Pumpkin Protein Oatmeal

I love having oatmeal for breakfast, but lately I've been really trying to incorporate some more protein into my morning meals. If I'm not having my usual shake or eggs, I find it hard to make sure I'm getting enough! This recipe is delicious, quick, and warming - perfect for these chilly winter days we're having, plus it is packed with nutritious ingredients and a good amount of protein. Better yet, it only takes about 10 minutes to make!

You can play around with toppings for this, but I went with cinnamon (which is a wonderful, warming spice in the winter, plus it balances blood sugar), cacao nibs for a little crunch (these little guys are loaded with iron, magnesium, fiber and so much more!)., and a little maple syrup for sweetener!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 ripe banana sliced
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 egg whites (remove the yokes)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or you can do a mixture of ground cloves, cinnamon, & nutmeg)
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• cinnamon & cacao nibs for topping

Directions

• In a sauce pan, combine the milk, water, banana slices, pumpkin puree, spices and salt over medium to high heat. Bring to a boil.
• Once the mixture is boiling, add the oatmeal and bring down to a simmer. Cook until almost all the liquid is absorbed and the oats are soft.
• Pour in the egg whites and stir constantly so that they mix well (otherwise you'll get chunks of egg whites in the oatmeal). Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
• Place into a bowl and add your favorite toppings! You could do the toppings I chose, or something like an almond butter drizzle with pumpkin seeds, fruit or pretty much anything your heart desires!

*Recipe adapted from Eating Bird Food

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Chicken Quinoa Casserole

This is my new go-to recipe for during the weeks. It's delicious, pretty healthy (make sure to check out the substitutes I use below), and the leftovers last literally all week for me. It reheats well for lunch and tastes just as good as when it first came out of the oven.

The recipe is pretty simple to make - just 11 ingredients (or less depending on what additions you add), and about an hour of your time. To begin, preheat the over to 400 degrees, and grease a 9x13 baking dish (I use coconut oil to do so). Bring the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of milk (I used almond milk) to a boil in a medium/large sized saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk the other 1/2 cup of milk with flour (I used almond meal - see portions below) and poultry seasoning. Combine both together in saucepan and stir until the mixture is creamy.

Next, mix the sauce with 1 cup of water, quinoa, and bacon (I used turkey bacon, you can substitute pretty much anything you'd like though, like ham, or sausage) in a large bowl and stir. Pour this into the greased baking dish and add the chicken breasts (sliced thinly) on top of the mixture. Sprinkle the seasoning over the top and bake for 30 minutes.

While the casserole is baking, we cook the broccoli! To cook it, I chopped up the broccoli into very small pieces, put it in a bowl with a tiny bit of water, covered the bowl and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. You can also cook it by putting the broccoli in boiling water until it turns bright green.

Once the casserole is done cooking, remove it from the oven and stir. You can cook it an additional 10 minutes if it's too watery. Once the casserole is thickened, add the broccoli and a little bit of water (1 cup or less), and stir until the mixture is creamy and stirs easily. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese. That's it!

Quinoa & Broccoli Chicken Casserole

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk (option to substitute almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 cup flour (option to substitute pretty much any other flour - see this chart for help) 
• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (option to substitute ham, sausage, or eliminate this completely)
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons seasoning (I used garlic salt combined with an italian seasoning)
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella - Gruyere is a great option too)
• 3 cups broccoli florets 

*recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

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