Baked Breakfast Oatmeal Pie

   As part of Pie Week, I wanted to include some Breakfast pies.  I found this recipe for Baked Breakfast Oatmeal Pie  and just knew it would be perfect.  My youngest daughter and I stirred together the ingredients the night before and the next morning I popped it in the oven while my kids were getting ready for school.

 It was perfect! It is basically just a baked oatmeal recipe, but looks like pie because it is baked in a pie plate.  I reduced the sugar by over half, just because my kids and I don't really like our oatmeal too sweet (I usually don't add any sweetener to my own) and used almond milk instead of normal milk.

This was a big hit.  My kids enjoyed a slice warm out of the oven and they loved snacking on the leftovers, cold, right out of the fridge.  There are so many ways that you could make variations of this, like adding fruit or making a savory option.  It really seems like there are limitless possibilities and it is super quick to throw together.

I also saw this Pigs in a Blanket Pie and thought it was just too funny to pass up.  I whipped up some whole wheat pancake batter and put turkey sausage links into the batter.  The only problem was that it took longer than I expected to bake through, so my kids had to wait until after school to eat it since it wasn't ready before they left.  Fun idea though.

I also used  the filling from this recipe for Savory Breakfast Pies with Cheddar Cheese Crust , but used pizza dough as the crust.  I made them for dinner and they were a big hit.  I used canadian bacon instead of ham in the filling and also omitted the milk and used a little bit of oil instead of butter to cook the onion/veggies.  They turned out really cute and my family loved them.  I didn't get a picture quick enough though.  They ended up looking like little calzones.

 
Here is the recipe for Baked Breakfast Oatmeal Pie
* I used 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
* I reduced the sugar to  a little less than 1/4 cup
* I used almond milk (original) instead of regular milk 



 

  

What I Ate Yesterday (Thursday April 19th)

  I originally planned to post this a couple of weeks ago, but kind of forgot about it.  I got an email from a reader who was wondering if I would post the types of things I am eating these days.  One morning I woke up and decided to take a picture of everything I ate that day.  Let me just say that this happened to be a really good day for me and I stuck to my goals of eating healthy.  I also wanted to add that I don't usually drink chocolate milk or have it in the house, but my 5-year old really wanted to try TruMoo and so I bought a half gallon of it when we went grocery shopping.  I've read things about it being a good post run snack, so I decided to give it a try.

Breakfast-  Oatmeal- 1/2 cup rolled oats (made with 1 cup water), 1/2 cup original almond milk, a handful of frozen berries

   Mid-Morning Snack- reduced fat cheese stick, 1/3 cup sugar snap peas, 1 mandarin orange, 10 almonds

Lunch- 1 small LaTortilla Whole Wheat tortilla with sauteed (already cooked) sweet potato, swiss chard, zucchini, black beans and a sprinkle of feta cheese, broiled

 Afternoon snack- handful of cherry tomatoes

 Post workout snack- 8 oz TruMoo Chocolate milk

Dinner- Veggie and Chicken Frittata (similar to this Frittata) - I had leftover steamed green beans & cooked chicken, so I quickly sauteed asparagus, spinach and zucchini, put  all of that on the bottom of a 9*13-inch pan, then whisked 8 eggs together, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, poured it over topped and sprinkled very lightly with crumbled feta cheese
  Roasted Cauliflower (I used olive oil cooking spray and 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil) on the side

Exercise- Ran 4.5 miles at 5k pace

           30 minute Pilates video

2 mile walk with kids after school

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread

When I saw this Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread recently, I thought it would make a great after school snack. I decided to make mini loaves because they bake up a little bit faster and also because then everyone can have their own little loaf- no fighting over the end pieces or the one with the most chocolate.

My kids absolutely loved these. I would say that it tastes more like a muffin than a cookie, but it really didn't matter. I liked this bread because it wasn't overly sweet and it felt like a healthier option than a cookie.

My son declared that this was the best snack ever. That means it will reappear sometime in the near future.

Here is the recipe for Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread
* I used low-fat buttermilk because that is what I keep in my fridge
* I forgot the sugar sprinkle on top



I also made these from the same blog, on a Sunday afternoon when we all wanted a treat and have no photo as proof because we gobbled them up quickly.

TWD-Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

Natalie of Oven Love chose today's TWD recipe, Oatmeal Breakfast Bread. You can find the recipe on her blog HERE.
My father-in-law left a large bag of fresh figs on my doorstep one day, that he had picked from the fig tree in his backyard. I have never had fresh figs (they are so delicious), so I decided to let them play a part in this breakfast bread.

I like muffins better than loaves, so I halved the recipe and made jumbo muffins. I got 6 muffins out of a half recipe.
I sliced some fresh figs, quartered some, and halved others- out of curiosity, to see which method would work better with the brown sugar-nut topping.
The halved figs sunk into the muffins, while the slices and quarters stayed on top, getting sticky and soft.
I left out the chopped, dried fruit that was supposed to be mixed into the batter because I used the figs.

These oatmeal muffins were really delicious. Especially with the figs on top.
This is definitely a recipe I will make again.
See what all the other TWD-er's thought about this breakfast bread by checking out their links HERE!

And don't forget to enter my giveaway, which is open until Thursday at midnight!

Oatmeal Pancakes

I have been wanting to try these pancakes ever since I saw them on smitten kitchen
back in May.
I finally got around to it a couple of weeks ago and they were fantastic!
I love making pancakes, muffins & waffles with whole grains and the fact that these have a double dose of oatmeal in them made me very happy.
You grind up some oats in the food processor to make oat flour and also use cooked oatmeal in the batter.
I used skim milk because that is what I usually have on hand unless I am making pastry cream or ice cream.

My kids loved these. I like having leftover pancakes and waffles, so that I can freeze them for another day. This time they were all eaten. Some at breakfast and some for snacks later in the day.
They really had great texture and flavor. Winners!

Recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes
* I used skim milk

Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins

The nearly rotten bananas strike again!
I had to use a couple of bananas after going out of town for the weekend and wanted to make a healthy muffin.
I searched online for a recipe and found this great one from Baking Bites.
It had a small amount of oil and combined peanut butter with banana.
Everything is better with peanut butter, in my opinion. I really liked that they had oatmeal in them too- it meant they could be an option for breakfast.

I used low-fat buttermilk and we ate these warm out of the oven for breakfast. We didn't top them with anything.
They were really good. Nice flavor and texture.
I froze half of them because I knew my family was coming to visit and there are a few members of my fam who are obsessed with peanut butter. And a few who love muffins.

They are really great out of the freezer too!

Recipe for Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins from Baking Bites

TWD-Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

This weeks TWD recipe, Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars, was chosen by Lillian who blogs at Confectiona's Realm. You can find the recipe on her blog.

These bars are like a really thick oatmeal cookie batter, with a chocolate-y layer on top and then more of the cookie batter scattered on top of the chocolate. I made the recipe as is. I kept the peanuts in both the cookie batter and the chocolate layer, the raisins in the chocolate layer, and the cinnamon in the cookie batter. These are just some of the things that other people were talking about leaving out or subbing with something else.

Luckily, I had a lunch that I was scheduled to bring cookies to, and these were all given away.

We did sample one tiny slice, because after these are chilled in the fridge, it is possible to slice off 1/16th-inch slices, and it was a sugary, chocolately, peanutty, cookie delight.
Tasted good and I am pretty sure almost anyone would be a fan of these.

Check out the TWD Blogroll to see what everyone else did with these bars. Did they leave the raisins out? Swap out the nuts with something else? Go and see!

More Christmas Cookies and Treats

When my sister was here visiting a couple weeks ago, I asked her what cookies she wanted me to make and send her for Christmas. I gave her some Holiday Baking Magazines and told her to pick as many as she wanted.
She folded down lots and lots of pages and then I narrowed it down to 6. I chose things that I could make all in the same day and then threw in a couple more treats at the end.

First up is Peppermint Bark. This is a Christmas goodie that my mom has made for quite a few years and she uses Martha Stewarts recipe. I actually like it better when you use almond bark instead of white chocolate, so that is what I did. I like to sprinkle some of the chopped candy canes on top, as well as mixing them into the melted white stuff. My hubby really likes this and so do my kids. Great gift.
Recipe for Peppermint Bark
My sister requested a molasses cookie and I decided I would make Dorie's recipe, because I knew it was a crowd pleaser. This time I didn't flatten my balls of dough, so I had smaller, chewier cookies. This recipe is so great that it really deserves a repeat.
I sent some of the last batch to my family, so they will be super excited to get more of them in the mail.

Recipe for Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies
I saw this cookie in a Martha Stewart Holiday Cookie issue and was intrigued by the combination of cornmeal and dried fruit in a cookie. I knew sending this cookie to someone else would be great, since most members of my family do not like cornmeal. The recipe originally called for dried cherries, but I subbed in dried cranberries because that is what I had in the pantry.
These also have orange zest and they aren't overly sweet. Great cookie.
Recipe for Cornmeal-Cranberry Cookies

I saw this cookie in a couple of different Martha Stewart mags and remembered that Tracey made them a couple weeks ago. I figured bars are great for sending and these have all types of mix-ins, so they were added into the bunch.
I subbed in peanut butter chips for the butterscotch chips, toffee bits for the white chocolate and then, on top of that, these have chocolate chips, cut up caramels, and marshmallows.
What a combination. I think I will have to make these again. My son was upset that he didn't get to sample one.
Recipe for Rocky Ledge Bars
My sister wanted these peanut butter bars. They were supposed to have Hershey's Kisses on top, but I thought they would send better if they didn't have those on top. They are a play on Peanut Butter Kisses, but easier to make because they are a bar. I used creamy peanut butter in these, instead of chunky.

Recipe for Peanut Butter Bars

My sister chose these bars and I thought they were a great choice because they have green and red in them naturally. They have a basic butter, flour, brown sugar crust, which you prebake for a few minutes and then the cranberry-pistachio topping is added and they are put back in the oven to finish baking.
Great way to use fresh cranberries.
Recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Bars
My sister also chose these pumpkin oatmeal raisin cookies. They are just like an oatmeal raisin cookie, but with pumpkin puree added to the batter. I made these into bars, simply because I was trying to bake 8 different things all in one day and it made it easier for me.
I wasn't too excited about these, but I did taste a small square and they really were good. Definitely more tasty then they might seem.
So, these are all the items that made it into my treat box. I sent a few of most of these cookies to my Secret Baker.
I also made a batch of Spiced Pecans and the upcoming cookie for Tuesdays with Dorie got thrown into the mix too.
Needless to say, after this day of baking, packaging and mailing, I was wiped out. It was worth it though.
I also threw in a picture of the Cake Pops I made last weekend for a birthday party. These are a fun little treat for a Christmas or Holiday get-together, if you need a fun idea.
How-to for Cake Pops
Pumpkin Raisin Oatmeal Cookies from Woman's Day Holiday Cookies 2009
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup walnuts (I omitted these)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets.
2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins.
4. Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe for Peppermint Bark

Recipe for Cornmeal-Cranberry Cookies

Recipe for Rocky Ledge Bars

Recipe for Peanut Butter Bars

Recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Bars

Recipe for Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

Cake Pops