The Non-Processed Process

I made a slight error Friday night while eating delicious tacos with Mickey at Casita Tacqueria. As I enjoyed the chips and salsa and a carnitas taco, I mentioned that I wanted to try a Paleo diet. We started talking it over, and instantly, he was on board with a diet eliminating non-processed foods. (Ugh…look at those tacos…I will miss you!!!)


We started the process today by heading over to The Fresh Market, buying items like fruit, quinoa, and other Gluten-free foods. I am excited to make the switch, but am nervous about giving up my loves like cookies and pasta. So we put in a cheater clause, allowing us to "earn" a treat on the weekends, but only after a hard training session on Saturday morning.
I started preparing for the week by making pre-made snacks and meals which I will post about this week. I first made this pre-made oatmeal which I found on Pinterest. It was so easy and delicious! I tried to make it as healthy as possible, substituting some of the fattier ingredients with healthier ones.




Blueberry, Raspberry and Banana Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup chopped walnuts
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¼ cup maple syrup (sugar free)
1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 tbsp. B&B margarine, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
1 cup blueberries and/or raspberries, fresh or frozen
Pinch of brown sugar (optional)
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, half of the walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir and combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the syrup, milk, egg, margarine and vanilla.
3. Spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of your baking dish. Top with half of the berries. Then sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats.
4. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top (and some brown sugar) and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. If it appears too dry, pour just a little more milk over the oats and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve after letting the mixture cool for 10 minutes.

Reheat each serving in the microwave in the morning. Add a bit of skim milk or almond milk if you like creamier oatmeal. Each serving is about 200 calories.