Oatmeal Overloaded

With school back in session and football right around the corner, it is starting to feel like fall is slowly arriving. The truth: it is still 90 degrees outside. This week’s on-the-go-muffin-pan breakfast: Baked Oatmeal Bites inspired by the weather.

These brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal bites with strawberries and blueberries are the perfect solution for this time of year! The hints of cinnamon let you know that the hope of cooler weather is closer then we think. The summertime berries remind you that the days are still long and full of sunshine.

This recipe is mostly focused on the oatmeal foundation, which is pretty simple to follow. Then, you add in any toppings that you typically like. I added strawberries in some, raisins in others, and even a few chocolate chips. The individual muffin tins make it very easy to mix it up!

Also- the blog where I found this recipe is super easy to follow and the pictures are beautiful!

http://thewholesomedish.com/go-baked-oatmeal-favorite-toppings/

My Findings:

The flavors are amazing and the perfect blend of spices. The texture, on the other hand, was slightly off. My oatmeal bites came out a little wet. Next time, I plan to use less oil- if any at all.

Turner’s Findings: 

The smell that fills the room while these bake is AH-MAZING.

Smooch:

“Oh why don’t we add some chocolate chips!” The toppings are the best part.

What kind of toppings would you add?

For more On-The-Go Breakfasts:

https://turnerandsmooch.wordpress.com/on-the-go-breakfast/

Organic. Is it worth it?

Recently I’ve been listening to the hype about eating clean and knowing where your food comes from. It appears that eating “organic” is all the talk right now. I love the idea of knowing my chickens were free range, or that my cheese isn’t processed so much that it stays “fresh” for months. What’s not to love? The price and knowing that it will spoil about twice as fast.

So that leaves me in a bit of a limbo- is it always worth it? How far should I ride the Organic Train? Does Turner’s food need to be organic?

While I wish I had the answers to these questions, I do not. That is not the purpose of this blog. I’m sure those answers are posted out there somewhere on someone else’s blog. (If that someone is you, or you know a great deal about organic food, please feel free to share your knowledge!) In the meantime, let’s refocus on the task at hand: my dinner.

Chicken Pasta with Tomatoes and Spinich in a Creamy Parmesan Garlic Sauce that just so happens to be all organic.

http://juliasalbum.com/2015/02/chicken-and-bacon-pasta-with-spinach-and-tomatoes-in-garlic-cream-sauce/

My Findings:

The recipe calls for bacon. I didn’t use any. It also says it will take 20 minutes. It actually took about an hour. Don’t be afraid of the red pepper flakes. It doesn’t add that much heat, but it does add that little extra flavor that this dish really needs.

Turner’s Findings: 

Requires quite a bit of prep work = lots of chopping = chances of dropped food: HIGH.

Smooch:

Could use some perfecting, but would want it again for sure.

Plan on trying it out? Let me know how it turns out.

Stepping Away from Instagram and Facebook

Tonight, I worked really hard on dinner and made a new recipe. It turned out almost picture perfect. I grabbed my phone, snapped a picture of my plate, and wanted to upload it to Instagram, but I stopped.

I realized that I had just uploaded a #foodgram to Instagram two days ago, and a week ago, and the week before that. Somehow I was slowly becoming that person who floods everyone’s newsfeed with food pictures.

While I live for my friends to post their dinner plates and baked goodies, I do realize that not everyone feels the same way that I do. That’s when I got the idea for this website!

My plan is to post my meals and baked treats here with pictures, some recipes, and the occasional tip!

Who knows how this will go, but it is worth a try. I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to leave recipes, ideas, and comments. 🙂