oats | The Fit Foodies

I have a dream…

That one day, men and women can get together at breakfast time and eat an even bigger bowl of oats without overdoing the serving size. That one day, a food can actually change the molecular structure of the oatmeal so we can savour our breakfast even longer!

Well I had this dream…but then I woke up and decided to actually try it!

I am not kidding you guys, it’s like magic! And you don’t even need a recipe because it is so easy to do!

Make your oats according to the package (or our) directions until complete. But BEFORE you remove the oats from the pot, add one rounded spoonful of 0% Greek Yogurt (any variety you prefer) to the HOT oats and stir. When yogurt has zero fat in it, it tends to separate when heated, but if you stir, the yogurt won’t separate into curds; it will simply spread out and become thin. Plus, the Greek yogurt will provide an extra 2 grams of protein to your fibrous meal!

Here, you can immediately see the difference between the two bowls of oatmeal (the Greek yogurt oatmeal is in the one on the left). Pretty neat, huh?

As a wise man once said, “Science Rules!”

And that concludes The Fit Foodie chemistry lesson for today! Now back to my favourite period in school…lunchtime J

Stay Fit, Foodies!

Erica and Andie

**PPS Vote for me to be the next Mac and Cheese Judge in the All You Need is Cheese Contest!!! That way I can make some recipes, interview some winners, and tell you guys all about it! http://www.dairygoodness.ca/cheese/all-you-need-is-cheese/tasterwanted/erica-seetner/ **

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!