You Have to Eat Oatmeal or You’ll Dry Up

For the most part, I am generally anti-oatmeal.  I suppose this is the case because I genuinely do not like to eat sweet foods for breakfast and I associate oatmeal with sweet toppings.

My brother, David, is one of those guys that likes to bulk and then cut. During one of his cutting phases, he performed a lot of research on healthy and lean foods to eat.  One of them was oatmeal.  Even though I have always known that oatmeal is a healthy option because it is great at keeping your cholesterol low and full of dietary fiber, I was completely confused because it is not exactly healthy to add toppings like sugar and honey.  However, the toppings that he was putting on his oatmeal was quite different and caused me to want to write this blog post.

David was choosing to top his oatmeal with toppings like cheddar cheese, turkey bacon, green onions and greek yogurt, toppings that completely caught me off guard.  Yet, once I asked to try his oatmeal, my mind was blown away! THIS is how I was going to now eat my oatmeal.  There are so many options toppings that one could put on their oatmeal, thus this recipe is just one of MANY examples! Check it out.

Avocado, Bacon and Fried Egg Topped Oatmeal with Roasted Red Pepper Salsa

1 cup cooked oatmeal

2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

4 slices of cooked bacon, chopped

1 avocado

1 fried egg

2 tablespoons Cucina & Amore Salsa Fire Roasted Red Pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Once your oatmeal is cooked, mix in the greek yogurt and place in a bowl.  Top with toppings and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Cook’s notes: Because oatmeal is so soft, adding something crunchy like chopped bacon was a really nice textural difference!

November 2, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Avocado, Bacon, Breakfast, Easy, Eggs, greek yogurt, Healthy, Oatmeal, Recipes, salsa, Simple, Vegetarian, YogurtTags: Avocado, Bacon, Breakfast, Easy, Eggs, greek yogurt, Healthy, oatmeal, Recipe, Salsa, Simple, Vegetarian, Yogurt Leave a comment

Just A Spoonful of Yogurt

It is safe to say that most people love yogurt.  It comes in all different shapes, sizes and flavors and is the go-to snack for a vast majority of people.  While I am one of those people that love to snack on yogurt, I sometimes get bored with the same fruit flavors that can be found at your local grocery store.  Recently, however, while shopping at my local health food store I came across a few brands that have dared to branch out in the flavor department.  Instead of using fruits to flavor their yogurt, they have used vegetables and have created a line for adventurous people like myself.  Thus, this blog post is all about the brands of yogurt that I had the courage to try and the wonderful topping choices that can turn any yogurt into a full meal.

Yogurt has got power boosting protein and bone-building calcium that can help you lose weight as well as fighting off a cold. Below are 5 fun facts about yogurt that you might not know about.

1. Yogurt can give you flat abs. By eating 18 ounces a day, you can drop a jean size.  When you eat yogurt, the calcium signals your fat cells to pump out less cortisol, making it easier for you to drop pounds, while the amino acids help burn fat.

2. Yogurt is loaded with vitamins. One serving contains a significant source of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Yogurt also has B12, which maintains red blood cells and helps keep your nervous system functioning properly.

3. Most brands of yogurt contain “good for you” bacteria.  The words “live and active cultures” on the container mean that your yogurt has probiotics, beneficial bugs that live in your digestive tract and help crowd out harmful microorganisms that can cause intestinal infections.

4. A cup of yogurt can help you recover faster after a work out.  With the right ratio of protein to carbohydrates, yogurt, particularly high-protein Greek yogurt, makes an excellent post-sweat-session snack.

5. Yogurt is a high protein food!

If those 5 little facts about yogurt still do not make you want to go into your fridge and grab a little container of it, I promise these easy recipes definitely will! They can be enjoyed anytime of the day, for breakfast or for a quick snack, and will most certainly keep your tastebuds wanting more!

Butternut Squash and Almond Butter

1 container of Blue Hill Butternut Squash Yogurt

1 Single Serve Packet of Justin’s Classic Almond Butter

Honey

Sliced Almonds

Chia Seeds

Because the Butternut Squash is a savory yogurt made with ingredients such as Maple Sugar, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg, by adding the listed ingredients it turns this yogurt into a little slice of fall.  Other than the single serving of almond butter, I do not list the serving size of the other ingredients because it is really up to you! If you like your yogurt to be rather sweet, add more honey.  If you like it to have some substance, than add as much chia seeds and almonds as you like!

This yogurt is listed as having live active cultures, thus it has the “good for you” bacteria.  The almond butter and almonds add an extra serving of protein that will keep you feeling full throughout the day!

A Slice of Pumpkin Pie

1 single container of Noosa Pumpkin Yoghurt

Honey

Pumpkin Seeds

2 Tablespoons of Power Blend – Coconut Goji

Once again, add all ingredients to your yogurt and add as much of the honey and pumpkin seeds as you like.  However, this yogurt is definitely like eating a slice of pumpkin pie.  Thus I would taste a little before adding honey because it is already sweet.

Noosa Yoghurt is made the Aussie way.  They take inspiration from the Greeks and make a nice thick yogurt but add honey for sweetness. PowerBlend – Coconut Goji is an all natural, Organic, gluten and GMO free, whole-food energy source. A delicious OMEGA 3 BLEND of Pumpkin Seeds, Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds, Milled Flax Seeds And Spices.  The omegas are good for clarity and focus of the brain and the fiber helps contribute to a healthy heart and circulatory system.

If you like the flavors that both yogurt companies have to offer, you should definitely check out other flavors! For the Blue Hill yogurt, which is 100% grass-fed cows, I certainly recommend the  Sweet Potato flavor! As for the Noosa Yoghurt, the Coconut is fabulous!

Now keep the fun facts in mind and start adding yogurt to your diet! It is a great way to stay full throughout the day and can be enjoyed in so many different ways!

xoxo Sarah

July 1, 2015July 2, 2015 by Sarah Hoski Categories: Breakfast, Coconut, Gluten Free, Healthy, Hemp Seeds, Pumpkin, Recipes, Vegetarian, YogurtTags: Breakfast, Butternut Squash, Chia, Gluten Free, Healthy, Omegas, Pumpkin, Yogurt 1 Comment