Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal

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Sibling Rivalry

When the mornings get chilly and the windows get frosty, that means it’s time for steaming hot bowls of oatmeal for breakfast. Growing up with four sisters, my mom would buy the giant variety packs of instant oatmeal, and I distinctly remember arguing with my big sister over the last packet of strawberries and cream…more than once. I think my mom would have us take turns; she could have the last strawberries and cream this time, and I could have the last one on the next box. When it wasn’t my turn for strawberries and cream, I would always snag cinnamon apple. Yum! Looking back now, cinnamon apple was better because it didn’t turn your oatmeal a strange pepto pink…

Now, I like to make us cinnamon apple oatmeal for those chilly mornings because it’s warm and comforting, with plenty of fiber and healthy carbs; I feel kind of silly for even writing this out as a “recipe”, but it changes up the breakfast routine of cereal, and it takes about 10 minutes tops! I’m sure you have most, if not all, of these ingredients on hand, and could make a pot for your family tomorrow morning. I know everyone will love the sweetness (shh…the kids don’t need to know that it’s refined sugar free), and it will make you feel good to get your family going with a healthy, hearty breakfast.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal

Serves four to five, and could easily be doubled or halved if needed.

Ingredients:

• Two cups of water
• One small gala apple, skin on, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup unsweetened raisins
• One cup of old fashioned oats
• 2 tbsp of maple syrup, or according to taste
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• Optional toppings:
  • walnuts
  • more raisins

Directions:

• Combine water, apples, chia, raisins, and salt in a medium pot
• Place pot on stove and turn burner to high
• Once boiling, add remaining ingredients
• Let boil, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed
• Serve hot with toppings, if desired

We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it also includes the most important beverage of the day: coffee! Use this promo code to get 20% off some delicious cold brew coffees along with 10% off these delicious, dairy free, sugar free creamers. These promotions end soon, so grab them while you can! If you would rather prep your oatmeal the night before, you would probably like my Peanut Butter and Chocolate Overnight Oats, or my Fruit and Nut Granola for a quick grab-and-go breakfast. If oats aren’t your thing, I also have a Whole30 Breakfast Hash and a Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bake for you. I’m sure you can find something you like! Get a healthy and hearty breakfast…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

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Wholesome Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase using the links, it is of no extra cost to you!

Comfort Food with a Wholesome Twist

This is my ninth post on A Pinch of Crazy, and my second dessert post. So considering that nearly 25% of my blog so far is desserts, I guess you could say I have a sweet tooth. If I’m being honest, it’s more like a sugar monster that tackles me every evening, force feeding me candy and cakes. After trying to starve the sugar monster, I realized that a life without chocolate is really no life at all. So what do you do when the sugar monster comes knocking and brings you a craving for chocolate chip cookies? You bake chocolate chip cookies, but with wholesome, real ingredients!

These cookies are scrumptious, but you don’t have to feel guilty about eating one (or two…or three) because there is no dairy, no refined sugar, and no flour. However, they are still treats, not exactly “low carb” or “low fat”, but the carbs come from oats and almonds, and the fats come from coconut oil and natural peanut butter. These healthy, wholesome ingredients are so much better for you than eating a cookie filled with white flour, butter, and white sugar.

Here is a comparison of the nutrition facts in one of my cookies and a Mrs. Fields’ cookie.

Molly’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies:

Calories- 88

Sugar- 6g

Fat- 7g

Carbs- 4g

Protein- 2g

Mrs. Fields Semi Sweet Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Calories- 280

Sugar- 25g

Fat- 13g

Carbs- 39

Protein- 3g

Not ragging on Mrs. Fields; those are some delicious packaged cookies, but homemade is always better, and in this case, healthier!

 

One of the downsides of homemade cookies is, of course, the dishes. I hate doing dishes, and usually give that lovely chore to my wonderfully helpful husband, but I generally try to create as few dirty dishes as possible. So when making these, all you will need is one mixing bowl and a spoon! Woo!

The flour in my cookies is not traditional all purpose flour, or even whole wheat; it is a mix of almond flour (ground almonds) and oat flour (ground oats), which you can either buy or grind up your own. The chocolate I used was dark baking chocolate; the first time I baked them I used 100% cacao which was a little too bitter. The second time I used 66%, which added more sugar, but was delicious. I think up to 85% cacao would be dark chocolatey deliciousness! I adore these vegan dark chocolate chips from Enjoy Life in cookies, too!

I hope these Wholesome Chocolate Chunk Cookies make their way into your cookie jar, satisfying your sugar monster without setting you off track in your healthy lifestyle.

Wholesome Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 18 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice, this is my favorite cheap, clean peanut butter)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 oz chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Prepare baking sheet with cooking spray
• Combine first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl
• Create a large hole in your dry ingredients (instead of getting out a second bowl for wet ingredients)
• Combine the next five ingredients in your created “bowl”, trying not to mix with the dry ingredients
• Once the wet ingredients are mostly combined, widen your stirring strokes to slowly incorporate the dry ingredients
• Once well combined, fold in chocolate chunks
• Roll about a tablespoon and a half of dough into a ball
• Place dough balls about two inches apart on prepared baking sheet
• Bake for 9-11 minutes until starting to brown
• Let cool on sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Next time your sugar monster comes around, bake these Wholesome Chocolate Chunk Cookies! If you do, tag me on Instagram (@mrsmollymills) or Facebook (Molly Mills). Incorporate some healthier treats into your lifestyle so you can enjoy life more. Eat your treats…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Overnight Oats

Welcome!

Hi! I’m Molly Mills; welcome to A Pinch of Crazy. I enjoy serving my family healthy meals, but sometimes life gets hectic, so every day and every meal includes “a pinch of crazy”. Since this is my first blog post, I want to share a little bit about myself.

I am a music teacher turned work-at-home mom (I decided I don’t like the phrase “stay at home” because I feel like it implies relaxation…which is definitely not the case!). My daughter, Zemirah, is eighteen months old, and the little darling of our household. My husband, David, is serving as a Sgt in the Marine Corps, but his contract is up in a few months so we will soon be in the “civilian world” again. We currently live just north of San Diego, and are hoping to move permanently to Texas once David gets out of the Corps; both of our families are from the Dallas area, and we miss them so much.

Growing up in a family of five girls, my mother certainly had her hands full with all of the meals she had to prepare. So when we were off from school during the summers, she would have each of us cook one night of the week. I remember being eight or nine-years-old and cooking meatloaf for my family using a recipe from a kids’ cookbook. Everyone loved it; my mom even said it was better than hers (which was so exciting for me to hear), and from then on, I loved cooking. I used to bake brownies and cakes from a box at a young age, and I remember cooking that meatloaf often, along with a few other simple meals. One summer when I was nineteen, I stayed with my cousin for about a month and helped take care of her kids, which included meals. It was then that I discovered how to be creative in the kitchen; coming up with meals based on what we had.

After getting married in 2014, David and I started going out to eat frequently, and consequently, I would get sick; my stomach just could not handle all the fatty, unhealthy foods we were consuming. I gained about twelve pounds in our first year and a half of marriage, and just felt miserable and sick. Then I got pregnant with our sweet Zemirah and continued to gain weight and feel sick. After getting adjusted to having a new baby, I started trying to cook healthier for us, and started really noticing what helped me feel healthy and good. Eventually I discovered Whole30, and now, having done two rounds, I have started truly loving feeding my family healthy, whole foods that are good for us.

Now, having been married for almost four years and having a toddler, I’ve come to be even more creative in the kitchen, utilizing a small budget, and healthy, wholesome ingredients. I am FAR from formally trained, but here I am: just wanting to share ideas and easy, quick, healthy recipes for other people whose lives include a pinch of crazy.

As I mentioned earlier, my husband is a marine. That usually means very early mornings; he is out the door around six every morning, sometimes earlier. What I did NOT mention is that my husband loooves breakfast. I could probably make a big breakfast every day and he wouldn’t get tired of it. He loves it. And I love my husband dearly, but I am not going to wake up at 4 AM to make him eggs, bacon, biscuits, toast, grits, etc.

Enter: the overnight oats. There are all sorts of different ways to fix overnight oats, but this way is our current favorite. Peanut butter and chocolate. Delicious, classic combo. These taste like eating a bowl of Reese’s Puffs…except healthy, and with a boost of energy. Overnight oats are the perfect solution for a breakfast-loving hubby and a sleep deprived wife. I just fix it up the night before, put it in the refrigerator, and he takes a jar with him to work. On busy mornings, Zemirah and I will share a jar, too, and she just gobbles it up! So quick, easy, and darn delicious.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Overnight Oats

This recipe is for a single serving of oats. I typically make about five servings to last throughout the week, so gather up as many jars as you need for the servings you will be making.

Materials Needed:

• Half pint mason jars
• Spoon
• Measuring cup
• Measuring spoons

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats (quick oats will get mushy)
• 1/2 cup of almond milk
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon of 100% cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter (with no added sugar)
• 1/2 tablespoon of raw honey (or maple syrup if you follow a vegan diet)
• Optional toppings:
• • a dollop of peanut butter
• • a drizzle of honey
• • chopped almonds and/or walnuts
• • sliced bananas

Directions:

• Put oats into mason jar
• Pour milk over oats
• Put the other ingredients (except toppings) into jar
• Stir everything until well combined
• Refrigerate overnight
• Top with desired toppings
• Enjoy cold or microwave and enjoy warm!

I hope you all enjoy these oats as much as my family does; let me know if you try them. Have a blessed week, and enjoy your pinch of crazy!