Vanilla Raisin Oatmeal Squares

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Vanilla Raisin Oatmeal Squares

I don’t know about you but Daylight Savings Time is really kicking my butt. I’m pretty sure we’ve been late to school drop off every day this week and for some reason I just can’t adjust as easily this time around as I have in years past. I’ve been putting the kids to bed a little earlier each day to adjust their schedules but the baby still isn’t waking up until right before we have to leave for school. Poor kid!

I haven’t been able to drink enough coffee to get me going in the mornings. And that’s even when I use my new favorite creamer in the mix!

In an effort to make things easier I’ve been using a few tips to streamline our mornings. Sticking with a morning routine has saved us the hassle of forgetting things, being too late, or just feeling rushed in the mornings. And no one wants to feel rushed as you start the day. And having a go-to breakfast that you can make ahead is my #1 tip for making mornings easier. I may have to take my coffee to go but at least the kids are getting fed!

Vanilla Raisin Oatmeal Squares with International Delight Simply Pure Vanilla

Tips for Making Mornings Easier

  1. Make breakfast ahead of time.
  2. Have the kids pick out their clothes the night before.
  3. Pack lunches ahead of time OR create a snack area for easy to grab lunch options.
  4. Hang back packs by the door so they’re ready to go.
  5. 10 minutes before you have to leave the house, make sure the kids are dressed (including socks and shoes!) and lunches in back packs so nothing is forgotten.

Vanilla Raisin Oatmeal Squares with coffee

Vanilla Raisin Oatmeal Squares

  • 1½ cups quick cooking oats
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • 1 cup Vanilla creamer
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x13 baking dish.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl then spread out evenly in the baking dish.

Bake 20-25 until the edges are golden brown.

Tips for Making Mornings Easier

How do you make mornings easier? 

Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oats

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The a2 Milk Company™. All opinions are 100% mine.

Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oats - a quick and easy breakfast for busy mornings

As a busy mom of three, I need quick and easy breakfast ideas for those mornings that just don’t go a smoothly as I plan. So at the beginning of the week, I take a look at our schedule and figure out what days might be the hardest to squeeze in making breakfast. Whether it’s a day I’m also making lunches, or a day we have to leave earlier than normal, I want to be prepared and do what I can ahead of time to make our mornings easy.

On those days that I need to plan ahead for breakfast, I’ve started to make these delicious overnight oats the night before. Not only are they simple and easy to make, but they are so versatile! Plus, with a2 Milk® I don’t have to worry about tummy trouble after eating them!

The kids love the taste and I love the simplicity! Plus, there’s minimal ingredients and almost no mess (unless I give the baby some without watching her). And when I put them in mason jars, the kids can bring them with us in the car if they didn’t finish breakfast at home. Easy peasy!

Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oats with A2 Milk

Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oats

  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/2 cup a2 Milk®
  • 1/2 cup strawberries
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Wash the strawberries and dice them up. Add them to a small bowl. Pour vanilla and sugar over the strawberries and stir until well coated. Let macerate in the fridge.

While the strawberries are working their magic, grab a mason jar, the oats, and a2 Milk®. Pour 1/2 cup of oats in the bottom of the mason jar. Top with milk. Then grab the strawberries and pour 1/2 into the jar. Save the other 1/2 in the fridge.

Screw on the mason jar lid and store the jar in the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove lid and stir up with a spoon.

Microwave for 30 seconds if you’d like to remove the chill from the oats. Top with the remaining strawberries and enjoy!

 Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oats in a mason jar

Over the past few weeks we’ve incorporated a2 Milk® into our everyday lives and I have to say that I really enjoy it. And the kids haven’t noticed a difference at all. Since we started introducing our 13 month old to cow’s milk, she’s only ever tried a2 Milk®. Since all other forms of mammal’s milk (i.e. goat, sheep, human) only contain the A2-type proteins, she’s used to only getting the A2 protein. I’m hoping this continues to make her transition to cow’s milk easier.

You can find more about a2 Milk® and my recipe for No Cook Chocolate Avocado Pudding here. And for more awesome recipes and news on a2 Milk®, check them out on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest

Find a store near you that carries a2 Milk® by using this Product Locator. Save now with this a2 Milk® $1 Off Coupon

What’s your favorite easy, make-ahead breakfast? 

Visit Sponsors Site

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

Sweet’N Low, drink recipe, girls night, diabetic friendly

 As I quickly approach my due date (less than 4 weeks away!) I’ve started to look for quick and easy meals and snacks to make once baby gets here. With two other kids, both in school, this will be the first time I’ll have to be somewhere in the mornings to actually be wiht all three kids once my husband has to return back to work.

One of my go-to breakfasts for myself and the kids are smoothies. Not only are they quick to make, I can make sure that I pack in enough protein, fruits, and sometimes veggies to start the day off right.

Since I’ll be nursing, I knew I also wanted to incorporate oatmeal in the mix as well so I added some quick oats to my favorite peanut butter banana smoothie recipe to create the perfect smoothie to get me going. 

Sweet’N Low, drink recipe, girls night, diabetic friendly

The best part about this smoothie is that I always have all of the ingredients on hand.

Now normally when I’m trying to lose weight I’d include a fat free greek yogurt and 1% milk but because I’m not focused on losing weight, I stick with the full fat versions for the calories.

I do, however, save some calories with the inclusion of powdered peanut butter but regular peanut butter can easily be used as well.

Sweet’N Low, drink recipe, girls night, diabetic friendly

 

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal
  • 2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter
  • 1/2 to 1 banana (sliced)
  • 1-2 Sweet n'Low packets
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  1. In a blender, add in all of the ingredients.
  2. Blend until banana slices are well combined with the other ingredients.
  3. Pour into glasses and serve!

Sweet’N Low, drink recipe, girls night, diabetic friendly

Since I’ve skipped the sugar in a flavored yogurt I add in a packet or two of Sweet’N Low to the blender to add a bit of sweetness without the added calories.

A guilt free drink that’s the perfect way to start any day whether you’re a busy mom with a newborn or simply trying to watch the waistline.

What’s your go-to quick and easy breakfast for busy mornings?

How to Make Oatmeal in a Rice Cooker

Disclaimer - Review Posts
make oatmeal in a rice cooker

I absolutely love multi-purpose kitchen gadgets. If it doesn’t do more than one thing, I don’t want it in my kitchen taking up space! When I was asked to check out the latest Zojirushi rice cooker and see how it fared compared to my smaller rice cooker I knew i wanted to find more ways to test it out than just make rice. So I figured out how to make oatmeal in a rice cooker. And I have to say… I’m pretty impressed!

I already loved the Zojirushi brand and own one of their bread machines (all the way back from when my husband and I first got married) and the smaller rice cooker so including this larger capacity rice cooker into our home was perfect. The Zojirushi NL-AAC10 is a great multi-use rice cooker. And I’ve not only made rice and oatmeal in it, but I’ve also used it to steam things as well. Hello delicious dumplings and pot stickers!

make oatmeal in a rice cooker zojirush nl aac10i

Making oatmeal in a rice cooker is a piece of cake! As simple as dumping the ingredients in, adjusting the settings for porridge, and letting it cook. The rice cooker does all of the work. Wait… did I just give that all away in the beginning of the post? Well let me just show you the pretty pictures and talk about this awesome machine.

Aided by microcomputer technology, this category of rice cooker takes having rice on your menu from “occasional” to “serious”. Basically, the microchip does all the thinking for you, as far as adjusting cooking times and temperatures according to the type of rice you are cooking, and timing the pre-soaking of the raw grains and the final “wait” period during steaming.

That means you’re left with perfectly cooked food that every family member will love! No more burnt rice on the bottom. And it also means that you can make a delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner using the same rice cooker.

make oatmeal in a rice cooker add ingredients

How to Make Oatmeal in a Rice Cooker

1. Add 2 cups of old fashioned oats into the rice cooker*. Then add in 3 cups of water (or milk if you prefer a creamier oatmeal). Add any mix ins or flavors and stir together to combine. I added 1 diced apple, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a tablespoon of brown sugar.

*For this recipe I consulted my rice cooker’s manual to see if there was a minimum amount of oats I needed to use for this rice cooker. I also wanted to make sure I was using the correct amount of liquid. If you’re using steel cut oats, double check the manual to see what the minimum amount is as well as what the liquid level should be.

make oatmeal in a rice cooker porridge setting

2. Using the menu button, set rice cooker to porridge setting (bottom right). Once the setting is selected, hit the start button. A melody should play letting you know that the rice cooker has started the cooking process. Sit back and relax as your food cooks.

make oatmeal in a rice cooker cooked oatmeal

3. When the rice cooker is done cooking the oatmeal it will play a melody again. Don’t worry if you aren’t immediately available – the rice cooker will go to the warm setting after it’s done cooking. When you’re ready to eat, open the lid carefully and scoop out your oatmeal.

make oatmeal in a rice cooker close up

This 5-1/2-cup rice cooker and warmer makes 10 cups of cooked rice and includes a variety of cooking functions including white rice/sushi, mixed rice, porridge, sweet, brown, steam, and quick cooking.

If you’re looking for a great rice cooker to add to your kitchen definitely check out the great line of Zojirushi rice cookers.

What would you love to make in a rice cooker?

Love what you see? Try these recipes! 

Vanilla Raisin Oatmeal Squares with coffee

Vanilla Raisin Oatmeal Squares

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie ingredients

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothies

Oatmeal Recipes Quick and Delicious Apple Crisp - ready for the oven

Oatmeal Apple Crisps

 

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Recipe

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal recipe on spoonI love oatmeal. The hearty rich taste that keeps me full until lunchtime paired with the never-ending possibilities of flavors and creations you can make with it. Plus, it takes about 5 minutes to make on the stove top. And homemade tastes way better than the packets.

This cinnamon raisin oatmeal is my answer to a craving for a cinnamon raisin bagel. And I just didn’t have enough time to make those! The perfect amount of sweetness and the deliciously tasty raisins that plump as they cook in the oatmeal. This is definitely the perfect spoonful for breakfast.

If you’re looking for more tasty oatmeal goodness why not try my coconut oatmeal or peanut butter oatmeal? Both are crowd-pleasers around here!

Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Recipe

[Read more…]

Baked Peanut Butter and Banana Oatmeal Squares Breakfast Recipe

Peanut Butter & Banana Oatmeal Squares

Peanut Butter and Banana Breakfast Squares

If you’re a peanut butter lover AND watching your figure don’t walk, run to go make these healthy baked peanut butter and banana oatmeal squares!

These little squares are packed with flavor and super filling. Now you may be saying healthy oatmeal squares? But if you look at the recipe, there’s nothing “diet” about them. I mean they have butter and real sugar!

No skimping out on this one. If you’re like me and eat a hearty breakfast every morning, help yourself to two servings piled with bananas on top and non-fat vanilla yogurt on the side for an awesome and very tasty breakfast. Each square is only 4 WW+ points.

Seriously… go make these now. [Read more…]



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