LDS General Women's Conference Quotes 2015

Some of my favorite quotes from todays Women's Conference:

 "Happiness doesn't always happen instantly"

 "Because you are His child, He knows who you can become"

 "The people who do this are the happiest people"

"I'm grateful for friends that think I'm better than I am.  That see your good qualities and ignore your weak ones"

Steel Cut Oats with Berries & Brown Sugar Crumble

Here we have one of my other favorite HEALTHY breakfasts:

Steel Cut Oats w/Berries & Brown Sugar Crumble

 inspired by Jamba Juice & Deals To Meals

335 calories (1 cup oats, 2 Tbsp berries, 2 Tbsp crumble)

 

I first tried Steel Cut Oats at Jamba Juice. 

 I was so surprised how GOOD they were!

I started craving them every day, but not so practical to go there for breakfast every day.

I tried making them at home and just could NOT get them to taste right. 

The crumble was key.  You can't just throw some brown sugar on there.

So I found a crumble recipe from Deals to Meals. 

Then I had a friend come over and show me how to cook the oats so that they would be the perfect texture...not too mushy and not too crunchy.

And then for the topping.  You can put anything on there, but I prefer berries. 

They taste best in a compote, instead of just throwing fresh berries on there. 

 

Now, let me tell you that these can take a little bit of time to make, but they will last you ALL week.  Here's the recipes for ya:

 

Steel Cut Oats

 

2 cups dry oats

6 cups water

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp vanilla

 

I like to buy my steel cut oats from the organic/health section at SMITHS.  They have one of those big buckets of them and you can scoop up as much as you like.

Put dry oats into large pan and add the water.  Turn stove onto medium heat and bring to a boil.  Let it boil for a few minutes and then turn the heat down to low, COVER, and let stay there for about 20 minutes. 

 

After 20 minutes, give it a good stir.  They will still look a little runny...there should be kind of a thick liquid.  Turn the heat down to WARM or OFF, cover the pan again and let them just sit there for at least another 20 minutes (they can even sit up to an hour and be fine).  All of that liquid will keep soaking into the oats.

Once most of the liquid has soaked in, stir it all up and then add your cinnamon and vanilla.  Mix well, and then you can keep in a Tupperware and put it in the fridge.  These will last you the week and you can pull them out and heat them up whenever needed.  They taste just as fresh as the first day and such an easy breakfast.

Berry Compote

 

any amount of frozen berries 

(I do mixed berries from Costco.  But you can do JUST blueberries or something if you'd like.)

1/4 cup water

1 Tbps cornstarch

 

You can put any amount of berries into a medium/small pan.  If you are doing the full batch of oatmeal above, I might suggest at least 2 cups of berries.  Add your water and let it boil at medium heat.  Heat can be slightly lowered if you feel like you are having to stir too much to keep berries from cooking to the bottom of the pan.  Still, make sure you stir frequently.  After berries have cooked for about 20 minutes, add the cornstarch and cook for another 10 minutes. 

The result should be a beautiful, dark and gooey looking compote.  It's perfect for mixing into tyour oatmeal.  And you can put them in a Tupperware and pull out of the fridge to add to your oats

Brown Sugar Crumble

 

1/2 c brown sugar

2 T flour

4 T ground regular quick oats (I would suggest grounding a couple cups of them in your blender or processor and keep the extra in the pantry for next time)

Dash of cinnamon

2 T butter, melted

 

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then slowly add butter while mixing.  Keep covered well and this should last you all week. 

Put all of the above together and you have your delicious Steel Cut Oats for breakfast!

Egg & Avacado Breakfast Sandwich

I know, this is not a food blog.

I haven't had too much time for organizing lately. 

But I HAVE been heading up a weight loss group and so I am focused on organizing a healthy eating menu every week. 

And I have certain favorites that I want to be able to share with people, so I figure the best way to do that is to blog about them.

So here we have an

Egg & Avacado Breakfast Sandwich

inspired by A La Graham

300 calories

 

1 Egg

1/4 Avacado

1 Strip of Bacon

1 English Muffin

 

Scramble the egg with a splash of water and a little salt and cook it omlette style so that you can fold it over to fit in the English muffin. 

 

Mash up the avocado and spread on the other half of the muffin.  You can just stop there if you'd like, but I like a strip of bacon for a little more flavor.  You really can make this sandwich anyway you like.  You can poach the egg instead and add a turkey sausage patty.  But I love having the avocado on there to replace the cheese.  Much healthier!