Strawberry No-Cook Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal

A healthy no-cook breakfast... I'm in!!!
I saw this overnight refrigerator no-cook oatmeal idea on Pinterest The Yummy Life Blog and came up with my own recipe.
This is pretty easy and perfect for those of us who *ahem* aren't morning people but still want to have a healthy breakfast ready to go for the kids (and yourself)... This is great for lazy Saturday mornings and those rush out the door mornings. . . . And I'd really like to know if there is a more brilliant way of incorporating chia seeds into your diet!

Ingredients for each serving:
1/4 cup rolled oats (not instant, quick, or steel-cut)
1/4 cup yogurt (I used vanilla flavored)... if you use greek yogurt you need to increase the amount of milk you use to 1/3 cup b/c greek yogurt has less water in it.
1/4 cup milk (I used vanilla coconut milk... use whatever you prefer)
1 teaspoon chia seeds (we bought ours at New Seasons)
1 tablespoon strawberry jam
approx. 3 strawberries sliced into bite sized pieces

Directions:
In a 1 cup mason jar (I used the kids thermos containers) all my left over mason jars are being used as candle holders at this very moment - hahaaa!
So anyways... combine the oats, yogurt, milk, chia seeds and jam into the jar... seal lid and shake it like a Polaroid picture or like you're making one of those fancy foo foo mixed drinks :)
Remove lid and add fresh fruit... gently shake this time and place in the fridge overnight.
The next morning --- breakfast is served!!!
Eat cold.... These are good in the fridge for a couple days.
I was really worried my kids wouldn't like these but they LOVED it!
You can switch up the flavors and fruit... get creative!

Pasta Salad

I was at Trader Joe's... whoa --- big surprise, I know. hahaa ... they were sampling a pasta salad dish. I didn't get a recipe but I did gather the ingredients needed to throw this dish together.... and I made up a recipe. Super simple and oh so good.

Trader Joe's Ingredients:

2 cups dried Italian Tortellini (with mixed cheese filling)
1/3 cup of Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 - 14oz can Artichoke Hearts (in water)
a few big spoonfuls of Julianne Sliced Sun Dried Tomatoes (in oil)

Directions:

Boil tortellini according to directions... drain and place in large bowl.
Slice artichoke hearts in half... then each half into thirds.
Combine cooked tortellini, sliced artichokes, a few big spoonfuls of sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette. 

Mix, cover bowl and place in the fridge for awhile to serve cold... tastes even better if it sits overnight. Enjoy!

Go GREEN!

A couple months ago my hubby bought some Matcha... I thought to myself "oh great another gross thing I have to consume because it's good for me!"

I like to eat sushi often and usually I'll order green tea... most of the time it tastes like DIRT and I end up wishing I had ordered ice tea or just plain ol' water.

Well to my surprise Matcha doesn't taste like dirt... it's really good and it's really good for you... WINNING! Haaaa!

SOO what is Matcha and why is it good for you?

Well Matcha is finely ground whole green tea leaves. You’re actually consuming the tea leaf itself instead of just steeping your tea with the leaf.  Drinking tea with whole leaves means you’re getting more nutrients & fiber.

Matcha contains antioxidant compounds called polyphenols that according to research aid in the prevention of heart disease and cancer.  Other benefits of Matcha are tension & stress relief, as well as, improvement in concentration and mental focus. Hey, that sounds good to me!!!

To prepare my "afternoon tea" (sounds fancy) I add a teaspoon of Matcha to my cup and pour warm (not boiling) water about halfway and I whisk till it’s frothy. Next, I add a teaspoon or two of local RAW honey... stirring till melted. Then I add warm or room temperature water to fill the cup... it is important not to add water that is too hot of a temperature because it will compromise the healthy enzymes in both the green tea and raw honey. (Also, never microwave honey - it will kill the enzymes as well)

Matcha is a Japanese tea that is available in the United States now. My husband bought ours online but with it gaining popularity I’m sure it’s available in most health food stores.

It's National Taco Day!

So I read earlier today that its "National Taco Day"... no joke... I even googled it to make sure. haaa!

Well at our house Tuesday is usually "Taco Tuesday"... it's a meal I've made a million times!

I guess today's post will be about TACOS!

My health tip is to substitute ground beef with all white meat ground breast of chicken or turkey. Dooo it! Cows everywhere will thank you - ha!

I usually buy it pre-packaged at Trader Joes... I think its a 20 oz pkg... plenty to feed an entire family and maybe you'll even have some left overs for lunch the next day.

I also recommend going to the meat counter at your local store and buying only the amount of ground chicken/turkey that you need. Preferably a cut that is good for you… you know, organic veggie fed free range no hormones all natural whatever the healthiest option is Yada Yada Yada. If you’re like me and on a tight grocery budget you think well sheesh that’s too spendy and I can’t afford it… BUT if you only buy 3/4 lb (family of 4) instead of the big 20 oz pre-packaged container... it becomes more affordable and you avoid leftovers that sit in the fridge only to be thrown out later.

It is my opinion that as a society we eat WAY too much meat... really we should only be eating a 4-6 oz portion of meat at dinner. We really should stop making MEAT the main attraction and it would solve a lot of health issues. Reduce your portion sizes and now you can afford the better cut of meat & organic produce to go with it!!!

Sooo as far as cooking goes... MAKE sure to cook it thoroughly but avoid overcooking or it becomes too dry. Poultry needs to be cooked to 165*... I like to cook with a bit of olive oil and season the ground breast of chicken or turkey with cumin, garlic & onion powder and I have a big container of taco seasoning from Costco that I use.

For those of you who want to save on carbs (i.e. NO tortillas or shells) put the seasoned taco meat and toppings over a bed of mixed greens!

Easy Peasy!