Oatmeal Raisin Smoothie

If you are wondering, my Sweets business is a bit slow in January. WHY do people want to lose weight and not eat cookies and cakes.... Hmmm, wait.... that is me. ECK... I know, I know.... I do have a cupcake job for tonight. NOT complaining. So smoothie nation is still going strong. I bought all the ingredients for the Green Cleanse Smoothie, just have not tackled it yet. Instead, I made a cookie. Well not exactly. I love Cookies and everyone know that, but I am trying to not add to my winter weight. So I made this smoothie with Oatmeal and Raisins in it. WOW, it was so good and filling. I was not hungry for hours. Between the heartiness of the Oatmeal and the delicious sweetness of the raisins, I was satisfied. This is a hundred times better than a Special K Protein shake. Also no bottle to throw away.

Oatmeal Raisin Smoothie
adapted by bestcleanrecipes.com
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
1/3 cup of oatmeal
1/4 cup of raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender in order and blend until smooth.

This smoothie is loaded with GOODNESS. 

So much better than an over processed, over priced Shake

I was shaking more than the Vitamix

I packaged these up in to-go glasses, and had them they next day.
Excellent, took care of my afternoon craving. 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I had a customer request 3 dozen of my Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I had not made them in ages. In fact, I asked if he wanted chocolate chips or nuts in them. That sounded kind of good to me. (He said NO).

These cookies were delicious... I know I say that about lots of sweet food products. Heck, I am happy eating Nutella out of the jar.. These cookies were SO good. It is finally getting to be Fall after such a weird weather Summer. Last week, we were back in the 90's. Crazy. Oatmeal Raisin is one of my all time favorites. And not the puck like cookies either. Soft, moist and still a bit chewy. With loads of flavor.

This recipe was originally from Smitten Kitchen. They always do such a wonderful job. These cookies were easy to whip up. Made 40 cookies. Nice size batch. Could have been less if they were bigger. Whatever floats your boat. I always stay with my normal size cookie scoop. They are all the same, uniformity... OCD....

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

adapted from thetastybiteblog.com

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/3 cup of brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1 1/2 cups of raisins

Optional: 1 cup mini chocolate chips and/or 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with Silpats or parchment paper.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside

In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar for 5 minutes. Add one egg at a time mixing after each one. Add in vanilla extract and mix. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and combine. Fold in Oatmeal and raisins until they are incorporated into the dough.

Using a cookie scoop, place dough on baking sheets about two inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges start to brown.

Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes in pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nice firm batter. Easy to scoop. 

Perfect formed balls... Morsels of Heaven

Sitting on a platter, ready to be eaten

There is the right amount of raisins for every bit.

Cold Oatmeal

I have this new passion. COLD Oatmeal. My Mother just shakes her head and tells me she will continue to eat her perfectly good warm oatmeal. Cold Oatmeal is like an action punch. It  fills you up and gets you through the morning. You really could eat this anytime if you wanted. I am so loving this, I wish I had not waited so long.

What flavor to like. OMG, I have not found one I did not like. I guess because I am making this. I have tried some new combinations, and loved them also. Protein bars have been my go to breakfast forever. They work, they even satisfy my chocolate craving. But they get expensive and they are loaded with preservatives. Oatmeal is CHEAP. A large container will go a long ways. I have been adding Almond milk to my Oatmeal. I am digging that also. On Saturday mornings, I have a bowl of cereal with Almond milk. I also add Greek Yogurt to my Oatmeal. Gives you your Calcium and Protein all in one scoop. My last little treasure that is added to my COLD Oatmeal..... Chia Seeds. Another: Love them!! They are loaded with Omega 3's and Fiber and have more punch that Flax Seeds. They also remind me of mini Tapioca. My Mother made Tapioca pudding for my sisters and me when we were youngsters all the time. Yummy. Just a brain thing.

I am going to give you the basic recipe. Then some additions you can make, and the rest is up to you.

Cold Oatmeal
adapted from theyummylife.com

Ingredients
serves ONE
1/2 cup uncooked Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoon Chai seeds

Directions
Place all ingredients into a small bowl, mix well, cover and put into the refrigerator overnight. DONE!

It really cannot be any easier than that to have Oatmeal in the morning. IF YOU WANT, you can heat your oatmeal in the microwave. My Husband likes it warm sometimes.

This particular Oatmeal has Dried Cranberries, Coconut and Slivered Almonds. The flavor combination was fabulous

This Cold Oatmeal had Mandarin Oranges diced up, 1 tablespoon Peach Preserves and Slivered Almonds. A very fresh taste. A Peach Pie for breakfast.

For two servings, I used 1 serving of Apple Sauce and Cinnamon. A thousand times better than a packet of Apple and Cinnamon Oatmeal. I also added raisins to this combination. OMG Very Delicious

This is Heaven. 1 teaspoon of Cocoa Powder, 1 tablespoon of Peanut Butter and 1 teaspoon of Honey. This bowl was Protein packed and will keep you full for hours. You might even want to try it with Nutella.

There are tons of different variations you can do. The options are endless. What I really like about this recipe is, you are eating Oatmeal with good things added to it. It is "mostly" healthy and loaded with nutrients. You will look at a package of Oatmeal very differently. ENJOY.