Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies: National Oatmeal Month

I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen. I love to wander a farmer's market or a new grocery store. I love trying new restaurants. Basically, what I am trying to say is, "I LOVE FOOD."

And, each month of the year has been dedicated to celebrating multiple different types of food. There are also individual food holidays for almost every day of the year. January is National Soup Month, National Tea Month and National Oatmeal Month. (There may be a few others in there that I don't know about. I don't claim this list is all inclusive.)

Since January is the beginning of the year, I thought I would focus on foods for the beginning of the day. Oatmeal seems to be a tried and true staple of many American breakfast tables. After all Quaker Oats have been around since 1901. You either start from the drum of rolled oats or just grab a packet of instant oatmeal to start your day off right. 

Here's where I am going to lose a lot of you. I can't eat a bowl of oatmeal. It's a texture thing. I have no urge to slurp down warm, mushy cereal. I have tried to do it in order to be heart healthy, but then my gag reflex kicks in and I end up feeding it to the dog. 

Strangely, I love oatmeal cookies though. They are my absolute favorite. I love the chewiness and the flaky texture. It's so weird. And a few years ago, Quaker made breakfast cookies that you could buy in the store. They were advertised as a healthy breakfast for when you are on the go. Unfortunately, I can't find them in my grocery store anymore. Instead I have started making my own breakfast cookies. 

I use a wide range of ingredients in these cookies to try and maximize the health benefits. I use cage free eggs from chickens who receive no added hormones or antibiotics to increase egg production. I use Jif Natural Peanut Butter, because it has a creamy texture and only 5 ingredients. I use whole wheat flour and sweeten the cookies mostly just with honey and applesauce. 

In a large bowl, mix your dry ingredients. This was a good task for the toddler. She could "help" while making minimal mess. 

In a medium bowl, mix your wet ingredients. The monster toddler had to taste test the batter. The temptation of apple sauce and peanut butter was just too much for her little self. 

Carefully add the wet ingredients to the dry. Big sis was supervising my littlest helper tonight. They are incredibly sweet together. 

Voila! Breakfast cookie dough ready for the baking sheets. 

Make sure to flatten out your cookie dough balls when you put them on the pan. They do not expand and puff up as they bake. As you can see, they look pretty much the same as before they went into the oven, just a tad bit of a darker brown. 

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 old-fashioned oats
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 c unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 c honey
• 3 TBSP light brown sugar
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. 
3. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. 
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined into a dough and there id no more powder at the bottom of the bowl. 
5. Scoop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto your pre-lined cookie sheets. Flatten each scoop into your desired cookie shape. 
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should be slightly browned and firm. 
7. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 22
Amount per COOKIE
Calories	121
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g	6%
Saturated Fat 1.7g	8%
Cholesterol 8mg	3%
Sodium 88mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 16.9g	6%
Dietary Fiber 1.1g	4%
Total Sugars 8.3g
Protein 3.3g
Vitamin D 1mcg	4%
Calcium 8mg	1%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 69mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet.2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

These cookies may not make the healthiest breakfast, but they definitely are some of the lowest calorie cookies I have ever made. Even my pickiest eater likes them. Hopefully I can fit in some more oatmeal recipes before the end of the month. In the mean time, I would love to see what your favorite oatmeal recipes are. 

Have a great night, 

Kristie

21 Day Fix Blueberry Muffins

I stink at dieting. I don't want to weigh my food or eat super healthy for 6 days and then splurge on my cheat day. I just want to try and eat a balanced diet, take my prenatal vitamins and workout on the treadmill when the monster toddler isn't making me chase her.

So please don't think I am jumping onto the diet band wagon by trying this recipe. I pinned it from Potentially Lovely and read that people were having mixed results. I am guessing the dryness is coming from unripened bananas, so I want to try something a little different. Don't be weirded out, but when I need mashed bananas quickly, I use banana baby food. It's essentially just a mashed banana and adds just the right amount of moist sweetness when I bake.

This is my first experience with almond flour. I noticed a slight change in the texture, but nothing to complain about. For me the added protein is worth it. While the muffins browned more than I had expected, they were still very moist and make a great breakfast for on the go.

21 Day Fix Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 TBSP coconut oil, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup banana puree (organic baby food, stage 1)
• 1/2 cup blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Line 9 muffin slots with paper liners. 
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda. 
3. In a small bowl, mix the eggs and coconut oil. 
4. Fold the egg mixture into the dry ingredients in the large bowl until well combined. 
5. Stir in the bananas and blueberries. 
6. Divide the batter into the 9 pre-lined muffin cups. 
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 9
Amount per serving
Calories	156
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11.9g	15%
Saturated Fat 2.3g	11%
Cholesterol 36mg	12%
Sodium 149mg	6%
Total Carbohydrate 9.9g	4%
Dietary Fiber 2.2g	8%
Total Sugars 6.2g
Protein 5.3g
Vitamin D 3mcg	17%
Calcium 45mg	3%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 19mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet.2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

While my muffins look smaller than the ones from the original blog, I am calling this a Pinterest win. I will share my failures with you also, when they happen. Let me know your favorite pins and recipes that you would like to see reviewed here. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Kristie