Tag Archives: oatmeal

Earn Income, Food, Going Reviews

MyOatmeal.com: 22 Billion Combos of Healthy Oatmeal

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This is going to take a while, I thought to myself after seeing there are 22 billion combinations of 100% Natural, Non-GMO, and Gluten Free oatmeal just waiting for me to create and have made to order on MyOatmeal.com.

myoatmeal.com, oatmeal, healthy, breakfast, non-gmo

The founders of MyOatmeal.com, Anthony and Kathy Collova, are health-minded, family focused, and down to earth people. Through their growing business, they donate bags of healthy oatmeal to non-profit organizations and seek out ways to enrich communities everywhere. Obviously, they care, a lot, and I was excited when given the opportunity to create my own custom mix of oatmeal as well as PB Lean (peanut butter powder) to review.

There are 10 steps in creating your custom oatmeal blend:

  1. The size of the bag (1lb, 2.25lbs, or 4lbs)
  2. Type of oats (Naturally gluten free, Non-GMO oats)
  3. Flavors (100% Natural, Vegan, Gluten Free & Non-GMO)
  4. Fruits (Low Moisture, Gluten Free & Perfect for Oatmeal)
  5. Nuts, seeds, and more
  6. Protein
  7. Sweetener
  8. Spices and exotic powders
  9. Shipping frequency
  10. Name your oatmeal

Creating the PB Lean blend is the same except that the step where you pick nuts, seeds, and more is left out.

The first step where you choose from 6 different oat blends proved tasking enough, but the next step was easily hardest.

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast

I have difficulty deciding whether to use a fork or spoon and if I should eat from a plate or bowl, so the option to pick up to 3 of these flavors was pure torture! Torture that’s totally worth the struggle! By the way, I now use a spork at every meal (seriously) and have decided bowls are always the way to go for me.

Besides my analysis paralysis, the complete ordering process is rather simple and kind of fun. After naming your blend, employees will create your order and ship it right to you to quickly hide from your family and keep for yourself open and enjoy with your friends and family. I created several small bags of oatmeal and PB Lean blends in an effort to try as many flavors as I could.

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast

One of my favorite parts of the process is that the nutrition facts and ingredients for your order are shown. For anyone keeping track of their macros or simply want to know the breakdown of their food, this is an awesome feature! Here’s what my bag of oatmeal I named “The S’mores is Yours” looks like.

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast

If you don’t want to spend forever trying to think of a name, I think this name would work for every blend you create…

Here are screenshots of the oatmeal and pb lean blends I created:

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour

I used monk fruit to sweeten all of my blends as everything else was some form of sugar. I really wish they would offer stevia as a sweetener as that is my favorite all natural zero calorie sweetener. Hopefully it will be offered in the future.

As a fan of overnight oatmeal, that’s how I prepared all of my blends. I used a mostly empty Greek yogurt container to let my oatmeal blends soak over night.

Cool tip:  the beneficial bacteria in yogurt work to breakdown the oats and makes for easier digestion. Try it, your insides will thank you. 🙂

overnight oatmeal

All of the flavor combos I created were tasty and definitely better than plain oats. My favorite was the cookie dough and vanilla ice cream blend; my least favorite was the chocolate brownie and mocha blend.

None of my blends were overly sweet, which I prefer, but the chocolate-mocha oatmeal left a slight chemically aftertaste. I had no problem finishing the bag as it was still good, but I’d probably opt not to pick that flavor combo again.

S’mores didn’t give that awesome fire-roasted marshmallow flavor I was hoping for, but it was darn close. I think it would be better as a PB Lean flavor, which I might do next time. Speaking of, here are my PB Lean blends:

oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour oatmeal, healthy, non-gmo, breakfast, peanut butter, peanut flour

Bar none, the peanut butter banana bread was absolutely amazing! I just added some water to make a low fat peanut butter like consistency to spread on my homemade NuttZo Banana Bread or  just eat with a spoon and instant smiles followed.

The salted caramel was pretty close to the actual thing and gave a pleasing taste that makes it a definite repeat flavor. Same for the snickerdoodle flavor; I love cinnamon, and the combo with peanut flour was tastebud bliss.

Overall, the experience with MyOatmeal.com, from ordering to eating, has been a fun, healthy, and delicious one. If my daughter was older, letting her create her own custom blend would be a great experience she’d enjoy. If your kids are old enough, empowering them to make their own choices like this is a great way to get them eating healthy and having fun with food.

Actually, this would be a perfect gift idea for your kids or for any of their friends’ birthdays. How cool would it be to give a custom blend of awesomeness with their name or some other cool name on it? Maybe use it as an incentive to earn their creation by doing chores, making good grades, or just being a good kid. This is something all kids can totally get into and have just as much fun making as they do eating their very own oatmeal.

Trust me, you’ll have fun too. While the price may seem higher than the standard price at your local store, you’re getting high quality ingredients with an almost endless amount of delicious flavor options. Pretend you’re a kid picking out your favorite ice cream flavor on a hot summer day, only it’s healthy oatmeal with zero guilt!

To help in the price department, MyOatmeal.com is giving all Going Dad readers 15% off their entire order. Just enter coupon code GoingDad15 when checking out and you’ll be on your way to saving on all of your healthy and tasty creations!

MyOatmeal_Healthy_Oatmeal_Logo

Click Here to Order Now!

Remember to use code GoingDad15 at checkout

Be sure to follow MyOatmeal on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for tasty recipes and current promotions. Plus, they’re all good people and deserve our love!

Disclaimer: I provided credit to create blends on MyOatmeal.com and was not compensated any other way. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own. So trust me when I say, you want this and must try ASAP!

Going Healthy

Healthy Overnight Oatmeal Crisp Recipe on MLK Day

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Today’s post is an oldie but a goodie with a recipe from my old healthy foodie blog, Just Add Cayenne. It dates back to 2012, before we even thought of having a beautiful girl named Avery. But now, we couldn’t be happier with our constantly growing girl, her curly hair, and mesmerizing blue eyes….

healthy oatmeal crisps

Since I originally posted the Overnight Oatmeal Crisp recipe on MLK Day back then, I figured today is as good as any to share here on Going Dad. I don’t make this version in the oven like I used to, but now I’m seriously craving some healthy, homemade crispy goodness.

Do me a favor and make some for me and let me know how you like them. Maybe when Avery is a little older and knows not to pull on the hot oven door (yes, I know there is a lock and yes, I use it), I’ll make them again.

I’m being lazy and pasting the html directly from my old blog post, so you get to read about what’s going on in our lives at the time. Of course, you could just skip it and get to the recipe, but where’s the fun in that? Hope you’re having a great day!

We get this Monday, 01/16/12 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.  Thank you, Mr. King, for helping us be free from working today!!

Unfortunately, Kelley has been and still is sick with a vicious cold; the thing won’t go away!  So today she is getting some needed rest while I do things in the kitchen (surprise).  I made a mini version of Tomato and Bean Bread Soup (recipe will come in a future post) that she really enjoys.  It wasn’t the same as usual since it calls for white kidney (cannellini) beans and I didn’t have fresh garlic or many tomatoes to use.  Either way, I think she was pleased and I hope the wholesome food helps fight the crap inside.  The soup plus lots of herbal tea is hopefully working for her…..at least it can’t hurt!

Besides chopping a jicama to bring to work for the week and cooking a work lunch for us, I made Overnight Oatmeal Crisps.  I just recently started to make these instead of baking so much with eggs, egg whites, and pumpkin puree in order to save time.  The beauty of these is you can use mostly the same spices and flavorings you like in cookies, but in a much healthier way.

Just soaking rolled oats by filling with water to the top of the oats in a container is nothing, and they make for a great warm cereal meal on a cold day.  If it’s hot outside, just eat the soaked oats cold…..it’s very refreshing.  My favorite add-ins are vanilla whey protein powder, peanut flower, and cinnamon with several drops of liquid stevia.

I just use an empty yogurt container to fill with oats, spices, powders, and a dash of salt; fill with water and let sit overnight or at least an hour in the fridge.  The starch from the oats help bind things together for that cookie-like result. Here is what I commonly use to make these, but this is easily customized to suit the tastes of anyone.

Overnight Oatmeal Crisps
healthy oatmeal crisps

 

Ingredients
– Rolled Oats; I just buy these in bulk and use how ever many will almost fill various containers
– Peanut flour, natural whey protein powder, non-fat dry milk powder; I try to use in a 1 part flour to 4 parts oats ratio, but doesn’t have to be exact.
– Dash of sea salt
– 10 to 15 drops of liquid stevia
– Optional: Chia Seeds (these gel up nicely when soaked and help bind the oats even more); nuts or dried fruit might work too, but I haven’t tried.
Directions
Once I have an empty yogurt container (no need to clean it out), I pour the oats in leaving some extra space at the top for the other ingredients. I usually add a good amount of peanut flour along with some vanilla whey protein and a few chia seeds.  Together, these make up about 1/2 a cup for the 32oz container in the picture.  Add a sprinkle of sea salt, cinnamon, and 12 drops of liquid stevia (honey or agave would work too) then gently shake the container to mix together.  Add water (use milk if you wish) to where it rises just above the oats and stir everything together until well incorporated. 
You’ll notice the mixture already thickening; just let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.
healthy oatmeal crisps
When ready, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees, spread the oats thin on a cookie sheet and bake for about 30 – 40 minutes turning once you see them browning on one side.
healthy oatmeal crisps

These should come out nice and crispy; enjoy!  They are usually sturdy enough to hold up to a good yogurt and peanut butter dip or to let soak in milk.  I like just having something tasty, crunchy, and made in our kitchen.

If you have ripe bananas around, mash one and mix that into the oats too.  Bananas are great when using peanut flour and cocoa powder in the mix…try it!

I hope you give this a shot and let me know what flavors you used.  Happy MLK day, try not to get sick!!

Going Healthy, NuttZo

Healthy Single Serving NuttZo Oatmeal Cake Recipe

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It’s pretty clear that the Going Family loves both NuttZo and Oatmeal, so it only makes sense to combine the two into a healthy, tasty and transportable treat. I’m not trying to win any creativity awards here, just make something the whole family will love and won’t take forever to put together.
And that’s just what I did. Voila!
The unfrosted version is better for transporting. Trust me.
The unfrosted version is better for transporting. Trust me.

Nothing fancy, but damned delicious. If you’re enjoying at home, why not put some healthy Greek yogurt frosting on that NuttZo-atmeal cake?

Oatmeal Cake with Yogurt Frosting

Need a better view?

Oatmeal Cake with Yogurt Frosting 2
Topped with cinnamon and looking lovely. Make it go away…….via eating

I wanted a recipe for a super peanut buttery and healthy oatmeal cake, and am very pleased with the end result….so are Kelley and Avery!

NuttZo Oatmeal Cake

Ingredients

– 1/2 cup rolled oats
– 1 T melted NuttZo
– 1/4 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon
– 2 packets or 1 T stevia powder, 8 – 12 drops liquid stevia, or, if you want to use sugar, 1 – 2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
– 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, pumpkin puree, or mashed banana (Plain yogurt works well too)
– 1/4 cup unsweetened almond or other milk of choice
– Small dash of salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated. Let sit 5 – 10 minutes to allow oats to absorb liquid
Pour into one of the muffin molds in a muffin tin, 1-cup ramekin (or use a glass baking dish like I used), or just spread flat on a baking sheet for a crunchy treat. Make sure you use non-stick bake ware, spread coconut oil, or non-stick spray before pouring batter into device of choice.
Cook for 25 – 30 minutes; the top should have a nice light brown and the whole cake will feel firm. You can set your oven to broil and let cook about 3 – 4 minutes for a crispier crust; reduce baking time by 5 minutes if you do this. 
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing.
For a quicker version, use a microwave-safe container and microwave mixture for 5 minutes. 
What happens when you let your wife/kid try a "bite"
What happens when you let your wife/kid try a “bite”

This cake is bliss on its own, but try smearing more NuttZo or nut butter of choice on top for extra nuttiness! Or, get a little more creative with a banana and peanut butter mashed together and smeared on top. 

Try your favorite spread and let me know what you come up with. Have fun with the flavors and making this cake.

What?  You want to try the Greek Yogurt Icing?  Ok, it’s extremely easy; just like this recipe…..
Greek Yogurt Icing

Mix 2 cups plain Greek Yogurt (non, low, or full fat will work) with one of the following to suit your preferences:

–          1/2 cup melted NuttZo, other nut butter, or peanut flour for peanut butter icing
–          1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (preferably organic and sweetened with stevia) and 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
–          1/2 cup chocolate protein powder (preferably organic and sweetened with stevia), 2 tsp cacao powder, and 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
–          1 very ripe mashed banana and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
–          1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger and nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp cloves
I love the single serving recipes, but just double, triple, or quadruple the measurements to make more. This would be a perfect Thanksgiving breakfast you make in a hurry since we all know the rest of the day can get hectic fast! Try making the entire mix the night before so you can cook first thing in the morning.