OATMEAL!!!!!!!!

Hey guys!!! As you might be able to tell by the title of this blog post, today I'm going to be talking about Oatmeal. Which may seem super strange, because no one really has that much to say about oatmeal but, I am very strongly opinionated about it!

To me, oatmeal is amazing. Not only is it delicious, it's incredibly good for you and super versatile. 

Oatmeal is a great grain. It's low in calories and high in fiber and protein as well as having low levels of fat. It protets against heart disease and heart failure as well as being filled up with Antioxidants. There's a bunch more benefits of oatmeal that I won't bother to list, so you'll have to take my word for it. 

In addition to being great for you, it's delicious.

It's a staple in my diet and it should be in yours!

My favorite way to eat oatmeal is for breakfast. But even with that, you can find great versability in ways to prepare and serve it. 

One great way to eat oatmeal is just to add a bunch of fruit to it. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and bananas all taste fantastic sprinkled in with cinnamon. There's no need to add any extra sugar too, because of all the natural sweetness from the fruit. 

I also love to make cookies with oats instead of flour. Especially if you often make cookies with white flour, oats are a healthier alternative and taste just as good!

It's also so easy to make; depending on which type of oats you use. When I'm in a rush on weekday mornings before class or work, I love to use either instant oatmeal or old-fashioned oats. 

I really like this Quaker Perfect Portions mix as of late. There's a bunch of different flavors and there's no added sugar which makes it so much healthier.

Another classic are the old-fashioned oats. Easy to microwave or throw on the stove!

When I have a little more time, especially on the weekend, I love preparing steel-cut oats. Steel cut oats are different than the instant/old-fashioned oats. They're rolled oats, whereas the steel cut oats are the inner part of the kernal all cut up. 

Steel-cut oats take a little longer to make but they're a little healthier than their rolled-oat counterpart. Steel-cut oats are less calories, have a smaller sugar content, and are lower on the Glycemic Index, making them just a bit healthier than rolled-oats. 

I get my steel-cut oats in Bulk from my local grocery store!

To make steel-cut oats, you mix 1 cup of the grain with 2 cups of water. Place that in a pot, making sure the water is cold and let it simmer for about 30 minutes and voila: steel-cut oats. 

♡ 

 Oatmeal is delicious, healthy, and a perfect breakfast!!

Yum!

xo Emily

Emily's Berrytastic Smoothie: Fresh and Healthy for Summer

As you may or may not know, today is the official first day of summer! Today, June 21st is the Summer Solstice and the official day to kick off barbeques and pool parties aplenty!

According to my house, it's summer!

For me, and many others, summer started a whole month ago as we got out of school but I can appreciate the legitimacy of the 'First Day of Summer'. 

To celebrate Summer and to survive the truly hot and sticky day that was this Summer Solstice, I decided to make a cold, 'Berrytastic' smoothie! This is one of my favorite things to make: It's so easy, incredibly healthy, and just perfect for a hot summer day! (It also doubles as dessert, it's that sweet, creamy, and delicious) This also fits in with my 'Getting Fit and Healthy' theme that I've got going so I decided to share this with you!

If you want to learn how to make this yummy and healthy smoothie, keep on scrolling!! And Happy Summer!!!! 

All you need to make 'Emily's Berrytastic Smoothie' is:

- Fresh or Frozen Berries of your choice (I used Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries!) - Feel free to add/subtract the berries of your choosing. 

- Plain or Vanilla Yogurt (Mine is the Chobani 2% Plain Yogurt)

- Milk (I used Whole Milk to make it super creamy)

- A bit of sugar

- Fresh Mint

And last but not least, you need a blender and a few glasses to put your yummy smoothie in!

To start, I cut up about 8 whole, fresh strawberries and placed them in my blender. This is where I popped in about 1 tablespoon of sugar as well. (the sugar is an optional step and I don't usually do it, but I really wanted a sweet batch of smoothies this time)

Next, I threw in my frozen fruit. I love buying frozen fruit for smoothies because it's really easy to just throw in your blender since it's already all good to go. I let it thaw for a few minutes before putting it in.

I added about 15 blueberries, 15 raspberries, and 15 blackberries but choose whatever combo you want!

You always need some sort of liquid in your smoothie, so that it will actually blend. For this one, I added Horizon Organic Whole Milk. I prefer using the Whole Milk because it makes my smoothie very creamy. Because I'm not using ice cream or heavy, whipped cream, I think the whole milk is acceptable. I pop about a cup or so of this in with my fruit. Depending on how thick or how think you like your smoothies, experiment with the liquid you add in. You can always add more, so be cautious! (If you're lactose intolerant - which I have a mild form of - try cranberry or orange juice in lieu of milk)

Next, I put in one container of Chobani 2% Plain yogurt to add more creaminess to the mix. 

Now, all you have to do is blend, blend, blend until you've got the consistency of smoothie you want! At this step, I added in a few more blackberries because I felt like I needed a bit more of their taste! 

I also popped in a fresh oraganic mint leaf to add some freshness and kick to the smoothie! I love buying fresh mint in these little tiny packages. I always find I don't need as much as I think and these help cut back on waste!

 One more circle in the blender, and we've finished! The smoothie came out beautiful and delicious! To garnish, I cut a strawberry and added a mint leaf as well as adding a fun straw! This is one of my favorite smoothie recipes and I hope someone trys it out!! How good does it look??? Eating drinking healthy never tasted so good. Enjoy!

xo Emily