Overnight Oats

In lieu of a Sunday Brunch post I am going to share with you one of my favorite breakfasts - overnight oats. Honestly, last week was a super busy but boring week. All I did was work, work, work. I did 3 evenings with 2 turnarounds (I worked 4-12 then on call from 12-8am then worked 8-4pm) so there was little time for anything else. We did go away again this weekend but it was pretty low key and I forgot to take any pictures so how boring would that be!

Recipes for overnight oats are everywhere these days. If you search on Pinterest you will literally get hundreds of ideas. I make them fairly often so I have figured out the base you need to get the perfect consistency and from there you basically just add whatever kind of flavors your into.

Overnight Oats Base:

1/3 - 1/2 cup quick oats (depending on how big of a breakfast you want)
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1/2 - 1 tbsp. sweetener of choice (I use stevia)
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk of choice (dairy, coconut, almond, soy, etc)
*You can also add 1 scoop of protein powder if wanted.*
I promise you, this will give you the perfect consistency! It is tried, tested and true! Now is the fun part, adding in whatever you want. Here is my favorite mixture:

1 banana, sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp. walnuts
1 tbsp. dark chocolate chips
1 tbsp. peanut butter

Place all of this in a mason jar then shake to mix and store in the fridge overnight. The next morning you can either eat it cold or warm it up, whichever you prefer. I hope you enjoy this quick, easy and healthy breakfast recipe!

What's Cookin' in My Kitchen: Brussel Sprout Saute

Call me weird but I love brussel sprouts. I never understand why people turn their nose up at the thought of brussel sprouts, but then I remember, it's probably because they haven't tried the recipe I am about to share with you.

Two years ago I did a month long Paleo challenge at my CrossFit box. We had a facebook group and on it people shared recipes that were conducive to the diet. I was a newbie to Paleo so I tried just about every recipe that was posted. I don't know if any of you have ever tried the Paleo diet but it is hard! In the Paleo diet you eat mostly fruits and vegetables, meat and fish as well as nuts and seeds. It's based on premise that you are eating only what would have been available during the "hunter/gatherer" era many, many years ago. So, no dairy, no grains, no processed food. Now do you see why I say it was hard? Of all the recipes that I tried, a few of them remain favorites of mine and I make them all the time. The one I am going to share today is brussel sprout sauté. I don't know where the original recipe came from, I just got it from a friend and I have adapted it a bit to fit my tastes. It's very simple but also very tasty!

Here is what you need:

- Brussel Sprouts (shocking, I know!)

- 1 medium sized onion - I used red onion

- 1 Apple - I usually use the Granny Smith variety but all I had was Golden Delicious so really any kind will do

- Optional: BACONNNNN - now I did not use bacon today because I am trying to watch what I eat but I highly recommend you add bacon the first time you try this recipe. It really does make it 10000 times better. I mean, it's good without the bacon, but come on, anytime bacon is added it automatically becomes better!

Start by dicing the onions (image above) and tossing them in a frying pan with your oil of choice - I used olive oil but if you have any bacon fat left from frying the bacon, use that!

Now, cut your brussel sprouts into halves or quarters, depending on the size you want. Throw them into the frying pan with the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cover and let fry over medium heat until the mixture is browned nicely.

Dice your apple into small pieces and once the brussel sprout-onion mixture is browned, add the apple to the pan.

Allow it to cook until apples begin to soften and are slightly browned. Be sure not to cook for too long as the apples will become mush, and therefore not so tasty! It should look something like this:

How good does that look?! I made this to take with me on my night shift and paired it with rice and turkey burgers! Mmm-mmm, so good! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!