Clean Steel Cut Granola

I have a hashtag that I use in everything I post on Instagram: #operationabs.  I have never had abs, but that is one of my goals this year, by summer.  I know that abs are made in the kitchen and I knew my diet needed a bit of an adjustment.  I didn't eat bad by any means, but I needed to reduce my cheat meals and cut down on added sugar and sodium.  I love granola, but I know a lot of the pre made brands have a ton of what I am looking to stay away from.  I have been eating steel cut oats for a while now and wanted to try to make my own granola with them.  I didn't want to add just any dried fruit, because along with that, comes more added sugar, so I added dates :)  It is that nice crunch to add to yogurt or even as a cereal. Enjoy!

Steel Cut Granola

Ingredients 

3 cups steel cut oats
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
1/2 cup dates, chopped
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp pure honey
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350*.  In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, dates, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, almond extract, vanilla extract and cinnamon.  Mix well to make sure all ingredients are incorporated well.  Spread out evenly on a parchment paper line cookie sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes to make sure ingredients toast evenly.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Today marks day one of my 5 week challenge.  Operation Abs is in full effect.  I spent a majority of yesterday morning prepping food for the week.  I know when food is prepped and ready, there is less room for slip ups.  Luckily, my food intake doesn't have to change too much and I have been able to use a lot of my recipes from my blog.  I made a huge batch of my Vegetarian "fried" Brown Rice, boiled some eggs, put together bags of veggies and hummus, baked some chicken for my hubby, steamed some veggies, and put together some awesome, grab and go breakfasts in mason jars.  Today I am sharing my Overnight Steel Cut Oats recipe!  I knew I wanted to use steel cut oats because they are less processed than other old fashion oats but there weren't many recipes around for overnight steel cut oats, so in pure Lacey fashion, I made up my own!  Enjoy!

Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients

1/4 cup steel cut oats, uncooked
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp pure honey
1/4 cup fruit of choice, sliced (I used bananas)
Sprinkle of cinnamon

In a medium sized mason jar, combine all ingredients.  Seal and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Sugar Cookie Oatmeal

I finally purchased a tea that I keep seeing in the grocery store but keep bypassing.  Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Tea!!  Yes you read right!  I brewed a cup of it a couple days ago and was surprised just how much it really tasted like a sugar cookie (some teas are hit or miss).  I thought, what better way than to put it in my oatmeal, then it would REALLY taste like a sugar cookie.  That is when this recipe was born :)  Enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Oatmeal

Ingredients

1/4 cup steel cut oats
1 cup water

1 Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea bag
1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 packets of stevia
Optional rainbow sprinkles

In a small pan, combine oats and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cook for 20 minutes or until oats are fully cooked.

While oats are cooking, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil.  Pour over tea bag and let seep for 10 minutes, then remove the tea bag.

When oats are fully cooked, remove them from the heat and add tea to oats.  Mix and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Mix in vanilla, protein powder and stevia.  Top with optional sprinkles.

It's a Nice Morning for......Apple Pie Oatmeal!

Oatmeal has always been one of my go-to's for breakfast.  Its fast, its easy and its good, but even better on a brisk morning like today.  As the weather gets cooler, I always love a good oatmeal recipe.  I hope you enjoy!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Steel Cut Oats
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Apples, chopped
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Allspice
Honey to taste (I used 2 tsp)

Combine all ingredients into a medium pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until oats are fully cooked, roughly 20 minutes.  Enjoy!