Cranberry Oatmeal

When I was a little girl, my mom would make me a hot bowl of oatmeal on a cold winter morning, and tell me that it would stick to my bones and keep me warm.....she was right! Spring is right around the corner, but I still enjoy oatmeal, even when the weather starts warming up.

Oatmeal is quite easy to make.... I use regular rolled oats... not quick oats.
About a half a cup of oats in a pan with about a half a cup of water and a third of a cup of milk... you can use any kind of milk you want I use regular milk sometimes I use soymilk or almond milk.
Cook the oats for about 5 minutes or read the directions on the package of your oats... add cinnamon if you'd like and some sugar or maple syrup for some sweetness.
At the end I add whatever else I want like cranberries, blueberries, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and shredded coconut.
It's up to you as to what you want to add... everybody like something different.
I usually put a little extra milk in it before I start to eat my oatmeal.

Really, I don't think you can go wrong with oatmeal, add some dried fruit, seeds, coconut, nuts and fresh fruit and you will have a hearty meal.

Enjoy!

"I have spent most of the day putting in a comma and the rest of the day taking it out."— Oscar Wilde

Monday's mantra

Cheddar Chive Bisquits ~ Recipe Wednesday

I am back...took a week off my blog because I have some new projects that I am working on at the moment. More to come on the launch dates soon!
Today, I offer you some delicious bisquits. Perfect with my soup recipe posts.

Cheddar Chive Bisquits
Ingredients :

2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup of cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (I like a sharp white cheddar)
1/4 chopped chives
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons of melted butter

Oven 230C (450F)

In a large bowl mix
Flour, baking powder and salt with a fork.

Slice cold butter and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. (I used my food processor and pulsed it and returned it to the bowl)

Stir in grated cheese and chives.

Add milk and stir till dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface...knead quickly to mix thoroughly. Roll the dough out until 1/2 inch thick. Cut out bisquits with a floured bisquit cutter ( I just used a cookie cutter) and put on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the tops with the melted butter and bake till golden brown...about 12-15 minutes!

Yummers! Enjoy! Happy Wednesday!

Hummus Delight ~ Recipe Wednesday

Ok...so forgive me with the cheesy name for this weeks recipe...
With a 2 month old baby boy and a 6 year girl I am lucky to get anything posted during the week! But I LOVE to cook and share and when you are a mom I truly believe that you have to step back...breathe and find time to do what you love.....as long as the household is sorted! So here we go...Hummus is pretty much a staple in our home. It is fast and easy to make and a great snack on some bread...crackers or you can dip some veggies in it. It is healthy too! What more could you ask for?

In a food processor or a blender...food processor is easier...mix the following

1 box, can or cup of garbanzo beans...depending on if you pressure cook your own beans or buy your beans
6 sundried tomatoes....I use ones that are in a jar of olive oil...they are soft and easy to mix up
6-8 pitted kalamata olives
2 tablespoons of plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Splash of water
And as much feta cheese as you like....I like lots!

Mix this all in your food processor till it becomes smooth...adding bits of water as you go to smooth it all out.

Serve at parties or grab at anytime of the day for a quick snack.

Enjoy!

Coconut Brownies ~ Holiday Bonus Recipe

A bonus recipe this week for Valentine's Day! This is a recipe from the back of the coconut flour bag, so it is not my recipe, but I wanted to share.
These are gluten free because I used coconut flour...don't let "gluten free" scare you away....these are very yummy brownies.

Ingredients & Directions

Peheat oven at 350F (180C)

1/3 cup of butter
1/2 cup of cocoa powder

Put butter and cocoa powder in a pan and blend over low heat. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In a bowl.... mix
1cup of sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 eggs

When butter/cocoa mixture is cool put the sugar mixture into the pot and mix. (Do not turn stove on....it is just easier to mix everything in the pot)

Add 1/2 cup of sifted coconut flour ...to the mixture and mix well... till there are no lumps. I used my hand mixer. I added chocolate chips and mixed them in with a spoon.

Use an oiled baking pan ( I used coconut butter to oil mine)
Put the brownie mixture into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. I covered mine with foil halfway through so the top would not burn.
You can check the brownies with a toothpick to see if they are done.

Enjoy! Happy Valentine's Day!

Potato Cheese Soup ~ Recipe Wednesday

This week we are having potato cheese soup! It is my daughter's favorite winter meal.

Ingredients:

5-6 medium sized peeled potatoes

1 chopped stalk of celery

1 chopped small onion

1 cube of chicken stock or a cup of homemade chicken stock ( vegetable stock can be used also)

1 cup of water ( if using homemade stock or a liquid stock from a can/carton, do not use this extra cup of water)

1/2 tsp salt

ground pepper to taste

2 tsp flour

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese ( I used a white cheddar that I shredded)

About 2 tbsp of chopped chives...add more if you want

In a large pot add potatoes, onion, celery, boullion and water. Season with salt and pepper and simmer till everything is soft.

In a bowl mix the flour and milk. When pot of vegetables are soft add the milk mixture and cook till soup becomes thick...stir so it does not burn.

After soup has thickened add the cheese and chives, stir till cheese has melted. I mashed some of the potatoes a bit with a potato masher, to make the soup a bit more creamy, but if you like a chunky soup, no need to mash.

Enjoy this weeks soup! Hope you and your kids ( if you have kids) like it!

Be Bold ~ Monday's Mantra

This morning a good friend reminded me to be bold about something I mentioned in an email. This advice stuck with me all day...therefore I decided it was the perfect mantra for the week.  So as you walk through your week walk with confidence...be fearless ...go out into the world and get what you want. Have a wonderful week!