Today was National Running Day! I actually didn’t know until I saw a tweet on twitter later in the day, however I randomly decided to go for a run this morning instead of going to the gym. Crazy! Whether I was in the know or not, I’m glad I celebrated by running this morning. Twas a glorious 4 miles or so and I was a sweaty mess upon arriving home. It’s pretty humid here even at 6:30 in the morning.
This little bowl of overnight goodness was waiting for me when I returned.
Come to find out overnight oats are addicting- especially when topped with fresh cherries and a blob of almond butter. I’ve been wanting them every morning lately!
Cool, Creamy Overnight Oats
- 1/2 cup oatmeal (old fashioned)
- 1/2 cup almond milk (unsweetened vanilla)
- 1/4 cup honey or vanilla yogurt
- 1 T chia seeds
- Dash of cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well, cover, and let sit in the fridge overnight. That’s it! Wake up, top the mixture with you favorite toppings and enjoy.
For lunch I munched on left over Cooling Cucumber Salad, humbecue and some raw crackers from the Pure2Raw ladies.
They sent me home from NC with a goody bag full of raw treats including lots of different raw crackers. Todays munching including the Cheez Cracker, Collard Onion Cracker and the Rosemary Cracker. I enjoyed all three immensely. These ladies know how to make a crunchy, flavorful raw cracker. Plus these are way healthier than any conventional crackers I’d find in the store.
I probably wouldn’t do the crackers justice if I tried to explain them so here’s the cracker information from the Pure2Raw site:
Rosemary Cracker: Flax meal is high in fiber and omega 3 fatty acid. Buckwheat is a seed in the rhubarb family. It contains 8 essential amino acids and full of vitamins like E and B. Almonds are a good source of protein and calcium. Rosemary is rich antioxidants and helps digestion.
Collard Green Onion Cracker: A crispy superfood cracker that contains no nuts! Spirulina is a superfood due to being nutrient dense and full of protien, GLA, iron, and B12. Onions are very anti-inflammatory. Chia seeds are a great source of fiber, iron, potassium, and calcium. Hemp seeds are full of GLA, omega 3 and 6, and protein. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of iron. Sunflower seeds are a good source of zinc. Dulse is a natural electrolyte. The cracker is alkaline forming due to dark leafy green – collards. This is part of our ‘green’ line where we try to create delicious and healthy snacks where you can get more ‘greens’ into your diet.
Cheez Cracker: Our version of Doritos but much better for you! Hemp seeds are full of protein and Omega 3’s. Flax meal is high in fiber and omega 3 fatty acid. Sunflower seeds are good source of zinc and vitamin E.
After that tasty little lunch I packed up my afternoon snack and headed back to the office.
As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been on a Voskos Greek yogurt kick lately. The company sent me a variety of yogurts to try and I’ve throughly been enjoying taste testing them. Today I went with the plain jane, non fat variety. I’m a fan of plain yogurts because they don’t have a ton of sugar, but the super tart taste of plain yogurt isn’t something I love. To be fair I tried the Voskos completely by itself, no granola, no sweetener and I must say that it was quite tasty, super rich, creamy, and amazingly thick. It’s definitely up there with the top Greek yogurt brands and to be honest I would probably have to do a taste test with all the Greek yogurt brands together to tell you which one I liked best. Currently, Oikos, Fage, Voskos, and Chobani are at the top of my list. 
So like I said, I tried the yogurt on its own and realized that it might be more appealing to me with a little sweetness. I added a little granola and a few drops of stevia. The liquid stevia works like a charm in plain yogurt. From tart to sweet with just a few drops. <3
Last but not least I went from all things cool to a hot dinner by trying out Jenna’s Meatless Sloppy Joe’s. I followed her recipe almost exactly but used a little less barbecue sauce than the 1/3 cup. The recipe still turned out great and totally brought back memories of my meat eating days. Move over Manwich- these Meatless Sloppy Joe’s are delish!
I put the mixture on a ww bagel thin and soon realized that even meatless joe’s are still sloppy- especially when you have a hole in your bun. Oh well, I ate everything – even the mix that fell through the hole and it was still just as tasty without the breading.
I will note that this was my first time trying the bagel thins and although the flavor was fine, it wasn’t very bagelish to me – more just like a sandwich thin with a hole in the middle. Who knows, maybe it would have been different if I had toasted it?? Have you tried the bagel thins – what did you think?
Alrighty friends, I’m out of here. I hope you had a grand day.
- Brittany
Oh yeah I almost forgot. I have a question for you all – What’s a crowd pleasing spring/summer cookout dish to make? I have two parties that I need to bring a dish to this weekend and I’m looking for ideas!!
Brittany Mullins, HHC
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum yum, I’ve been loving overnight oats lately also.
I like to bring cold black bean salad with corn, cilantro, lime juice, tomatoes, avocado, hot sauce and garlic to cookouts. Its a healthy, vegetarian crowd pleaser – and great as dip for chips.
We always get RAVE reviews when we bring a Mexican-style quinoa salad to potlucks. It’s a Mark Bittman recipe, and has quinoa, bell peppers, avocado, cilantro…and more yummy stuff I don’t remember right now! Email me and I’ll get you the recipe!
glad you like everything ; )
Crowd pleasing dish….hummm….anything with avocados. My mom makes this 7 layer dip that was always a hit with people. Just let me know if you would like the recipe, but I am sure anything you make will be a hit!
Love the Pure2Raw crackers and other goodies!!! I really like the bagel thins too actually, especially with those new sammies at Einsteins
All of your meals today look fabulous! Especially the raw cracker & salad combo. I like bagel thins more than sandwich thins as I find they freeze better and toast better, but I agree, they are nothing like a ‘real’ bagel!
For the easiest summer side dish that can be served anytime anywhere is corn and black bean salad (which I have been eating non-stop all summer). A can of corn, a can of black beans, diced cucumber, diced rep peppers, diced red onion. Add a little salsa (my mother adds balsamic vinaigrette) and you’re set.
Super simple and delish.
Overnight oats have become my absolute favorite breakfast!
Mmm Sloppy Joes sound pretty perfect right now–I think I might have to make some tomorrow!
i guess i totally blew the national holiday.. mine was more of national sit on ur bum day… but it was still fun nonetheless!
VOSKOS? im so in love with all the greek yogurt names. its pretty exciting..u could name a whole family of kids off of yogurt names lol.
<3
Mmmmmmmm…. I’ve been wanting to make some vegan sloppy joes. I need to work on that
I need to crack open my veganomicon or make jenna’s meatless sloppy joes…cause you’ve definitely got me craving some! I like to bring a corn salsa like the one we had on memorial day (posted a pic but no recipe!). It is pretty much just corn, cilantro, lime, bell peppers, red onion, and cherry tomatoes…soo good!
I either bring black bean and corn salad or shrimp pasta salad that are both a big hit! I don’t really have a recipe for either but if you email me, I can tell you what I do.
I think my go-to cookout item is blackbean mango salsa. I also find that deviled eggs go over really well at just about ANY cookout. Not very exciting but a sure crowd pleaser. Other ideas…veggies and homemade hummus, fruit pizza, or I just saw a Bobby Flay recipe for Butternut Squash Slaw that looked amazing!
What you decide, I’m sure it will be fantastic!
I make a really simple, but delicious roasted vegetable pasta salad EVERYONE loves! Hit me up if you want the recipe
xo
K
I usually bring a Tabbouleh salad, which always goes over well!
hmmmm crowd pleasing dish….I usually make either black bean and corn salad, pesto pasta salad, or if I’m feeling gourmet I make roasted red pepper bruchetta…
hope you are well! lets grab a drink soon!
I love a variety of salsas! Watermelon, kiwi mango, fruit, and spicy! There is something for everyone, and you just grab a bag of organic blue corn chips!
I have an awesome recipe for Guacamole…with peas! It has all the usual ingredients (avocado, garlic, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, salt) but you also add thawed frozen peas. It makes it healthier and actually taste better! Using homemade tortilla chips doesn’t hurt either.
I love the bagel thins, but have taken them out of my repertoire. Gluten:-(
i definitely need to try the meatless sloppy joes sometime. sounds like something my hubby may even enjoy. i love bringing a fab salad or fruit salad.
oops … missed out on that .. but I did in fact run so .. it is all good haha
i have never had overnight oats before. Is it much different from normal old oatmeal?
The texture is different, but the taste is similar if you use the same flavorings (ie vanilla, cinnamon). The texture is more chewy since the oats aren’t really cooked and it’s cold of course, rather than hot!
LOVE the meatless sloppy joe! I make mine out of lentils and it’s always so good! I’ll have to make them tonight after all this talking!
Such delicious eats, Brittany!
I´m sure that meatless bagel sandwich tasted amazing..
Thanks for sharing the overnight oats recipe, btw!
Wish you a great Thursday
Brazilian XOXO´s,
Gabriela
I haven’t tried those bagel thins…but they do look like plain sandwich bread. And I love meatless sloppy joes. Very messy but oh so good!
My favorite crowd pleasing recipe is this one! Even meat eaters love this!
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/04/quinoa-tabbouleh-2.html
p.s. I soak mine in the lemon juice option.
YUM! This meatless ‘joe looks fantastic! My kind of dinner
Was it easy to make?
XXOO
Super easy. It came together in less than 15 minutes!
I’ve been loving muesli lately because it’s so refreshing with this very warm weather here already. I love making something like a grilled corn, black bean, avocado and mango salad, that’s always good! And I’ve seen a few others above like it as well
Lettuce wraps would be great too, or veggie skewers of some sort.
Yaay you tried jenna’s meatless sloppy joes!! amazing, right??
Are you still looking for a DELICIOUS summer cookout dish? I swear by this one for potlucks and cookouts, and it is SO EASY to make!
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9903?section=