Basic No-Bake Protein Bar

I've been making and slowly modifying this bar for years. The original recipe is by Stella Juarez and it has served me very well! 
This recipe is a no-bake, which makes it wonderful for making at night to have in the morning as a quick breakfast or makes for a fantastic snack post-workout. They are also really easy to travel with, making them a smart choice for packed lunches or snacks.

I love eating these with a smudge of almond butter next to a tall glass of water.

I suggest really taking your time to find a good protein powder for these. The flavor of the protein powder really does come through, so you have to be okay with it's taste.

Yield: 9 square bars

1/3 C nut butter of your choosing

1 C Oatmeal, uncooked (GF)

132 g chocolate protein powder (this is a bit less than 1 1/2 Cups worth, or 6 scoops, depending on the size of your scoop)

1 t vanilla extract

2 T flax meal

1 C non-fat dry milk

1/2 C water, extra if necessary

Add the oatmeal, protein powder, flax meal, and dry milk powder to a bowl. Stir to combine. Add in the nut butter and mix lightly. Now, add in the water. The water will dissolve the dry milk powder, making the mixing process much easier. You will definitely have to work a little to incorporate all of the dry ingredients, only adding extra water if necessary.

Spray, or prepare and 8 x 8 inch baking dish with non-stick spray or with parchment. 

Press the 'dough' mixture into the baking dish, and smooth it out evenly.

Refrigerate the mixture for a few hours or overnight.

Cut into 9 squares.

I like to keep these in a Ziploc bag the fridge, stacked with parchment in between each layer. They store well for up to a week. 

Mmmm, oat-y, chocolaty goodness.

What is a recipe that you have been making for years?

Notes: 

• If you do not like the chewy texture of the oats, the whole cup of oatmeal can be ground to a flour using a blender, for a softer consistency. 
• Sella's original recipe calls for half of the oatmeal ground into a flour. Play with the recipe and tailor to how your liking!
• These are a fantastic source of protein. Depending on the protein powder, they can contain around 20 grams of protein! 

Cheers,
     Suzy

The Oats And Berries

Not much beats a good ol' fashion bowl of oats, steaming, and topped with ripe berries that burst in your mouth. I love when you mix them together and get swirls of colors through the oats. A great filling breakfast full of fiber and antioxidants. It is after all, the inspiration of this blog...Well, that and the fact that if you were to flip through my recipe card book the majority include oats and berries, in one form or another.

Keeping it simple.

1/2 C Rolled Oats (GF)

3/4 C water

1/4 C (almond) milk

1 C freshly washed and cut berries (strawberries and blueberries)

*Sprinkle of cinnamon sugar (optional)

Prepare berries.
Put 1/4 cup berries in the bottom of your bowl.
Combine oats, water, and almond milk in a medium saucepan. Heat on high heat until begins to boil, and reduce to medium heat, cooking another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. I like to let it sit and thicken for a few minutes, before scooping on top of the berries.
Top the oatmeal off with the remaining berries and *a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.
Enjoy!

Microwave Version:

Combine oats, water, and almond milk in a large microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, making sure the oats don't spill over the edges of the bowl. Let sit in microwave 2 more minutes, letting any extra liquid to be soaked up. 

Remove from microwave. Stir oats, adding extra water or milk if needed.

Top the oatmeal off with berries and *a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar if desired.

Enjoy!

This is my recipe book, my holy grail of favorite recipes and ideas that I have collected while at school, so that I can make them when I come home.

It reminds me of "The Book" from The Devil Wears Prada, the one that Miranda Priestly insists having delivered to her house by one of her "Emilies", placed on the table with the flowers. It holds everything in it for the next issue of "Runway Magazine", much like my book that holds the inspiration for the creation of many of my recipes.

Where do you get inspiration for recipes?

A little added sweetness never hurt, I like to finish my bowl of oats and berries off with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

Cheers,
     Suzy

Dazzling Raspberry Cream Scones

Happy Valentines Day!

I've always liked Valentines Day. I look forward to the heart decorations and the nice gestures that people do for each other. It gives a good excuse to pull out the construction paper and glitter, which is always time well spent. And in the culinary world, Valentines day is a great excuse to bake something for someone, like these scones.
These scones are bursting with flavor and delicately sweet. The raspberries and lemon zest combine to lend a touch of tartness, but is mellowed by the cream that really pulls this recipe together. I thought all the flavors complimented each other really well and would be an excellent treat to share with anyone, especially over tea and coffee.
I adapted this recipe from The Family Kitchen at Babble

Raspberry Cream Scones

Yield: 6 large scones
(you could easily make 12 baby scones, just divide dough into two mounds before baking.)

Ingredients:
2 C gluten free flour blend
1/3 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top.
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
zest from 2 lemons
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing on top

Method:
Grease a cookie sheet and set it aside.
Preheat your oven to 350.
In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and lemon zest. Toss the raspberries in to coat with dry ingredients. Pour in the cream and carefully fold mixture, making sure to not over mix.
Put down some parchment paper and lightly dust the surface.
When the dough starts clumping together, turn it out onto the floured parchment and form into a mound and flatten into a disc about 2 inches thick.
Pick up the disk and place it onto your cookie sheet. At this point I cut my disk evenly into 6 triangles, but I left them in the disk formation to bake.
Brush the dough with extra cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Your baking time will be longer if you keep them together versus if you were to pull them apart to bake as individual scones. My scones baked for about 40 minutes until the tops were lightly golden. If you separated them, they should only need about 15 minutes in the oven.
When they are still warm from the oven, I will admit, I sprinkled them with a little extra extra sugar, because I wanted them to sparkle :)
If you left them in the disk formation you will need to re-cut them because they will mostly bake back together. I found this was easiest when they were still warm.

Like these scones, people think of Valentines day as either being a sweet holiday worth cherishing or a tart day they would rather get over with. 

Do you fancy Valentines Day?

Like I said, I'm a bit biased because I like the hearts everywhere.

Doesn't that picture just say, "go ahead, take a bite!"

Serve with some freshly whipped cream!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Wow, first post! This is very exciting!

I wanted to use this first post to quickly introduce myself to this extraordinary community.

I am a college student, who may not know exactly what I'm doing, but am looking forward to the journey. Cliche? Maybe, but I'm a big time planner who always wants to know exactly what is going on, so being okay with the unknown is kind of surprising to me. Do your best, try new things, and be open to change of plans. Oh, and enjoy one's self. You must stop and smile along the way!

Nourishment is also quite important, and that is where this blog comes in. I love trying new recipes and  creating ways to make something healthier. Making recipes gluten free is an added challenge that I have enjoyed over the years, and take pride when a reconstructed recipe goes over very well and is enjoyed by everyone!

Here, I can share snacks and smiles while wandering through life and enjoying every minute of it!

Suzy