Mystery Meat Monday

Hello Hon,

Here it is again, MONDAY!  A new day to begin a new week!  Another chance to make, life happen to make a difference, step out there on faith and make it happen.  Alright you pumped up yet?  I did that for me as well as for you!  Tee-hee you're welcome!

Last week was long, and exciting.  I got to teach a short Zumba(r) section for the fitness part of our Relief Society program at church.  I attended an awesome Jam Session and learn 4 good choreographys that I can use in my Zumba(r) Toning class.  I had an AWESOME dinner with my dear friend Shelley and two new friends Christa and Alisha, all of whom are Zumba(r) Instructors.  We laughed and ate, got to know each other better, made plans to meet up again, and talked shop!  It was wonderful.

So along the lines of staying healthy and practicing what I preach, today's recipes is a guilt free way to have a great breakfast.  It's really sweet and flavorful, but without sugar (did you know your brain responds to sugar the same way it responds to cocaine?!).  I was a big sugar person, I put it in any dish that I could get away with.  I have not kicked the habit completely, but I have cut down the use of it tremendously.  I don't put it in as many foods, only brown sugar, here and there and occasionally I'll use some white sugar.  Now I used Agave or honey for recipes and to sweet my herbal teas.

This breakfast recipe is so yummy, even my guys are enjoying it.  We have been doing it for months now.  If you follow me on social media your seen me stock our fridge with a week's work of this and our new lunch idea too.  So, are you ready to find out what it is?

Overnight Oatmeal!  Wait, don't make that face.  When I first heard of it and did some research I thought, "I don't even like my oatmeal to get room temperature and they want me to eat something that has sat overnight.  And it's cold?!   OH No no no!"  However, for the sake of doing something to increase our healthy eating habits I had to give it a try.  We rarely ate breakfast around here, even in high school I was never really a breakfast person.  Yet we were all taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  And since I was teaching ZT every week now, I had to make sure I had calories and energy to burn.  Plus now I have set a schedule to practice all my other specialties since I plan to use them with a new homeschool co-op, as well as apply at one or two places for classes, add back bellydance and start back teaching Basics, add yoga, plus walking and making FitBit challenges, so this girl really needs to start the day off healthy and energized.  So here you go hon, all the details.  Please don't dismiss it without giving it a try.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

Mystery Meat Monday:  Overnight Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 cup "Old Fashioned Oats"  (not steel cut, not 5 or 1 minute, must be Old Fashioned)
1/2 cup Milk of your choice (I am going to be switching to Almond milk for myself, honey refuses anything but whole milk)
1/2 cup  Greek Yogurt [or less, we found that we prefer about 2 1/2-3 tablespoons to be sufficient]  (I used Honey Vanilla, but you can use whatever flavor or plain;  I don't know about regular yogurt, but you can try it)
1 teaspoon Chia Seeds
1/2 banana, smashed
Chopped Fruit of your choice (I used frozen so I'd always have some on hand, but I'm sure fresh would be suitable as well)
1-1 1/2 Squeezes of the Honey Bear
Cinnamon

You will also need 8 oz. mason jars


Directions:

Layer the ingredients in the mason jar (or whatever has a tight seal really) in the order listed -

1. Old fashioned oats 

   

   Sorry, somehow we missed me measuring and pouring in this step.

   
   
2. Milk  
   
   
   
   
3. Greek Yogurt  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Chia Seeds  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Smashed Banana  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Fruit (if using frozen fruit like us, you should take it out of the freezer and let sit on the counter about 10 minutes BEFORE you start prepping.  this will allow it to soften [not thaw out] enough for you to cut them into smaller chunks)  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Cut the fruit into pieces that are small enough to top your oatmeal mix in the jar and give you a nice pop of fruit to swirl throughout you oatmeal after it has set overnight.  I take 2 -3 pieces of frozen fruit and cut them into little chunks

         7. Honey

I was distracted talking to my hubby so I mix up the order of the
Cinnamon and Honey.  But, it's okay it does not make or break
the meal.  I find that I have been doing it both ways, just depends
on how I feel that day.

         8. Sprinkle with Cinnamon

         9. Place inner lid followed by the outer ring to close your yummy breakfast up and place the jar in
        in the refreigerator for a long nights slumber (overnight)

Since I take everyone's order for specific flavors I mark the jars.
Red checkerboard mom's favorite color, Blue Camouflage the
teenag boy's favorite color, and Green with Owls hubby's
favorite, rather most liked color.   

        10. In the morning, get up, open the jar of deliciousness, mix it well.  Pull everything up and mix together and ENJOY!   Or, you can do like my husband and pop in microwave for 30 seconds (mind you his has been sitting in his lunch bag for an hour after he gets to work).  You don't want to go straight from the fridge to the microwave.  Know how I know that?!  Life experiences, sigh.  He then simple eats it layer by layer.  Yes, he does not mix it all together.  He said, "This way I get to enjoy each level of yumminess one flavor at a time for a pop of surprise to the taste buds."

Um, okay?  Whatever works for you honey.  As long as he enjoys it and requests it, I don't care how he eats it.  I just know he is eating a good healthy breakfast and not a handful of dark chocolate chips, you know the ones the rest of us use to bake cookies with.   Even the teenage boy likes these.

I definitely call this recipe a HIT for family goodness and good health.  I was surprisingly thrilled with the results.  Once you tweak the recipe to what you like you can start mixing fruits together.  Listed below are some of our favorites:

Singe Fruits

• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Pineapples
• Mangoes
• Blueberries
• Blackberries (be aware that the seeds can drive you mad sometimes)

Combination of Fruits

• Peaches with Strawberries
• Pineapples with Mangoes
• Peaches with Blackberries
• Basically Peaches with anything
• Berry Mix
• Apple Butter
• Peanut Butter

The options are endless, whatever you like try it out.  Right now I am good with what I have listed.  But as time goes on I'll definitely be experimenting with more items.  I have felt so much better after having one of these for breakfast.  They really fill you up and give you that boost to get the day rolling.

Thanks for checking in, Stop by for next week's Wrap-It-Wednesday and of course, Color Play Friday.

Love and Shimmies,

MMM - One Pan Oven Bake

Hello Hon,

I hope that this Monday has found you are enjoying a wonderful day.

Well it's another week, it's another opportunity to start over and try again.  Last week was rough.  It had me feeling some kind of way (I've been hearing that saying for a while and waiting for the opportunity to use it, teehee).

So let's talk about today, it's Mystery Meat Monday (MMM).   A couple of weeks ago the boys were out and I was home trying to figure out what to make for dinner.  The problem was I did't feel like making dinner.  But they have to eat right?  So I thought let's do something quick and make it a one pot wonder.  Ummm.  As I looked around I kept saying, "No, not that", "No, we had that already"....  Finally, I remembered something new we bought on the last shopping trip.  THAT'S IT!  Really, that was it.  I ran to the freezer and pulled it out.  I put it on the counter and thought okay great.  Well, that's not going to be enough all on its own.  So I walked to the refrigerator and grab something and placed it on the counter.  Then I went to the pantry and grabbed something and placed it on the counter.  This was repeated many times until I felt, that's enough.  But it didn't seem like the stove-top was the place to put these ingredients.  And then it hit me.  Bake it.  I grabbed a few more items and a casserole dish, turned on the oven and just started putting it together.  Making it up as I went along.

So now my lovies, I share that quick dinner bake on the spot recipe with you.  Why, because my guys ate it all, no complaints, and complimented on how good it was.  Even the teenager, who I did not tell some of the ingredients to, thought it was good.  So what is it?  Well I don't have a name for it yet, so we'll just refer to it as "One Pan Oven Bake".   Not only was it easy but there are only 6 ingredients.

Disclaimer ~ I took pictures of each step.  Why?  So I would not have to type a lot, and a picture is easily absorbed.  And because there are no measurements for you to have to follow.  Your welcome:

 I will type out the ingredients for you:

• Daily Chef Steamable Normandy Blend (at Sam's, shhhhh don't tell the teenager)
• Tyson Grilled Ready Chicken Breast Strips
• Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits
• French's CHEDDAR French Fried Onions
• Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa
• Great Value Mild Cheddar & Monterey  Jack Shredded Cheese

Sundried Tomato Halves are in the picture, but I forgot to use them.  So, you can try them if you like.

 And you'll need you favorite baking dish.  I'm cooking for a small family so this was big enough and no one here really eats leftovers.  If you have a large family, you'll need double the ingredients and a bigger dish.  And a salad.
                                                                     

Preheat the oven at:

Follow the pictures from here:

                                              

Place in preheated oven and back for 29 minutes, originally.

Times up!

Now, although the chicken was pre-cooked, I still wanted it at poultry heating range.

So, I placed it back in the oven and increased the temperature. 

And sent the timer again.  

Times up, the second time.

Now that's the temperature for a thoroughly cooked chicken dish.

BAMM!  There is dinner hot and ready.  Got some healthy stuff in it, got some cheese, got some bacon, aaahhh, yummmmm!

That my dear, was one delicious dinner, per the boys of course.

I hope you get a chance to try it, come back and let me know how you liked it.  Of course, you can add more things to it that your family likes.  If you , let me know what!

Love and Shimmies,