Baked Oatmeal Casserole

I make a big batch of this on Sunday and we eat it for at least 4 more days!

1. Place 6 to 7 cups of oats in a 9 by 13 pan. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of plain whole milk yogurt and l to 2 cups water(enough to make all the oats moist). Cover with a dishtowel, place on counter(or in cold oven if you have sneaky cats!) and let soak for 12 to 24 hours.
2. WHAT? SOAK OATS?  I soak my oats first to rid them of their phytic acid. This step is optional but once you read about soaking grains, you won’t skip this step. In a nutshell, soaking grains makes them easier to digest and their nutrients more readily available for your body to soak up. But you can skip the soaking and move right on to Number 3.
3. Mix in 1 stick of melted butter, 7 to 8 eggs, 1/2 to 3/4 cup honey or maple syrup, 1/2 cup chia seeds, 1/2 cup flax seed meal, 1 can pumpkin, big pinch of baking soda, big pinch of salt, big handful of raisins and as much almond milk as needed to make the whole thing super moist. Mixing everything right in the baking dish saves time. I use a potato masher to mix all the ingredients together.
4. Bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the top is a little brown and crispy looking.
5. You can tell this is not an exact science. I have easily made this 75 times or more over the past 3 years. Add a little more or less of ingredients as suits your tastes. I usually err on the side of not sweet because you can always drizzle a little honey or maple syrup over it when served.
6. Sometimes we add chocolate chips or peanut butter.  I will even serve it with a huge dollop of nut butter or sun butter for an extra punch.  Sometimes I drizzle whole milk kefir over it for extra protein and probiotics.
7. On day two thru four, slice this up like bread and toast it a bit in the oven and spread nut butter on it–delicious!!
8. Store in the fridge and scoop out as needed.

This recipe was adapted from Katie Kimball(her cookbooks have been a staple for about 5 years. They are awesome and a must for healthy families.). I’ve beefed up her recipe with more eggs, more fat and a whole host of add-ins.

Cowboy Cookies

These are hearty, protein packed “cookies” with just a bit of sweetness. We serve them with nut butter or yogurt for breakfast and enjoy them as a snack anytime of the day.

1. Combine 1 cup coconut oil or butter with 6 eggs and 3/4 cup honey. Mix well.
2. Add 5 cups of almond flour and 1/4 cup of coconut flour. If too dry, add a bit of almond milk until very moist, but not runny.
3. Now add in 1/4 cup chia seeds, big handful of raisins, 1/4 flax seed meal or any other mix in. Again, add a bit of almond milk if batter gets too dry.
4. Spoon out biscuit sized spoonfuls onto a parchment covered cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes or until no longer soft and a bit brown on the edges. Makes about 20 large “cookies”.

Grain free pancakes

This pancake recipe is all over pinterest and is so easy, yet packs a real protein punch. I make a huge batch and freeze them to eat all week. They even pack well in lunches.

1. Mix 2 eggs and one, very ripe banana. Add cinnamon to taste. Cook on a griddle as you would any type of pancakes.  I usually make these smallish-about 4 to 5 inches around. Make a big batch with 12 eggs and 5 to 6 bananas.
2. We often serve these with yogurt and “sprinkles” – otherwise known as flax seed meal. When my kids were really little I called flax seed meal, “sprinkles” and the name stuck! No need for syrup as the bananas give them a naturally sweet taste.

Oatmeal Sundae

One of our favorite high protein breakfasts is oatmeal casserole,(it’s adapted from a version in my favorite cookbook, ever.) but I don’t always have everything I need to make the full recipe. Instead, I often cook up a big batch of plain, steel-cut oatmeal to serve over many days. My kids can serve themselves and add any number of “toppings”.

This is where the fun comes in. Each morning my kids spice it up with several options which vary from week to week. These toppings include:

• baked apples
• peanut or almond butter
• whole milk yogurt
• flax meal, hemp or chia seeds
• mini chocolate chips
• banana slices, frozen blueberries, raisins, or freeze dried fruit
• jam, honey, or maple syrup

I usually have at least two or three of these options on hand and only have to supervise the sweetener portions. : ) I buy a big bag of organic (did you know that regular oats are bathed in glyphosate? Yuck.) oats on Amazon and it ends up being a really economical choice, as well! 

Remember to check out Katie Kimball’s cookbooks,  for more amazing ideas for high protein breakfasts (and lunches and snacks and dinners!)

Potato Skillet

This is one of those dishes that’s great for dinner, too.  I usually make a huge batch and then serve it for breakfast a few times the same week. My boys love this! 

For the base chop 2 sweet potatoes and 2 russet potatoes into cubes. Saute in a huge frying pan with some coconut or olive oil until nearly done. 

Then add in sliced, pre-cooked sausages or hot dogs along with chopped apples or pineapple(yes!! it’s yummy!) Keep in the pan until everything is heated well through. Enjoy!

This recipe is so versatile and can be customized to suit your tastes and dietary needs.You can use bacon instead of or alongside the sausage. I sometimes add greens in this, but my kids don’t love that. And I tend to favor sweet potatoes over white potatoes as much as I can. Cheese makes a great topper, if you can tolerate dairy. I’ve added walnuts to this, too. Stores great in the fridge for many days.

Veggie Bacon Egg Bake

This could not be easier and is a great way to use up leftover bits of meat and veggies. The ingredient amounts vary by the size pan you use, but for an 8 by 8 pan I do this:

Grease an 8 by 8 pan with coconut or olive oil.

Place the following in the pan:

1 pound cooked bacon cut into bits

Two cups thawed frozen or fresh broccoli cut into smallish bits

Half an onion cut into smallish bits(see how precise I am?) 

Pour enough beaten raw eggs(with a big splash of unsweetened coconut milk) into the dish to mostly cover the items-usually about 8 to 10 large eggs.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 375 degrees or until eggs are not runny and edge is golden brown. 

Seriously, there is no exact science to this. I’ve used leftover cooked peppers and onions, raw mushrooms, frozen spinach(thawed and squeezed dry), cooked potatoes, hot dog chunks, pepperoni – you name it!  

This cuts nicely and can be eaten cold in lunches, too. My kids love to have a big scoop of salsa on the side. 

It’s great that my kids are getting about two servings of veggies even before they walk out the door with this!