Pumpkin Apple Baked Oatmeal

This is a favorite in the fall and around Christmas time in our household, but would work great any time of year!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
  • 1/3 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. salt (omit if you use salted butter below)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I love Silk Protein Nut Milk)
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 medium apple, chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray or rub coconut oil on it. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flaxseed, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and cranberries. Stir to mix. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, stir together the milk, pumpkin, butter, egg, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients and apples to the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
  4. Pour the mixture into a prepared baking dish and spread out evenly. Sprinkle walnuts over the top and bake for 20-22 minutes until the top is golden. Scoop out and serve with more milk to your preference.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you purchase after clicking on the link. I am not paid by the company to promote these products and my opinions are my own.

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Asparagus, Dill, and Goat Cheese Frittata

I love frittatas – an egg based entree with so much flexibility for ingredients with a standard base. Plus, you can make them for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. The sky is the limit!

Freshly chopped dill

My standard for a frittata starts with eggs, milk (of any type, but higher fat is better), salt, and ground mustard. To that base, I just start mixing vegetables and meats/cheeses.

Asparagus and onion cooking in the pan

High in protein and flavor, you can make just about any vegetable taste good in a frittata. That’s my kind of dish!

This time, I had some leftover dill hanging around that I wanted to use. It worked perfectly with the asparagus and goat cheese. Havarti cheese would be another fantastic option if you don’t like goat cheese.

Continue reading “Asparagus, Dill, and Goat Cheese Frittata”

The revolving door

Cycle of Dieting

My mission is to help women get out of the revolving door of dieting through habit based behavioral coaching.

So what is the revolving door? This – the cycle of dieting.

This is where you enter into a diet (which ultimately is calorie restriction of some type), you lose weight, but then unbeknownst to you, your body starts to fight the process of what you just did and you end up gaining weight, often times as much as what you lost and sometimes more than you lost. You feel frustrated, defeated, a failure, so you try something else. Except you’re just going into the same revolving door, but this time with a slower metabolism to start, despite the weight loss/gain, if not because of it (see kcal examples on the inside of the circle).

This is 95%+ of people that attempt a diet.

No, you say, I am doing a lifestyle change. Those often masquerade as a diet, sorry.

So what now, Megan? We just give up?

No, I propose that there is a better way, a way that is formed by improving upon  who you are, not demeaning it by not allowing foods. It is about habit change and allowing for foods to remain, but in a way that is sustainable. Sustainable for your health, energy, weight, and emotions.

These changes are very individual and exactly why you need someone to walk you through the process that works best for you.

Expect frustration when seeking success

Someone out there needs to hear this – when you seek success, frustration is guaranteed. It will not be an easy road. You will make mistakes. You will fail. You will feel defeated.

Last week I was in the mountains with my kids and took some time with my oldest to make a path to sled down. We had a few good runs on it when her sled started going down a different way towards the top. She was getting frustrated when it kept going down the wrong path and stopping mid-way when she said, “Why am I such a failure?!” I responded, “You are not failing. You sometimes have to keep trying to figure out how to deal with bumps or splits in the road. You won’t have success until you get back up and try again.” She did. And she failed a few more times before she got a great run down.


Success comes with moving past frustrations, instead of expecting to not have them.

Replenished Eggnog Latte – A Healthier Eggnog Latte

I love coffee/tea drinks as much as you do, but I don’t like the price tag or the unnecessary ingredients. Here’s a recipe to save money and replenish your body with better ingredients!

Replenished Eggnog Latte by Replenish Nutrition, LLC

Healthier Eggnog Latte

1 oz creamer of choice
4 oz milk or milk alternative
Sweetener of choice (Stevia used here, maple syrup or honey would work too)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 oz coffee or Chai tea
Pinch of ground cloves

Heat milk, add the spices and sweetener. Blend or froth. Add coffee or Chai and blend until mixed well.