Power Pumpkin Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a near daily affair in the Liv Life kitchen.  Wholesome and filled with fiber, oatmeal brings low glycemic carbohydrates while also bringing a healthy dose of protein to the table.  Said to help regulate blood pressure, lower risk of cardiovascular disease and decrease risks of colon cancer, oatmeal is an inexpensive breakfast (or dinner?) option  we love.

But... I've been told oatmeal is "boring".  Actually, it's "sooooo boring" (said with 16-year old eyeroll for full effect...).  And while I love the oaty grains, I guess I can see how it can get a bit old day after day.  Luckily, oatmeal is simply a blank slate just waiting to be adorned with the flavors of the season!

So today, we bring fall flavors and a dose of vitamin A-rich pumpkin to that blank slate.

Pumpkin - and it's pumpkin pie spice flavors - is also a favorite in the Liv Life kitchen, and as such a regular to our dishes year round (stock up on cans now for use in summer!).  And while we've had pumpkin oatmeal in the past, I'd simply forgotten about it until today.

Pairing a version of our Power Oatmeal (oats, flax, chia and hemp) with a scoop of organic canned pumpkin brought a lovely orange hue to the bowl.  Topped with a sprinkle of walnuts and banana as well as a dash of pumpkin pie spice today's breakfast was met with smiles all around. 

Apple Bran Flax Muffins from Bob's Red Mill (Back of the package)

I've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately.  With no imagination or inspiration, I see no problem with a bowl of cereal for dinner.  My family, however, sees things differently.

So last week I hit the farmers market and put soup to simmer on the stove.  The house smelled wonderful, which in turn left me feeling motivated and  I set to refilling jars in the pantry.  Nearly tossing the Bob's Red Mill Golden Flax Meal packaging, the recipe on the back caught my eye.

Apples, carrots, raisins and nuts.  Coincidentally every one of those ingredients had also been in my farmer's market basket.

Inspiration set in, and soon the oat bran, flax and flour mixed with a touch of brown sugar and cinnamon to perfectly complement the fresh ingredients.

Placing the muffins into the oven, the aromas soon mixed with the simmering soup and a bona fide meal was about to take place.

Browning beautifully, the baked tender muffins took a rest on the cooling rack and I allowed my motivation to take me to the gym for a quick workout.  Arriving home Liv greeted me with an enthusiastic "Mom!  These muffins are awesome!" as she proceeded to grab another.

Still feeling proud of my inspired soup prep I tossed together a small salad and actually set the table.

However my "Hey guys... what time do you want dinner?" was met with a "Oh... don't worry about dinner Mom.  I had so many muffins I'm not hungry."

Sigh.  At least soup reheats well.

And by the way.. so do the muffins.

Almond Butter Chia Protein Balls - Otherwise Known as Awesome Balls

Hospitals are no fun.  Unless you are coming home with a baby... but even then, the hospital part isn't so great.  And the food.  Seriously, they really expect you to get healthy on some the food they serve?

This week my 86-year old dad finally called Uncle and agreed with his orthopedic surgeon that the time had come for his knee replacement.  Dad is a tough guy and really hard to keep down, but anesthesia and he aren't best buddies.

Taking a little longer than others to expel the drugs from his system, yesterday's anesthesia brought waves of nausea to his otherwise very successful surgery.  For a man who never misses a meal (and yet he maintains a proper and fit weight), hospital food left a lot to be desired in his queasy state - they brought greasy meatloaf, butter slathered mashed potatoes with puddles of gravy and wished him Bon Appetit.  All a no-go in his book and he stuck with one Saltine cracker.

Concerned that his IV wasn't delivering enough nutrients and refusing the chilled bottle of Ensure purely based on the less than desirable ingredients, (sugar, salt and maltodextrin...??) I promised I'd bring healthy food.

He maintained he needed nutrition, not just calories, and I set to putting together something that brought a nutritional punch, helped with potential constipation issues due to pain meds** (see note below), but yet remained tolerable on the still slightly off tummy.

And with a few super foods and a medium sized bowl I created just the concoction.

Already a favorite, almond butter and maple syrup bring a tasty base that blends beautifully with rolled oats and flax.  Chia seeds add much needed potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium, and vanilla extract?  Well, that simply brings a taste of heaven to the mix.

Rolled into balls, these little bites pack the nutrition punch I was looking for, but it wasn't until my college boy arrived home from the gym and I ran down the protein profile for him that I discovered they are also irresistible.

Filling his summer days with hours at the gym, my son has morphed his body in ways I can reminisce about from my younger years.  Craving protein after his workouts he often turns to chicken, but touting my plant-based diet I've been teaching him plant-based protein sources and he's actually been listening.

Hearing almond butter, protein powder, oats and chia as I ran down my ingredient list he readily reached for one of the little balls topped with a tiny square of dark chocolate on top.  His eyes spoke before his words, and he proclaimed them "Awesome Balls" as I scampered to save a few for my dad.

Back to the hospital, the balls did indeed tempt Dad's appetite, and along with a bowl of organic blueberries and grapes he finally turned the corner and pushed those anesthesia meds from his system.

Seeing his roommate's eyes move from dad's Awesome Balls to his plate of chard and chicken we simply had to share, and my job was complete.  Moments later I left the two octogenarians chatting about their combined 122 years of marriage, heart surgeries and now new knee joints all while saying "Huh?" every few sentences as neither of them had their hearing aids in.

Funniest thing ever though, was walking out the door as the nurse entered and hearing the roommate say, "Hey... have you seen his Awesome Balls?"  Chuckling all the way to the car I think that night nurse had her hands full with those two.

Vegan Crispy Belgian Waffles with Flax and Vanilla

All I did was blink and July disappeared.  Busy weeks filled with family events sped by with lightening speed, and while we've enjoyed time together those leisurely days of sleeping in with no schedule just haven't materialized.  Until today.

With the first completely unscheduled day of summer upon us, my thoughts drifted to waffles.  Lonely in the cabinet, my Belgian Waffle Maker hadn't seen the light of day since the holidays and deserved a work out.

Assembling ingredients from the pantry I eased up on the "health" facet for these waffles in favor of a sort of "healthy summer treat".  Using my everyday recipe as a base, I increased the white flour/whole grain ratio to a higher white content.  I also added additional oil to bring extra crispness, and of course poured a generous splash of our beloved vanilla extract.  Unable to help myself chia and flax found their way into the mix as did a small handful of rolled oats.  But these additions only served to add additional nutrients in addition to increasing that creamy center that makes Belgian Waffles so special.

Watching my summer bikini figure (insert crying/laughing face emoji here), I promised myself I'd only take a quarter triangle... simply for tasting purposes, of course.  But here's were my self control (it's not known for it's strength anyway) completely disappeared.

A fan of crispy waffles, these are the first Belgian Waffles with baking powder (as opposed to the plan ahead yeasted versions) that have crisped to perfection.  Perfectly crispy on the outside and lightly creamy on the inside, the texture made them irresistible.  Add the exotic vanilla flavor and you can throw all willpower out the window.

Wafting waffle aromas filled the house, and as I knew it would it drew my sleepy teens to the kitchen.  Bleary eyed and hungry, comments of "Oh wow... these are awesome!" filled my heart.  Even my son, a man of very few words and not much of a breakfast eater, mentioned he wouldn't mind if we had these waffles every day till he leaves for summer school next week.  Apparently the UCSB dining commons doesn't serve waffles like Mom.  Yes... he still needs me.

Power Pumpkin Pancakes

Pancakes... here at Liv Life, pancakes bring balance to the table.  For some 18 years I've made pancakes 3-5 times a week, and over the years I've done my best to keep that balance of a "light, fluffy pancake" with healthy ingredients that help get my kids through their mornings.

Hence, I've stuffed everything from whole grains to bananas to avocado to black beans into pancakes with mostly wonderful results (the black bean version was accepted,  but noted as "different... and not in the best way imaginable ;)

Pumpkin Pancake Instagram

Pumpkin, though, is always a hit.  Tweaking a version from 4 years ago (a special post with pancakes that brought comfort to our family), we've turned this pumpkin version in a power version - one that you can count on to get you through the morning in a healthy manner, but also one that will have the kids asking for them again for dinner.

Filled with whole grains, flax, chia and pumpkin, these pancakes bring an array of nutrients and healthy properties including fiber, vitamin E, easier digestibility and a lower glycemic index from the Organic Spelt.  Flax brings a high content of Omega-3's in addition to cardiovascular health, and pumpkin blasts us with vision-healthy vitamin A.

But it's the chia that brings on even more power.  Prized by the Aztecs and Mayans to provide sustainable energy, chia also brings bone healthy calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.  We've been adding chai to all sorts of recipes, and I'm finding I'm somewhat obsessed with this little seed that swells incredibly when added to liquid.

All these benefits leave me happy with our choice of morning meal, but add in a few dashes of pumpkin pie-like spices and you have flavors that will send aromas of the holidays through your kitchen.

Power Pumpkin Pancakes - they're what's for breakfast.  Or dinner.

Ancient Power Oatmeal with Chia, Walnuts, and Flax

We all know how good oatmeal is for us... but do you ever just get tired of it?  My son told me the other day "Don't ever serve it again!!  It's just SO boring!"  I'd say that's a challenge issued.  And so we've spiced up our oatmeal, made it more interesting and even made it healthier.

Long known to have cholesterol lowering benefits, (Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fiber known as beta-glucan - and since 1963, study after study has proven the beneficial effects of this special fiber on cholesterol levels), antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides are now being said to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.  And if that isn't enough, according to The World's Healthiest Foods, oatmeal also has the potential to stabilize blood sugars, enhance immune response to infection, lower type 2 diabetes risks, and protect against postmenopausal breast cancer.  #superfood 

After reading all these oatmeal benefits I felt even more inspired to kick up our daily oats, and stirring in a tablespoon of chia seed brought not only an interesting texture balance, but calcium, antioxidants, omega-3's and protein (chia is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids).  And then we added a little flax meal.  Adding more omega-3's, flax also benefits the cardiovascular system in addition to bringing anti-inflammatory benefits.  Don't forget about its boost to digestive health as well!

Top all these wonderful nutritional benefits with a handful of fresh fruit, a sprinkle of cinnamon (cinnamon can help regulate blood sugar, reduce LDL cholesterol levels, has natural anti-infections compounds, and can help reduce pain linked with arthritis) and a spoonful of chopped walnuts (more Omega-3's, benefits to diabetes and heart disease, can increase your sperm count, and may help in warding off dementia), and you have one extraordinarily heathful and tasty (non-boring) bowl.  Oatmeal is back on our table.

Ancient Power Oatmeal with Chia, Walnuts, and Flax
Filled with ancient grains and fiber-filled oatmeal then topped with fruit and nuts, this oatmeal is raised to another level.  Stir in a little vanilla flavored almond milk and you have a dish even your teenagers will get up for!
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4 cups water
1 cups steel cut oats
3 Tbs ground flax meal
1 Tbs chia seed
fruit
cinnamon
walnuts
vanilla almond milk (we like Silk brand as it does not contain carageenan)

Bring water to a boil in a large pot on the stove.  While waiting for water to boil, pour the steel-cut oats into a small bowl.  Add the chia and flax, stir to combine.

When the water is boiling, add the oat mixture.  Reduce heat to medium low and stir.  Allow to simmer lightly until the water has been absorbed (about 25 minutes).  Stir occasionally

Ladle into serving bowls and top with your favorite fruit, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a spoonful of chopped walnuts.  Serve with milk of your choice (we love ours topped with vanilla almond milk!)

Liv Life Note:  If you think far enough ahead, start your oats before you go to bed! Simply bring the water to a boil and add the oat mixture.  Turn stove off and cover.  Go to bed.  When you wake in the morning, most of the water will have been absorbed and you just need a quick heating and maybe a little water added to have your meal ready faster.

Heart-Healthy Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

Little white balls of fluff... who knew they could worm their way into your heart so easily??  Just four years ago we brought these Maltese litter mates home at 10 weeks of age and weighing just over a few pounds each.  They tested every bit of patience I had as they chewed, bit and peed their way through my house, and on more than one occasion I was sorely tempted to send them back.

But then something happened.  They settled into a routine, they did their business outside and they looked to me with undying love nearly every moment of the day.  I'm not sure exactly when, but I began loving these guys with all my heart.

They follow me throughout the day and one or both of them usually hops onto my lap whenever the opportunity is given.  Their big brown eyes exude happiness and pure love to our whole family and my heart simply breaks when they are sick.

Unfortunately, these last few weeks we've seen our share of sick pups.  One experienced a severe allergic reaction on Christmas Day and had me up worrying about him most of the night.  The vet gave meds the next day, but his sad little eyes didn't understand that the meds would take a little bit of time to work.  Needing medicine throughout the night to help him breathe, I slept little for days as I listened for any struggle during the night.  Luckily, his attack has passed and now we wait for a blood test to see what might have caused the whole experience.

Then a few days ago I treated the two to an after dinner treat of grilled mahi mahi, an old favorite that we haven't had in quite some time.  Apparently... too long of a time, and the change in diet caused the next pup to become sick.  Lethargic, weak and with the saddest brown eyes you've ever seen, my husband and I took turns holding the boy for two days until his digestive system bounced back on track.

With both boys finally feeling better, my heart is bursting with love and I'm hoping to keep it that way.  Hence... we've been eating these better than I ever thought they could be heart-healthy pancakes for the last few days for breakfast.

Not really looking for a vegan pancake, I stumbled across a similar recipe while searching for heart-healthy versions.  With no added oil or eggs, these pancakes feature whole grains, hints of vanilla, and refreshing chunks fruit in the form of blueberries or banana (or any other fruit your heart desires!).

Having my doubts about the texture without the egg, I simply had to see if these pancakes could live up to the hype.  Would my family reject them in favor of our usual version with eggs and oil?   Would the texture be dense and dry?  Could a pancake without an egg really be good?

I'm happy to say yes to all of the above, and the reception to these flapjacks was quite the opposite of my doubts, even garnering a, "Mom... these are the best pancakes you've ever made!  Can we have them again tomorrow?".

Tweaking the ingredients to suit my taste, I had these pancakes cooking up as some of the lightest and fluffiest pancakes ever, and this vegan version earned its place as a keeper.

I didn't tell anyone about the "things" I left out, but I feel good enough about this breakfast to serve it to family members struggling with heart issues, and with my two Maltese pups lounging on my lap as I type, my heart is full as can be.

 

Coconut Mango Granola... it's for Muffin.

Angels really do walk among us, but sometimes even they need a little help.

Are you familiar with photographer extraordinaire, Kita of Pass the Sushi and Girl Carnivore??  If not, you should be.  Miss Kita is truly one of those angels.

If my son were a food blog reader I know he'd have a huge crush on Kita as her recipes bring mouthwatering responses to all who view her stunning photos, and her writing will have you smiling as you read along.  But her blogs, fabulous as they are, aren't what make her an angel.

Photo Credit: Kita, Pass the Sushi

You see, Kita is adopting a beautiful pup named Muffin.  Muffin (she's about 5), like many pups, craves belly rubs and really wants to be a lap dog even though she's a tad too big.  She has bright, smiling eyes and is working on loving humans again.

Not too long ago, Muffin was found neglected and abused.  How someone can hurt helpless animals is beyond me, but the pain inflicted on this sweet girl is unbelievable.  I'm not in on the whole story, but I know the raw sores on her face were caused by chemicals thrown on her, and her road to recovery is a long one.  Along with that road comes a mountain of medical bills, and our Angel, Kita, is holding a bake sale to help defray some of the costs.

Muffin is all smiles!  Photo Credit: Kita, Pass the Sushi

Won't you help??

Some of the biggest names in food blogging are participating in this bake sale and you can be the recipient of some of their incredible baked goods.  For example... did you ever want the esteemed Chef Dennis to bake for you?? Here's your chance.  He's bringing Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies (yes... triple chocolate!) and they can be all yours.  Or have you ever wanted to be In Katrina's Kitchen??  I have, and she's got some fabulous S'more Cereal Treat Bars that I'm not sure I'd want to share.  Care to stay Gluten Free??  Not a problem... Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food has a divine GF Chocolate Orange Swirl Bread.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Check out this link for a sneak peak to see what's coming to the auction block and be ready swoon.

Here are the details:

At 8AM (EST) July 17th the Muffins for Muffin Bake Sale will start on PasstheSushi.com. A list of all donated baked goods and cook books will be shown with information next to them. To bid on an item, you will send an email to kita {at} passthesushi.com with the item you are bidding on in the subject line. Minimum bids will start at $15 and all bids after must be $5 higher. Bids will be updated next the item throughout the day, so check back if there is something you are really hoping to win! At the end of bidding, I will email the winning bidders to confirm instructions for payment, and also to retrieve their mailing address for their winnings. Payment will be made via paypal within 24 hours of confirmation (so that I can get your info to the baker asap!). Baked goods will be mailed to winners within one week unless other special arrangements are made or noted.

While Liv Life doesn't have an item up for bid, we did make a granola in Muffin's honor... a wonderfully sweet (just like her) Coconut Mango Granola that Liv dubbed Muffin's Mango Madness - Granola with a Tropical Twist (see below).

Filled with wholesome rolled oats and ground flax meal, the grains are bound together with a brown sugar/coconut oil mixture enhanced with sweet Mango Nectar.  Finished off with a dose of dried mango, slivered almonds and toasted coconut, this granola has the ability to transport you to your favorite tropical place - just imagine those swaying palms and light ocean breezes...

Will we see you at Muffin's Bakesale on July 17th??  I wouldn't miss it!  Help Muffin get the medicine she needs to regain her life with her angel.

Banana Bread with Spelt, Walnuts and Flaxseed

As a baby, one of the first foods many kids taste is banana.  The smile on Liv's face and her eagerness for a 2nd bite was proof enough that that first spoonful of the mashed fruit was a real winner for her, and to this day that smile and eagerness for more remains.  Banana tops her list of favorite foods (with the exception of pure sugar...) and when I'm in need of a recipe to brighten a less than stellar day for her, I usually turn to banana.

Liv's 1st bday - while this isn't banana, the smile is the same!

With banana being a favorite for our whole family, our bananas only rarely get to the not-so-pretty, brown/mushy stage.  However on occasion I do misjudge and am left with a bowl full of mushy bananas and a family exclaiming that no one would eat or touch "those yucky things".  Little do they know that those not so pretty, over-ripe fruits are the secret to exceptionally tasty breads, cakes, pancakes and even waffles.

Usually I try to whip something up when the fruits are ripe, but a few weeks ago time was short I simply stuck the over-ripe bunch into the freezer for a later use.  At the time I had not idea how handy those frozen bananas would become.  We've dropped frozen chunks into our dairy-free Blueberry Banana Smoothies, thawed (not a pretty process...) and mashed them into Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes (with a warm maple glaze, no less!), and yesterday they ended up mixed with my favorite flour, spelt, in a moist and flavorful Banana Bread with Spelt, Walnuts and Flaxseed.

Picking Liv up at dance after she had been away from home for nearly 14 hours she had the tell tale signs of a really, really tired kid.  5 1/2 hours of dance rehearsals after a full day of school had taken its toll, however a napkin filled with a few slices of the still warm from the oven bread seemed to furnish her little body with some much needed life soon after the first bite.

Topped with a sprinkle of raw sugar the crust brought a slight crunch that immediately pleased her while the rest of the low fat recipe filled with potassium rich bananas, Vitamin E spiked walnuts, and Omega-3 filled flaxseed pleased me.  Whole wheat and spelt flours provide whole grains and the bread bakes up moist, with a nice crumb - the banana flavor deepening upon cooling, making it perhaps even better yet the next day in the lunch box.