Strawberry Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake Oatmeal

Some people dread grocery shopping, and some people love it.

I’ve always been part of the second team.

Even when I was a little kid, I never minded tagging along with my mom to the grocery store. These trips usually came with the promise of picking a fun, impulse snack that never would have been purchased otherwise. I got to fill the cart with iconic snack foods like rainbow-sprinkle Dunkaroos, Nesquik cereal, and chocolate ice cream!

Now that I push the cart solo, I still get excited at the prospect of finding a new favourite food every time. Now,I’m aware that this reaction might be a little bit sad, but I prefer to think of it as fulfilling my foodie detective duties for the blog (it’s all for you lovely people!). In particular, I love Loblaws Superstores – they’re completely overwhelming and I always end up buying more than I intended to, but they also have some pretty cool stuff.

Take, for example, my discovery of Western Creamery Pressed Cottage Cheese. I found this item in the refrigerated dairy section, and I was immediately intrigued. This product is not like wet, creamy cottage cheese – it’s dry, pressed cottage cheese, and the texture is like a cross between cream cheese and feta cheese.

The other notable point about this product is its nutritional value. The ingredients are as follows: organic milk, bacterial culture, microbial enzymes. That’s it! Nothing creepy to decipher on the label. This particular brand is 110 calories for a ½ cup serving, with only 1% of your daily sodium intake (I find this appealing because many wet cottage cheese brands are pretty in high sodium content). The brand I bought was $5.99 for 500g, which isn’t cheap – but I consider it to be a fun ingredient to have around on occasion!

The dry cottage cheese has a nice crumbly texture and a mild taste, making it a versatile ingredient – I like it crumbled on top of salads and pasta, but I also like it in sweet recipes, like my “cream cheese” oatmeal recipe below. Give it a try, you might just like it!

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Overnight Oats

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup water or milk of choice

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

3-4 tbsp dry pressed cottage cheese (I used this brand)

Sweetener, to taste (I used stevia extract)

1/3 cup strawberries, chopped (or sub other berries or fruit)

Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover bowl and transfer to the fridge. Let sit for at least a few hours or overnight to thicken, and enjoy! Alternatively, you could enjoy this as hot oatmeal.

You could also try some fun variations by adding peanut butter, banana, or cocoa powder. I also like to reserve some of the cottage cheese to crumble on top!

Made any cool foodie discoveries lately? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook!

Stay cheesy,

Andie & Erica

Egg White Oatmeal

When I first heard of oatmeal made with egg whites, I’ll be honest – I thought it sounded kind of gross. I may be a fan of savoury oatmeal, but the thought of putting eggs in my oats and then adding cinnamon and sweetener just seemed a bit…weird. However, after encountering the recipe on a few different blogs over the past few months, I decided that I needed to overcome my irrational fears and embark on a new Fit Foodie adventure. The results? Delicious. Very delicious!

I made my egg white oats in the microwave, and the only difference in cooking was that I took the oats out halfway through to stir in the egg whites, as per this blogger’s instructions. The egg whites have this magical property of expanding your bowl of oats by a lot. The result is a big, fluffy bowl of oatmeal goodness that’s actually made with 1/3 cup of oats instead of the standard ½ cup – although it looks like much more!

You might be wondering about the flavour at this point. Certainly if you eat your egg white oats plain, you can taste the “egginess”. However, you can add lots of add-ins that will mostly mask the flavour, and when combined with sweetener (especially maple syrup) the oats taste just like French toast in a bowl!

Using egg whites in your oats is a great way to add protein to your snack (with 7 grams of protein for every two egg whites), give you a unique spin on a traditional breakfast, and keep you filled up for longer. This method is a must-try for any oatmeal enthusiast!

Fabulous Egg White Oatmeal (adapted from this recipe)

1/3 cup quick oats

2/3 cup water

2 egg whites (1/4 cup, if using egg whites from a carton)

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce or ½ mashed banana

Sweetener, to taste (such as powdered stevia or maple syrup)

Raisins and sliced banana (optional, for topping)

Add the oats and water to a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 90 seconds. Remove from the microwave and add the egg whites; whisk vigorously with a fork or a spoon until the egg is evenly distributed and the oats look frothy and fluffy. Return to the microwave for 60-90 seconds.

After 90 seconds of cooking, but prior to adding the egg whites

After adding the egg whites, prior to the second cooking time

Once the oats are cooked, add the remaining ingredients form vanilla extract through optional raisins. At this point, I like to put my oats in the refrigerator to allow them to thicken via the “overnight oats” method – but you can also eat them hot!

Top with Greek yogurt for an extra protein boost!

Enjoy your egg-cellent oatmeal bowl!

Andie & Erica