Old-New Oat flakes: 5 Easy and Healthy TOP- recipes

It is sometimes quite interesting how one posts get more popular than the others. I often try to guess in advance if the reader will like my recipe this time or not. I often find a post not that powerful while the others just love it. Or it also happens that I am really proud of the recipe and pictures but, indeed, they do not find a wide public of adherents.

Therefore today I decided to dedicate my post to a product we all know and sometimes forget about: old-fashioned oatmeal. Too simple? I do not think so. Easy, healthy and (!) gluten free - YES!

And here are my 5 TOP-recipes with oat flakes:

1.Starting with the classic breakfast recipe: Old fashioned oatmeal. It becomes creative when you open your drawer and get out all the various nuts, coconut flakes, dried fruits, seeds, cinnamon. Keep cool and eat oats :)

2. Oat banana egg pancake with fresh figs and joghurt: my recipe on duty in case I have a sweet rush. It is done within three steps Mix-Fry-Fill. Add your favourite seasonal fruit pieces and way to go for a healthy snack.

3. Oat pancakes with cinnamon apples and vanilla ice-cream - can be served as a dessert or snack or breakfast in bed ;) My tip to you - make yourself a time out when you can fully enjoy each bite. It is so worth it!

4. And what do you usually have as a snack while travelling? I prefer Home made grab'n'go granola power snack. They may be easily transported in an air tight container, easy to prepare and always ready to charge your power.

5. And the last but not least - chewy healthy and easy Sweet date candy-balls. They may be prepared in advance and frozen for "better times". And how entertaining it becomes when kids are involved in the process. Did I ever tell you the story how my nephew helped me to bake a cheesecake? He was delighted! But that is a totally another story.

Summary for today: do not understate the healthy benefits from consuming oats. Because we live once, let us live a healthy life!

Healthy breakfast: Oat banana egg pancake with fresh figs and joghurt

Weekends are always about more time to relax, to do what you want, to go out with friends and to do some sports. For me weekedns are as well about long enjoying breakfasts :) Because you don't have to run to work and you can prepare a full charging meal. If you are looking for a nice breafast recipe you just have to try Oat pancakes with cinnamon apples and vanilla ice-cream, Polenta with mushrooms and pancetta or French Crepes.

Or just follow this post...
What is nice about the recipe I wanna share today is that it is
Healhty
Easy
Quick
Sweet
3-Ingredients Only
Lactose Free
Wholesome
Christmas
All in all perfect recipe for breakfast.

Ingredients:
Pancakes
(yields 2 pancakes)
2 eggs
1 banana
1/4 cup oats
coconut oil for frying
1/2 tsp Christmas spices

Filling:
2 fresh figs
2 tbsp Bulgaria joghurt

Blend oat flakes thoroughly. Add banana, Christmas spices and eggs. Mix well until the dough is smooth and creamy. Preheat pancake pan and oil it with some coconut oil to prevent sticking. Fry the pancake for about 1-2 minutes, then flip it over and wait another 30 seconds. READY :) 

 Serve with any filling you love. My favorite is peanut butter. This time I chose some fresh figs and white Bulgaria joghurt. Spicy latte macchiato made a perfect match to my breakfast. Warm scent of Christmas spices completed cozy atmosphere.

Wish you a nice weekend evening and a wonderful week.

Enjoy your meal and let your mind wander about all of the amazing flavors you experience.

Home-made grab'n'go granola power snack bars

We both love to have a sweet crispy addition to our tea-time with my husband. We are sometimes in a hurry and there is no choice to prepare a full warm breakfast like polenta or even pancakes. We also are passionate travellers as you might see here and also for these times today's recipe is a perfect match. Granola bars: easy, healthy and soooo delicious.

The number of basic ingredients is too low to be true. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 middle-sized bananas

2 whole eggs

1 tbsp cinnamon 

optional additions: dried fruits, nuts, vanilla, etc.

No special steps for preparation: just heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Mix all dry ingredients, add chopped bananas and eggs. Mix well and make a layer of about 1-1.5 cm on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden-brown edges of the oats. Put aside to cool down and then cut into bar pieces - squares was my choice. 

READY :)

Tip!

 For these bars I used raisins as optional ingredients, flaxseeds, pitted dates. When the bars cooled down, I sprinkled them over with a tablespoon of raw honey. This helps to keep all the vitamins and minerals. 

The recipe I offer includes baking step. There are, of course, other options of non-baking recipes with different variations. Those will be presented in my future posts. With peanut butter, chocolate, sesam... What ingredient would you add to your oatmeal bars?

Healthy breakfasts: oat pancakes with cinnamon apples and vanilla ice-cream

The more people I observe the more I understand why they rather skip breakfast than cook something.. Some of them decide that eating in the morning is not important and coffee prevents hunger. The other category grabs some croissant from the bakery on his way in a hurry. And I still don't get: Why?! Morning makes the whole day work, so I truly believe that if your morning starts good, the day will be even better. Wanna know the strongest reasons to eat in the morning? Check here.

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 egg

1/3 cup oat flakes

1 big apple

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp butter

vanilla ice cream (*optional)

Ground oat flakes into flour. Keep in mind that when choosing from a wide range of the oat flakes take whole wheat ones, as they contain more fiber and nutritional benefits for you body. It takes a little bit longer to cook them, but will definitely bring only the best to your body.

In a blender, combine the peeled banana, egg, oats.

Allow to blend until the mixture is as smooth as you want it and blended well.  Allow the batter to stand for 10-20 minutes until thickened slightly.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.

Fry spoonfuls of the batter until golden brown on both sides.

Melt butter on the same pan. Wash and peel an apple. Cut into 10-12 pieces, fry from both sides with cinnamon.

Serve the pancakes with vanilla ice cream and enjoy the beautiful day.

Healthy breakfasts: Old-fashioned oatmeal

In order to have a good day you should have a hood start. And what is important when we're talking about the start of the day? Of course, breakfast. The point where we can fulfill our energy battery so that we have enough power to keep up with all the stress we have during the day. The next time you will be running out of the house in a rush skipping the breakfast remember: Skipping your breakfast can set you up for overeating later that day. Still having no time for breakfast? Come on! Bla-bla-bla..... It takes a couple of minutes to prepare it and, besides, you can prepare it in the evening already and that won't need any additional time from you in the morning.

So what should a good healthy breakfast consist of? Your aim is a combination of good carbs, fiber and some protein. Oat bran serves a good source of healthy carbs and protein. Especially, if you reach it with some nuts, dried or fresh fruits.

The recipe is very easy and creative. It's up to you what you add, but the main ingredient is oat. Old-fashioned, whole wheat oat flakes.

Tip!
Choose always whole wheat instead of instant porridge. It contains more fiber and keeps you full for longer period of time. So you won't grab a snack already an hour after breakfast :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat oat flakes
1 tbsp flax-seed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 dates
4 chopped almond nuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon
*Optional:
coconut flakes
other dried fruits
other nuts

In a medium pot bring water mixed with milk to boil. Add chopped dates, other dried fruits and oat flakes. Stir until cereal is cooked. It will take about 2-5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add rest of ingredients. If you're a big fan of sweet taste, add 1 tsp of honey or date/maple syrup. Serve warm and chew well :) It is a moment to fulfill your energy stores. Do not miss that.

And here are finally some important breakfast rules:

1. Do not skip your breakfast! Never. As already mentioned above - you will probably eat more during the day afterwards. Especially, in the evening, when we come home tired, hungry and ready to eat a huge dish. So remember - a nourishing breakfast prevents overeating later that day.

2. When you wake up after hours of sleep your digesting system has to wake up as well. Drink a glass of water with 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice to start your metabolism. It will wash off the rests of the food  and make your body ready for newcoming meal.

3. Control the sugar content in your breakfast. A good balanced breakfast should contain protein (eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt), long carbs (oatmeal, quinoa, whole grain toast) and some healthy fats (sprinkle of flaxseeds, quarter of avocado, nuts) and fiber (dried fruits, fresh fruits and veggies). Try not to add extra sugar, better use fruits to add the sweetness.

4. Eat you breakfast close to the point when you woke up. The best timing is about 30 to 60 minuted after you woke up. If you go to the gym in the morning you can divide your breakfast into two parts: the first carbohydrates-containing part can be eaten before the training, and the second protein-containing - after the training.

Start your day with healthy breakfast and use your energy to conquer the world.

Take care!