Apple Pie Overnight Oats

I was not a breakfast person until recently.  While I love breakfast and have been known to eat it for dinner, I never quite made the time to "break the fast" in the morning.  Between the snooze button on my phone and finding myself rushing out the door, I could never quite get to it.  Sound like you too?

Motivated to have it all (the extra sleep plus fit in breakfast,) I have made eating breakfast a priority and possible thanks to meal prep in advance.  Here's what prompted me to get excited about breakfast...

A healthy breakfast kick starts your metabolism for the rest of the day.  (Really; starting your day with a morning meal initiates thermogenesis, the metabolic process that gets your body going.)  Skipping breakfast might initially mean saving on calories but the body gets conditioned to make up for it and then some by looking for more food and usually less healthy options later in the day*  If the potential weight gain isn’t convincing enough; when the body is focused on basic survival and when it is going to eat next, it isn’t working as optimally and is certainly less focused on making new life happen.

If breakfast is something you'd like to get add in to your daily ritual without sacrificing something else; here is one of my favorite healthy prep-in advance recipes for Overnight Oats to help get you started.  The following is a recipe that I have adapted from Angela Liddon’s cookbook: “Oh She Glows Every Day," for Apple Pie Overnight Oats.

Apple Pie Overnight Oats

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• 1 cup Gluten-Free Rolled Oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

• 1 ½ cups Almond Milk

• 2 tbsps single-ingredient Peanut Butter (or Almond Butter)

• 1 tbsp Raw Honey

• 1tsp Cinnamon (Simply Organic is a great option)

• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

• Pinch of Sea Salt

• 1 large organic Apple diced

• 3 tbsps Chia Seeds

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

• Hemp Seeds

• Ground Cinnamon or Nutmeg

• Dried Cranberries

• Bananas, blueberries, strawberries

The Recipe

10 Minutes Prep & Let Refrigerate for 2 Hours+ or Overnight

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the oats, milk, peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, apple, and chia seeds. Stir to combine.

2. Cover or transfer into a large mason jar to settle. Refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours or overnight to soften the oats. If the mixture is too thick for your liking, add a little extra almond milk and stir.

3. Serve chilled or warm up. Add toppings if you would like. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container (or mason jar) in the fridge for a few days.

Go nut-free:  Swap almond milk for nut-free milk and lose the peanut butter.

WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE

A quick, easy to make and tasty gluten-free breakfast for days that provides a good ratio of protein, (healthy) carbs and (good) fats.  

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Cinnamon is a super spice and chock full of antioxidant properties. It can destroy fungal infections, soothe indigestion, ward off urinary tract infections, fight tooth decay and gum disease, prevent ulcers, and is believed to control blood sugar in people with diabetes.  Plus the scent is linked to curbing fatigue, easing frustration and increasing alertness.

Chia Seeds are high in fiber and are a great source of Omega-3s (7 grams in a 11⁄2 tablespoon or 1⁄2 oz serving or more than 1⁄4 of your daily needs.)  They are also packed with protein, calcium, manganese, magnesium and phosphorus. Chia is linked to heart health, bone health, blood sugar control and exercise performance.  Please don’t consume chia unless it’s incorporated into liquid or foods, otherwise it could pose health risks.

Hemp Seeds provide essential amino acids in a vegan and gluten free seed.  Thanks to the omega-3s packed into these little gems your heart and brain function optimally.  Like chia, it’s abundant in fiber (12 grams in a tablespoon and a half,) and keeps the pipes working smoothly.

Credits: The Nutrition School, Nutritious Life by Keri Glassman.

*The National Weight Control Registry is a log of menu and women who have lost anywhere from 30 to 300 lbs and have kept it off for at least 5 1/2 years.  Interestingly enough, 78% eat breakfast every day.  Another study from The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reported that as of 2011, the percent of obese adults (BMI > 30) in America is 26.1% while the percent of obese adults in Germany is 13.7%.  According to the study, over 75% of Germans eat breakfast every day while only 44% of Americans do.  Credit: The Nutrition School, Nutritious Life by Keri Glassman.

All About the Egg.

One of the first things I learned on this path is that for someone who had an absolute obsession with a perfect outcome for every professional marketing campaign that I touched, I wasn’t practicing this behavior personally.  Case in point, nutrition and wellness.

Since I moved to NYC 9 ½ years ago, I have survived as a result of eating out and Seamless food delivery.  Beyond the taste, I had zero idea what was actually making up these meals.  From ingredients to quality control, I was not at all conscious of my daily nutritionally intake.  In fact, I really wasn’t even a fan of vegetables.  True story, I ate everything in a salad except for the greens.  Most meals were focused on an animal protein because the menu items always seemed more exciting. So if I indulged with a cheeseburger, pizza, and more cocktails and glasses of wine than I could remember, I’d solve the program with a Berocca and a spin class the next day. I figured that as long as I wasn’t putting on too many pounds, my lifestyle must be working.

Then my fourth fertility doctor told me to take a pre-natal and focus on eating a Mediterranean diet. (Seriously what does Mediterranean diet actually mean to someone that defines cuisine type based on restaurant reviews and delivery site filters?)  So I did what I was told and incorporated grilled octopus, Greek salad, hummus, and pita chips from the local Greek restaurant as staples into my diet. 

My IVF outcomes were less than stellar for my first two rounds at the beginning of 2016 and I was also plagued with a flu or cold every month for the first four months of the year.  Following my second failed IVF and sick once again, I lapsed into a slight depression fueled by an overwhelming feeling of helplessness.  I had just wanted someone to tell me what to do to get pregnant so that I could focus on the rest of my life, but clearly that wasn't working.

Then something happened…. I decided that I was going to figure out what part I could actively play because I didn't feel like it needed to be the end of this journey.  I called it after three days of a major pity party and dove head first into the sea of the Internet.  After sifting through a lot of junk diguised as schemes and products to get pregnant quickly, I stumbled across an incredible book that I proceeded to download off of Amazon.  “It All Starts with the Egg,” by Rebecca Fett, gave me hope and actual, tangible tools that got me started with my journey.

The book focuses on egg quality as the key to improving IVF odds and reducing miscarriage.  It  also has great research-backed concepts that might actually help natural conception.  I wish I had found it so much earlier and credit it as my learning springboard.  Rebecca’s personal story of trial turned to success inspired me to begin an action plan of my own centered around nutrition and wellness.

If you are interested in checking it out for yourself, you can find it here.

Amazing Almond Milk

When I first started my journey of eating clean, my friend Shannon sent me a kit to make my own almond milk.  I was a serial breakfast skipper and I think that this broke her heart a little.  Shannon wanted to ensure that I was covered from a non-dairy alternative in my coffee to easy pre-made breakfasts.  (Almond milk is a key ingredient to my now go-to breakfast, Overnight Oats.)  I am pretty sure that this was one of the first times that I began using my kitchen since we had moved in to our new home two years ago.  I have since played around  enough to make a recipe that I love and hope that you will too.

Homemade almond milk is a fantastic substitution for dairy milk; from coffee to baking.  Most importantly it tastes great plus is so ridiculously easy to make.  It seriously only takes around 10 minutes or so to achieve an awesome dairy-free milk alternative without all of the gross additives like Carrageenan* that might be found in the store bought versions.

Here's what you’ll need

• 1 cup Raw Almonds (ideally sprouted)
• 3 ½ cups Filtered Water
• ½ tsp salt (I recommend Himalayan Pink Sea Salt because of its added benefit of trace minerals)
• Zimtal Nut Bag

And because I was always a sucker for the sweet drinks at Starbucks, I sometimes sweeten the pot with the following:

• ½ tsp Vanilla
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp raw Honey

The Prep

• Soak almonds in salted water, in a covered container, in the fridge overnight (or at least 8 hours).

The Process

1. Rinse almonds thoroughly, throw into a blender and blend away.
2. Grab a small bowl, line the bowl with your nut bag and pour the liquid through.  Remove the bag from the bowl and squeeze the liquid through the bag. (I always imagine this is what it must feel like to milk a cow.)  
3. Once all liquid contents are in the bowl and you are just left with the almond bits in the bag, pour the liquid back into the blender.  (Don’t forget to give your blender a quick rinse in between to lose any almond bits.)
4. Add in the natural sweeteners as recommended or to taste, blend and viola, you are done!
5. Your almond milk should last 3-4 days in the fridge.

*Carrageenan is a food additive that keeps products and beverages from separating.  It can be labeled as organic and natural since it is made from algae.  The seaweed is cleaned, extracted, filtered, concentrated, combined with chemicals, pressed, dried, blended, and refined.  Still sound organic to you?  Research studies link carrageenan as a trigger to inflammation that could be a factor in severe health conditions including cancer, diabetes, colitis, and other GI tract damage.