Sweeeett Ohhhh-taaaa-sssss

Balsamic-Honey Oatmeal with Cranberries 189 calories!

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup halved cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp vanilla 

 Making Oatmeal

Add the vinegar and honey to the pan and simmer slowly til slightly thickened. It will burn if you aren't careful so don't walk away from it!!!

Chop and add your cranberries and water. I like biting through big pieces of tart cranberry but if you aren't up to that shock put them in a food processor for a bit! 

Boil the cranberries for a bit to flavor up the water before adding your oats







Add your oats and stir stir stir. Scraping the sides and bottom of the pan keeps your oats creamy and awesome!

Your oats will be a lovely dark red! This is a really low cal filling amazing breakfast! OR.. poor it hot over some full fat ice cream! I topped mine with a dollop of Cool Whip Free and it was amazing!

This is a single serve recipe but its really easy to multiply for multiple people or people who wanna pig out on oats!! (Which is totally acceptable) If you want the oats sweeter add a tsp or two of brown sugar to the vinegar and honey when you add the water.

Oohhhh-Ta-sssss!

 I love oats, they are like the fruit of the fields. You can bake with 'em, boil 'em, make oatmeal cookies, granola with oats, oatmeal, rolled oats, quick oats, sweet oats, savory oats, use 'em in meatballs...  Sorry Forrest Gump moment...

I've always thought maple and brown sugar when I think oatmeal. Mainly because that is what my mother always ate. Now I've discovered the AWESOMENESS that is Old Fashion Rolled Oats. If you cook them 2x as long with 2x the liquid you get a HUGE bowl of yum for a baseline of 150 calories.

I usually spike my oats with any fresh fruit I have around the house. One of my favorite oat-concoctions was oats, fresh pineapple, unsweetened coconut milk, and dash of almond extract! Anything goes into oatmeal and its so cheap and quick that if you don't like it just pitch it and start over!

For Lunch: Savory  White Cheddar Oats with Turkey, Caramelized Onions
 

• 1/2 a medium onion
• 1/8 cup pecans
• 2-3 ounces chopped turkey
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 1 tbsp dry  white cheddar soup mix 
• 1 tsp parsley

I am very very calorie conscious when I cook for myself and I'm always looking for new ways to cut fat out without cutting flavor. WHICH IS HARD! Because fat carried flavor! Fat absorbs salt and spices and sugar and keeps it on your tongue longer than its thinner water like cousins (broth, vinegar.. etc) (Its why light blue cheese will never taste good, sad but true!)One way to cut out fat is using non-stick pans and broth to caramelize onions instead of insane amounts of oil like most recipes would have you do.

I boil onions in a small amount of water and let them boil dry and caramelize slightly, add a few tablespoons of water and stir letting the onions unstick. Keep letting the onions burn and add water to unstick until you get the right amount of brown that you want.

Instead of water using broth, vinegar, wine, rum, etc gives the onions more flavor but it will also make them burn quicker so you'll need to watch more closely.

A shake of the Hooded- Moose or two makes salty caramelly onions. (Pepper doesn't have his hood up lol)

If I wasn't putting them in my oatmeal and they were headed to the top of a pizza or a sandwich I would add a spray or drizzle of the OO to give them more flavor.

I weigh everything if I'm counting calories. This is a few ounces of turkey breast that I'll chop and add to my onions and broth

Just keep stirring, Just keep stirring, Just keep stirring, Just keep stirring, Just keep stirring,Just keep stirring, Just keep stirring,Just keep stirring, Just keep stirring,Just keep stirring, Just keep stirring.

Simple things!

My favorite foods are the simple things! Sticky short-grain brown cooked in broth, fatty slow, roasted meat, pungent cheeses, and really great bread... (If you say .. yeah...I eat bread.. sandwiches and toast... then you've never had great bread)

My banner is an example of one of my favorites lately. (I'm very fickle with my whims and favorites) Perfectly pouched egg over pan browned zucchini with fresh clove of crushed garlic. Sprinkle with sea salt and its 100 calories of love!
I love the color of yolk! Soo golden yellow and taste like butter! Especially my fresh brown eggs that come from the farmers market from the little old guy with the beard and overalls! Just who you expect to buy fresh eggs and radishes from!

 I'm very proud of my poached eggs! It took some practice and experimenting before I figured out the right temperature. Instructions say the water needs to bubble but not boil, put salt, put vinegar, use a plastic bag, pour it in with a measuring cup, etc... Crazy people trying to make things complicated. 

How to:

To poach an egg use a non-stick pan, heat water until bubbles get 2-4 mm across, wack you egg really good on something so its good and cracked, then get close to the water (without burning yourself) and slowly crack the egg straight into the water in the middle of the pan. Let the egg cook for a few minutes without the water boiling any harder. Use a slotted spoon to scoop it out! Little salt or some herbs, over brown rice or veggies, on toast or pasta. YUM YUM YUM