Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal Breakfast

During the weekdays my breakfasts are pretty simple and plain because I simply don't have the time in the mornings to do anything fancy. The weekends however, are a different story. I like try new recipes and now that I am gluten free I have been experimenting with lots of new combos. This weekends recipe was out of this world yummy! I will be making this one again. I was asked a lot by my followers why I needed to buy oats that were gluten free. They did not understand why it would have gluten in it. The answer is that oats do not have gluten in them, but because of the way the oats are grown there is a chance of wheat cross contamination so I needed to buy the gluten free kind. This recipe would work the same without gluten free oats or even steel cut oats. You could use regular oats instead. Either way you make it, I am sure you will love it.

Ingredients 

2 cups of steel cut oats ( I used the gluten free kind. I like the Bob's Red Mill brand)
1/3 cup organic brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp organic cinnamon
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup berries (your choice) I used strawberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 cups vanilla almond milk
1 large organic brown egg
3 tbsp organic pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2 -inch slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously spray a 2-qt pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half of the walnuts, half of the chocolate chips, and half the berries.
In another large bowl, mix together milk, egg, butter, and vanilla extract.
Add the oat mixture to the baking dish. Add the remaining walnuts, chocolate chips, and berries. Add the banana slices in a single layer on top.
Pour the milk mixture over the whole thing and shake the pan a bit to make sure all the oats get soaked evenly.
Bake it for 30-40 minutes or until the top is a golden brown and the milk has set. If you want it extra sweet, just sprinkle some more brown sugar on the top. 

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Not Your Momma's Oatmeal....

With my new Hashimoto's diagnosis, I have decided to take the plunge into going gluten free. My doctor is encouraging me to give it a solid three months and see how I feel. After reading the book "The Root Cause." I really began to feel more strongly about this decision. It seems like it should help me to feel significantly better. I have made a commitment to "go all in" for these next three months and then decide afterwards if I plan to continue it. I am keeping a food journal and paying careful attention to how I am feeling after I eat different foods. 

While I already eat pretty clean and low carb, I still would have pasta here and there and enjoyed a warm slice of fresh bread every once in awhile. I realize I am further ahead than many would be when it comes to going gluten free, but I still have my work cut out for me. 

When I was doing my meal plan for this coming week, I wanted to try some new recipes and this breakfast bowl was one of the first ones I went after. Here is how I made it: 

Ingredients 

Plain quinoa 

Pure maple syrup 

1/2 ripe banana 

Small handful of organic blackberries 

Natural peanut butter 

1 teaspoon of chia seeds 

Organic cinnamon 

Directions

Cook quinoa according to the package 

Once the water is absorbed add in 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of pure organic maple syrup. 

Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon into the mixture then stir 

Once you place the quinoa mixture into the bowl top with bananas, blackberries and chia seeds 

Drizzle natural peanut butter over the top and enjoy! 

If you would like to learn more about the health benefits of quinoa you can also check out this awesome article about the 7 benefits from including quinoa into your diet. Check here to check it out! 

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