successful start to the week. And I got home to beautiful red roses my fiancé had left for me earlier in the evening...it doesn't get much better than that! This morning, I thought I'd share my banana muffin recipe. This recipe turned out pretty amazing and makes the perfect quick morning snack before hitting the gym. It's healthy and delicious and I know you all will love it. Here is the recipe! 

Pancakes for Christmas Morning!

Ok, you could really make these pancakes any morning, but I'm definitely making these tomorrow for Christmas! I love love LOVE pancakes, and I've recently started experimenting with spelt flour and love the way these pancakes taste!

Spelt flour is a very nutritious whole grain that is chock-full of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and even iron. It's a great substitute to use when baking and leaves baked goods even more fluffy and soft than white flour. It has a nutty and light texture, and these pancakes where the perfect vehicle to get this healthy whole grain into my belly!

I topped our pancakes with PB and then added some sliced strawberries on the side! SO delicious! You could also make these a pumpkin version by using 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin instead of the banana. So many ways to make pancakes, I just love them all!

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Scones

​I have always loved scones, especially from the tea place my mom and I went to ever since I was a little girl. I even had my bridal shower there and loved it! (Tea Rose Garden in Pasadena, CA!) There was just something so magical about tea, scones, jam, and cream. I could care less about the little sandwiches, it was those scones that did me in, and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

This coming weekend, I am hosting an "afternoon tea" for my family, so I decided to test out a scone recipe yesterday. I was torn between just buying a mix (scones from scratch have always seemed so high maintenance to me!) but I decided to test out a recipe I stumbled upon for Brown Sugar Cinnamon Scones (link above). I made a few modifications, and the finished product was delicious!

I recommend hosting an afternoon tea ASAP and making these. They were way easier than I thought and with a few modifications, totally guilt free! I hope you all enjoy!

Banana White Chocolate Muffins

I've been on a baking kick lately...and I'm not mad about it. I've also been on a white chocolate kick...which I'm not mad about either. This past weekend, I spotted 3 brown bananas, so I knew I just had to bake! I decided to whip up these banana muffins with white chocolate chips and they turned out delicious!! So good fresh out of the oven and warmed up a bit the next day :) they also include chia seeds and flaxseed for some healthy fats, so you know you are getting some good stuff in there along with the treat! Here is my recipe, hope you enjoy!

I enjoyed these with my morning coffee...bananas with white chocolate are such a good combo! I'll definitely be making these on the regular! Have a great Monday everyone!

Banana Coconut Loaf (gluten free)

It's FRIDAY!!! Man oh man, am I happy this week has come to an end! It's been long, and HOT, and stressful at work, so all in all I'd say I am ready for the weekend!

This week was my first week of skipping morning workouts (minus Monday) and only working out once since then (yesterday). I have to admit, it feels great to sleep in an extra 1-1.5 hours in the morning, especially since I work at a dialysis center and have to be at work by 7am most mornings. Waking up at 4 or 4:30am for my workouts was exhausting me, even though I miss my morning routine like crazy! I love the quiet of the morning, working out, and starting my day off with some activity. But, I feel chronically sleep deprived, and sleep is so important for our well being!

This week felt like a recharge, since I got about 7-8 hours of sleep every night, and am feeling much more rested. Moving forward though, I am contemplating doing some morning workouts on days that I don't have to get into work too early, but mostly doing afternoon workouts. Almost like proving to myself that I CAN workout in the PM, since I've always functioned better in the AM. It's a trial and error type thing for me. Being active is a really important part of my life, so I want to make sure I schedule it in and prioritize this time. My motivations to workout have changed. have changed. I do it now for the release of anxiety and the overflow of endorphins that it gives me. Plus I am so grateful to God for a body that can move, so why not move it, ya know?

But enough about that, and onto zee food! Last night, I felt like baking (even though it's been over 100 degrees here in so-cal!) I spotted 2 almost black bananas on our counter, and found some shredded coconut that I hadn't used in forever, and got to work. I made a banana bread loaf with some shredded coconut mixed into the batter, and it turned out better than I thought! And the best part, it is gluten free, contains healthy amounts of coconut (so good for us), and tasted awesome with a smear of PB on top this morning! Here is the recipe!

My husband came home and had a late-night slice, and immediately wanted another. I can tell this bread is going to go fast! This recipe is such a feel-good treat that won't weigh you down while also hitting the spot! I hope you get to try it soon, or at least when the weather cools down. But for now, I'll still be baking! :)

Spelt flour waffles!

Here is a delicious waffle recipe that is perfect to make in the mornings! It's full of fiber and protein from the spelt flour, plus you can make this large batch and eat them all week long! Much better than frozen waffles from the store! ;) here is the recipe...enjoy! 

Enjoy with syrup, peanut butter, or microwaved frozen berries like I did above!