Delightful Date Dip

As you may know, I like simple. So, this date dip includes 2 food ingredients plus water. I'm sure there are endless possibilities to explore. The way I've eaten most of my first batches of dip have been with apple slices. What ideas do you have?

Delightful Date Dip

2 c pitted dates

1 c water

1/4 c oats

Combine ingredients in high-speed blender to form a caramel-like consistency, remove mixture from blender, and chill. Slice green and red apples. Enjoy!

EXPLORATION IDEAS: cooking the mixture so it tastes more like caramel, cocoa, hazelnuts, cashews, miso, peanuts - yum!

DAILY DOZEN CHECK MARKS: Several fruit checkmarks, depending how much you eat! Probably no grain checkmarks though, unless you eat the whole batch!

Please share in a comment below if you have an idea of what you want in another post. I'm excited to share!
 

Easy Creamy Carrot or Cauliflower Soup (6 Dr Greger Check marks!)

I started with Tangy and Refreshing Carrot Soup.

Then added:
1. nutritional boost! (more Dr Greger check marks!)
There are now 6 check marks (spices, beans, veggies, flax, hemp, and oats)!
2. Instapot directions (20 min manual setting, use only 6 c water)
3. alternative base: cauliflower (cruciferous veggies rock!)

Creamy Carrot or Cauliflower Soup

2 lb cauliflower + 1.5 c garbanzo / chickpeas / chi chi beans (1 can, drained)
OR 3 lb carrots + 2/3 c beans
10 c water on stove OR 6 c water in Instapot
1/4 c ground flaxseed
1/4 c hemp seeds
1 c oats (or other grain such as quinoa...go heavier on spice range with other grain)
3 cloves garlic
1/2" fresh turmeric (1/2 tsp powder)
1/2" fresh ginger (1/2 tsp powder)
2 tsp - 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 - 2 tsp black pepper
1/4 - 1 tsp sabji masala (or pumpkin pie spice)
1/4 - 1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 min. After cooking on stove or in pressure cooker, blend with an immersion blender, or another blender to puree to desired consistency, and enjoy!

This is thick and creamy soup. Feel free to add water to thin soup to your desired consistency. Great with a topping of hummus, and/or some veggies!




Thank you for sharing, and liking on Facebook!

4-Ingredient Banana Breakfast Cookies

These nut-free delights are so simple to make, and you'll never again have to throw away an overripe banana!

Nut-Free Banana Breakfast Cookies

6 small bananas (or 4-5 large bananas)
2 c rolled oats
3/4 c ground flaxseed
2 Tbsp cinnamon
Optional: semi-sweet chocolate chips (cookies in this pic were a treat for a family weekend away to the Chicago Marathon!...though only a few were left by the time we drove off!)

Mash bananas and combine all ingredients. Scoop onto baking sheet and cook at 350 degree for about 20 minutes, until cookies are golden.

These are great for a snack any time of day, and certainly fitting for breakfast! Here is a crunchy peanut butter version :)

Watch Flaxseed and Breast Cancer to learn about why these breakfast cookies, specifically the ground flaxseed they contain, may REDUCE tumor growth in patients with breast cancer AS WELL AS currently used breast cancer drugs.

Ground flaxseed is a nutritionally-awesome and effective baking substitution for EGGS! Why substitute eggs? Unfortunately, they do us more harm than good. While there are lots of reasons for this, let's just take a look at Dr Michael Greger's article: Why the Egg-Cancer Link? ( For more on Greger see This Dude is Awesome!)

Enjoy, and have a great week, everybody!

Pumpkin Overnight Oats

I finally gave these overnight oats a try, and when last night I made them for the third time in a week, I thought I should share! If you don't want to wait until tomorrow to eat them, just cook them up on the stove! Here is the recipe for two hearty servings.

Pumpkin Overnight Oats
1.5 c rolled oats
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 c pumpkin puree
2 tsp cinnamon (more or less depending on your taste buds!) or some pumpkin pie spice
1-1.5 c water (I used 1.25 for thick oatmeal)
1/2 c Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Laraball crumbs

Stir it all up, put it in the fridge, and go to bed.  Enjoy a nice breakfast with no work in the morning!

NOTES

If you don't have any Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough handy, just chop up some walnuts and dates, and add a dash of salt!

Pumpkin puree: I got a HUGE can at Gordon Food Service and divided it into 1 cup servings (a dozen or so!) for easy use in the future!

Instead of water, you can use any type of milk for a creamier version.

Try other Laraball flavors as well (minus the pumpkin most likely :).

Please omit salt :)

COMMENTS

What is your favorite activity for fall?  I really love apple picking, and it's getting cold, and we haven't done it!  Fingers crossed for one more nice day when we aren't busy!

Peach and Oat Hotcakes and My New Awesome Ozeri Pan!

I can't make these fast enough for my kids, or me!  Simply sweet and fresh taste, yum!

I used My Whole Food Life's Melissa's recipe for Apple Cinnamon Waffles as a starter to make this pancake recipe!  Thank you Melissa!

Peach and Oat Pancakes

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c oats, ground
1 t cinnamon
1 t baking powder
1/2 t nutmeg
1 c nectarine, pureed (or apples, peaches, mango, blueberries, pumpkin...any fruit perhaps!)
1 c almond milk
1 T flaxseed, ground with 3 T warm water
1 t vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients (top five).  Separately mix the wet ingredients (last four).  Make a well in the dry to pour in the wet, and mix. I use an Ozeri non-stick and non-Teflon pan, which my hubby recently gave me as a gift, pancakes without oil :).

The Ozeri pan has a ceramic coating so food won't stick to it with no use of oil, and no heavy metals or chemicals.  It is a really awesome pan and you barely have to clean it!

Maybe this pan with be on your wish list in the future!

YUM!  Peach and Oat Hotcakes!

COMMENTS: What new gadgets in your kitchen are making you smile?

Nearly as FAST as Quick Oats!

Oats (oatmeal, rolled oats, Old-Fashioned oats) are a 100% whole grain -- NO added ingredients!

They're FAST and they are CHEAPER and HEALTHIER than flavored, quick oats!

Oatmeal is high in fiber, protein, and healthy carbs to give you energy that will last all morning! Oats also contain iron and zinc, without cholesterol or saturated fat, and provide folate, niacin, thiamin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, and vitamin A.

Plain rolled oats are almost as easy as pouring a bowl of cereal!  Simply pour some oats into a large glass bowl and cover oats with water.  One cup of oats will cook in the microwave to a perfectly moist fluff in 3-4 minutes!

Eat it right away or try it with some added flavor!

Try Yummy Flavored Oatmeal! or Chocolate Oatmeal (or Peanut Butter Oatmeal if you omit cocoa!..PB Oatmeal is what we have most often!) or Hearty Oatmeal Combos!

If you're still reading this AND you don't enjoy hot cereal, you might try Creamy Refreshing Carrot Soup OR Chocolate Raspberry Kiss Muffins!

Creamy, Refreshing, Tangy Carrot Soup

Chocolate Raspberry Kiss Muffins

WHY Old-Fashioned oats? Well, they mainly have the same nutritional value. However, the more you process, in this case cut up, and partially cook (the "instant" ones in packets), the more nutrients are potentially destroyed (through oxidation, for example). Plus, flavored instant oatmeals contain unhealthy ingredients, especially refined sugars, added, decreasing the nutrient density of the food.

COMMENTS: What do you like most to see on the blog?  Thanks for sharing!!