I hope everyone had a great weekend. We had a really fun weekend and I was a bit sad to see it end. Saturday ended up being our day to play and I started the morning off with a fabulous run in Laurelhurst Park. It was a sunny morning and I knew I better get out before the rain showers appeared. It felt so great to get out and run and I came home full of love for my family and grateful for everything I have. I also listened to an inspiring Integrative Nutrition module which made me so excited to be in the health and fitness industry and can't wait to share everything that I am learning with my clients or you guys!!
I know I say this all the time but I LOVE the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and it just feels great to know what you want to do and learn how to go about it. I want to be a Holistic Health Coach and I have spent the last five years working on my toolbox of skills to get to this point. Now all I have to do is learn to market myself and that is where I am asking you guys for help. I need to name my business and wanted to see what you guys think about some of the names I have come up with or if you have some suggestions that would be great as well. My maiden name is Bliss which I am rather fond of and thought about naming my business Bliss Holistic Health, Bliss Health, The Bliss Method, Blissful Healing, Find Your Bliss?..... I could also keep Eat, Drink and Be Aware but am not sure that is well-rounded enough. Any thoughts?? I am still brainstorming.
I also am looking for a graphic designer to help me with a logo. If any of you know of someone, please send me an email at abigail.white@eatdrinkandbeaware.com.
Okay... enough with all this business talk let's get to the FOOD!
Saturday ended up being fairly dry for the most part so we decided to go downtown and go to the abbreviated Farmer's Market. I love Farmer's Markets and I was super excited to find out that Tastebud, my all-time favorite vendor at the PSU Farmer's Market is now at the smaller year-round Farmer's Market at Shamansky Park. I can't believe I have been missing out on my all time favorite Tastebud sandwich!
Chickpea Stew + Wheatberry Salad stuffed in a fresh pita topped with Tahini and Red Pepper Sauce.
I love, love, love this sandwich.
So at this point my day I am having a pretty darn good day!
But is gets better because we end up sampling some prunes and hazelnuts that are truly amazing and which inspires me to make the best bowl of oatmeal ever!
My kids also love hazelnuts and we have big plans to make Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies later this week:)
I feel like prunes get a bad wrap being known as "grandma" food or a digestive aid and even though they may well be consumed by grandma's all over the world they are also absolutely delicious and should be eaten by all.
Health Benefits Of Eating Prunes
- Prunes are high in vitamin A and beta-carotene (a natural antioxidant). These two vitamins play a key role in maintaining healthy eye-sight and are also used to fight acne, resulting in a smooth radiant skin.
- The dietary fiber present in the fruit aids weight loss, as it produces a sense of fullness in the stomach.
- The insoluble dietary fiber in prunes contributes to the growth of certain useful bacteria in the intestine. Hence, it is regarded as a natural probiotic.
- The soluble dietary fiber of the fruit, on the other hand, promotes the maintenance of a healthy colon and is useful in certain conditions, like hemorrhoids, constipation, diverticular disorders and so on.
Prune and Hazelnut Chia Oats
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 prunes, chopped
6 hazelnuts chopped
drizzle of maple syrup
Combine the oats, water, milk, chia seeds and cinnamon in a small pot over medium heat. Cook for 5-6 minutes and then add in chopped prunes and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and pour oat mixture into your favorite bowl. Drizzle with Maple Syrup and top with chopped hazelnuts.
Enjoy.
Oh my gosh this is so good!
Now to continue with my love of oats, my daughter, Zoe and I ended up making Oatcakes with Flaxseed and Walnuts. Zoe found this recipe in Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day Cookbook and she also happens to have a recipe for Oatmeal topped with Prunes, Hazelnuts, Brown Butter and Yogurt that I am going to have to try that next. Wow.... that sounds pretty amazing.
These Oatcakes are dense and hearty, not too sweet but just right, and have a nice bite from the sea salt as well.
Oatcakes with Flaxseed and Walnuts
(makes 12 muffins)
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup golden flaxseeds
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan.
Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, flax meal, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut oil, butter, honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar and slowly melt together. Stir just until the butter melts and sugar has dissolved, but don’t let the mixture get too hot. And if it does, let it cool a bit – you don’t want it to cook the eggs in the next step.
Pour the coconut oil mixture over the oat mixture. Stir a bit with a fork, add the eggs, and stir again until everything comes together into a wet dough. Spoon the dough into muffin cups, filling them to the top and slightly packing them into the muffin tin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges of each oatcake are deeply golden. Remove pan from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes. Then run a knife around the edges of the cakes and tip them out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I absolutely love these and they are particularly good with a smear of preserves. This is basically a portable version of oatmeal in a bowl. Oh so good.
Time flies when you are having fun and I better get ready to pick up the kids and for the day's activities.
Have a great rest of your Monday!
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