honey vanilla overnight oats with blueberries

I'm sitting upstairs in our natural light-filled kitchen back home, sipping on warm tomato basil soup, staring out of the large glass doors that over-look the water, and admiring grey clouds that are slowly passing by.

Seems lovely, doesn't it? I wish I had this view from my kitchen everyday. Instead of huge windows that allow natural light to pour into the kitchen, I'm stuck with one window that allows me to stare directly into our neighbors kitchen. And their blinds are usually closed, so I don't even get that view!

Not to break down my house room-by-room and window-by-window, but I would just like to throw out there that my room has two windows, one that is 2 feet away from a wooden fence (hence, barely any sun shines through that window), and the other that looks into the backyard. The backyard, however, is literally canopied in huge trees. So, yet again, I am deprived of sunlight. Sometimes I feel like I reside in a cave. Yesterday while I was doing some organizing, I couldn't help but want to take a hammer, bang out the wall, and create another window in my bedroom. I don't think my landlord would be too happy with that, though.

One day, the house/apartment/box that I'm living in will, without a doubt, be filled with huge windows. Until that day, I suffer.

But anyway, I should probably talk about the real reason for this post today. I'll keep it short & sweet, just like the recipe :)

Late night cravings had me munching on some peanut butter cap'n crunch, when I noticed I had an unbelievable amount of rolled oats patiently sitting in their mason jar. One thing led to another, and I caught myself with honey in one hand and vanilla extract in the other. A healthy, but sweet breakfast indeed.

honey vanilla overnight oats

 I had a huge tub of Greek yogurt in the fridge, so instead of mashing a banana (which I didn't have anyway), I decided to use yogurt to thicken up the oats. I still added chia seeds as well to amp up the nutritional value :) Personally, I like this version better. However if you are vegan or prefer to not use yogurt, you can try these overnight oats instead!

Cold, uncooked oats can definitely be an acquired taste and texture, which frankly I am still acquiring to myself. I was never a big oatmeal eater, so likely I don't eat this every morning. However, as I always say, oats are so, so healthy for you. I sneak them into my diet whenever possible. The addition of vanilla and honey keep it light and sweet, and in my opinion, the blueberries are a must-have in these oats. They add freshness and a touch of sweetness also. I'm sure any berry would be delicious with it though!

honey vanilla overnight oats with blueberries
yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup of Greek Yogurt
• 2/3 cup of nonfat milk (or milk of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon of honey, plus a little more to drizzle on top in the morning
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• fresh blueberries, to your liking

Steps:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and let sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, stir in blueberries and drizzle with honey. Enjoy :)

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This weekend and into Wednesday, I will most likely not be blogging because it is my 21st birthday on Monday! I have some recipes and DIYs I'd like to tackle late next week though, so keep an eye out! Hope you all have a lovely rest of the weekend :)

raspberry oat whole wheat pancakes

In my last post about Father's Day Idea #1, I promised I would come up with two more ideas to share with you all. We've covered dessert -- which by the way, my batch of Ooey Gooey & Chewy S'mores Cookies are ALL gone! -- so now we move onto breakfast in style :) Typical buttermilk pancakes are always yummy and a great treat to make breakfast, but for special days, I like to make special foods. Raspberry Oat Whole Wheat Pancakes are just that- fluffy, warm, comforting, and will definitely add a little something to amp up your breakfast table this Sunday!

Raspberry Oat Whole Wheat Pancakes, Father's Day Idea #2

Take your pancakes to the next level with these Raspberry Oat Whole Wheat Pancakes. Rich in soluble fiber from the oats and raspberries, and made with whole wheat, these are a healthy option without sacrificing flavor or texture. Put them on the menu this Sunday for Father's Day, or any Sunday for that matter.

Yield: 6-7 medium-sized pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries, sliced in half
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp of distilled vinegar + enough fat-free milk to make 1 cup (to mimic buttermilk)
• 2 eggs whites
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, or ~1inch of a vanilla bean
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp butter (divided) or non-stick cooking spray, to prevent sticking
• extra oats & fresh raspberries to garnish (optional)
• Maple Syrup, as much as you like! 

Directions:

Make your buttermilk by adding 1 tbsp of distilled to vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add fat-free milk to the measuring cup until you reach the 1 cup mark. Add 1/2 cup of rolled oats into the buttermilk and let sit for 10-12 minutes.

In the meantime, mix together your dry ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla bean. If you're using vanilla extract (which I recommend), you can add it to the buttermilk/oat mixture once it has set for 10 minutes.

Using your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add two egg whites and whisk on medium-high speed. I think mine was on "6". Whisk until you achieve soft peeks and the egg whites become frothy and fluffy.

Rinse/pat-dry raspberries, and slice in half.

Heat a griddle or pan to medium and let it get nice and hot.

Your buttermilk/oat mixture should be ready by now. If you haven't added in your vanilla extract yet, do so now. Add your wet ingredients (buttermilk/oat/vanilla) to your dry ingredients, and whisk until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in raspberries. Then lastly, fold in the egg whites until just combined. Try not to over-fold the egg whites when adding them. You want them to keep their fluffiness so that your pancakes will also be fluffy!

Add a tiny bit of butter or nonstick cooking spray to your griddle or pan, then pour ~1/3 cup of the batter onto your griddle for each pancake. Once they start to bubble around the edges, you know they are ready to flip!

Plate and drizzle with maple syrup :)

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i'm in love with this ceramic berry basket. Anthropologie never does me wrong I tell ya

raspberries are my favorite berry. so bright, sweet, & healthy

eggs whites form soft peaks

fold in raspberries

lightly fold in egg whites

garnish with raspberries and oats

drizzle with maple syrup and indulge

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Check back later for my last Father's Day Idea! It's a simple Italian dish with the best meat sauce you will ever taste. Trust me on this!

roasted vanilla almond butter with chia seeds

+ step-by-step photos!

The sunlight that comes through my kitchen window around 9 a.m. is absolutely beautiful. The soft rays emit the perfect amount of light. It's pretty sad that this is the first time I'm realizing this since I moved in a year ago. I'm convincing myself that it's because my eyes weren't trained to notice how light falls, like they are now. Every where I go, I notice shadows, perspectives, and the list goes on. Thank you, food photography books. You have trained me well.

But then 9:30 rolls around, and it is possibly the most harsh light that ever comes through that window. So unbelievably harsh, that I took many, many, many (I'm not even going to admit the actual number) photographs of this vanilla roasted almond butter just to get a few good shots. Really, it is my fault because I still haven't bought/fashioned my own light diffuser. I could've saved myself an hour the other day, had I used one. The stresses of being a perfectionist!

Vanilla and almond is a classic flavor pairing that you could probably never go wrong with. Especially in this creamy, healthy almond butter. The vanilla takes it to a whole new level. A level that makes me very, very happy. Chia seeds boost the nutritional value by adding fiber and omega-3 FAs. This also makes me happy.

Slather some on bread, mix it in your oatmeal, put it in your smoothie, or eat it off of a spoon like I've been doing. Really, you just can't go wrong. If you haven't discovered the joys of homemade nut butter yet, you really need to!

inspired by Oh She Glows

Yield: 1 cup (ratio of almonds to almond butter is 2:1)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of raw almonds, roasted
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon of chia seeds

Directions:

Place raw almonds on a baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove the roasted almonds from the oven and add them to your food processor. Start processing your almonds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed (which is basically every minute or so.) It's going to seem like your almonds may never turn into butter, but patience is key, my nut butter-loving friends! Once your almonds have started to turn into butter, add salt and pulse to mix. Add vanilla extract, and pulse until thoroughly combined. Stir in chia seeds, and that's it! Store nut butter in your favorite jar, or even a simple plastic container will do. It should last in the fridge for up to 4 months, although I think you'll probably eat it much sooner :)

Step-by-step photos:

Ingredients

  

roast almonds at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

add roasted almonds to food processor

almonds turn into crumbs

scrape down the sides of the bowl every minute or so

a "paste" will start to form at the bottom of the bowl

crumbs start to come together

all crumbs are now "pasty" and forming larger crumbles

almond butter ball forms. this is where it seems like this ball will never turn into creamy butter. give it a minute though, it will work!

creamy, roasted almond butter. add salt & vanilla extract. mix in chia seeds

(the harsh light I was referring to earlier. this is one of the much better ones, though)

it's butta, baby