Easy Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies from Making It Grow

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I had the honor of flying to South Carolina to film two cooking segments on the Public Television show Making It Grow.  I adore this show (they teach you all about plants!).  I LOVE to cook plants and help people Shed Pounds Sustainably by eating A LOT of them (without counting, weighing or measuring!).

On this segment, I show you how to make Easy Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies.

Here’s why you want to watch…

  • These cookies are SO easy and simple. 

  • My favorite part – before these are cookies, it’s just oatmeal from the microwave!  So, it’s actually two recipes in one! 

  • Once the microwaved oatmeal is done, you can eat it as is or bake it as bars or cookies!

Click play below to watch the episode and keep scrolling for the recipe! My segment starts at 16:51 (if you don’t want to watch the whole hour show although I do recommend it — especially if you like gardening!).

Onto the recipe…

Easy Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies  

By: Nutritionist, Trisha Mandes, MPHN

Ingredients

  • 1 cup regular rolled oats

  • 1 cup banana sliced (about one large banana)

  • ¼-½ cup blueberries (frozen or fresh!)

  • 3 TB maple syrup OR date syrup

  • Cinnamon

  • Water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  2. Put 1 cup of rolled oats into shallow dish or bowl

  3. Add the sliced banana and blueberries to the bowl

  4. Coat up to the top of mixture with water so top of ingredients are covered and moistened

  5. Microwave mixture for 2-3 minutes to soften. Add more water if needed

  6. Use fork to smash up fruit to release juices to sweeten dish

  7. Add maple syrup and cinnamon on top

  8. Mix all ingredients together

  9. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

  10. Use a spoon full of ingredients to form cookies

  11. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes 

  12. Let cool before serving 

These are excellent as a mini-meal (a snack), for breakfast or a daily dessert.

Interested in seeing if/how Trisha can help you Shed Pounds Sustainably even if you can’t exercise or have additional health concerns? Schedule a time to chat with her here. She’d love to talk to see if she can help you Shed Pounds Sustainably just like her clients.

Take Control Now

Comment below and share… would you make these cookies!? 

5 ways to make whole-grains tastier

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Abysmal US nutrition statistic:  

Ninety-three percent of Americans fail to eat the recommended amount of whole-grains, a measly 3 ounces everyday (1).  This is according to a 2007 Economic Research Report published by the USDA.

Not surprising as Americans are also deficient in fiber (2), fruit and veggies (3) and whole plant foods.  No matter what type of diet you're on, Americans need to eat more fruits, veggies, whole-grains and beans.  Period.

But back to whole-grains.  What are they and how can you make them taste good?

Whole-grains are grains that still have 100% of their original nutrients and edible parts.  You could literally cut whole-grains down in the field, bring them into your kitchen, clean off the inedible parts, cook them in a pot and eat them.  Or, you could grind 100% whole-grains into flour and then use it to make bread or pasta.

The whole-grains that aren't turned into flour are called intact whole grains.  All of their original nutrients and edible parts are still packaged the same way in your kitchen as they were in the field.  

Examples of intact whole-grains include oats, whole wheat, quinoa, brown or wild rice, popcorn, buckwheat, rye and barley.  

Intact whole-grains are less calorie dense than whole-grain flours because intact whole-grains absorb water or liquid into themselves as they cook.  This makes intact whole-grains more filling than flours without adding extra calories (when using water).  Plus, your body has to work a little harder to digest intact whole grains, which provides you an a longer, more sustained amount of energy.  Flour products (even 100% whole-grain ones) absorb more quickly because they've been slightly pre-digested for you... a machine has ground up the grain instead of your gastrointestinal tract.  

Now the question becomes, how can you eat intact whole-grains and have them taste good? Well, why not just buy them pre-seasoned in a box and not have to worry about it?

Your grains will be healthier if you "doctor them up" yourself instead of buying them pre-seasoned in the grocery store.  Why?  Because food producers generally add fat, sugar and salt to make things taste better.  Buy the grains plain and then you dress them up.

5 Ways to Make Intact Whole-Grains Tastier

1.  Cook in them veg stock.

Cook quinoa or brown rice in veg stock.  Not only does it make the grain more flavorful, but it adds a beautiful golden color to the grain as well.

Brown rice cooked in vegetable stock with spices.

Brown rice cooked in vegetable stock with spices.

Be sure to keep the liquid to grain ratio the same when cooking.  You can make half of your liquid veg stock or all of it veg stock as long as the overall liquid to grain ratio is correct.

Buy veg stock or broth in the store, or make it yourself.  Here's my husband's, Chef Erik Hoffman (Trisha's Healthy Table Executive Chef) vegetable stock recipe.

2.  Cook whole-grains in coconut milk.

Whether it's quinoa, rice for a curry or with oats in the morning, adding coconut milk will add a lot of flavor to grains.  Coconut milk is almost all fat though, so I try to use a small amount of coconut milk and mix it with water when adding it to my grains.

Need a recipe?  Try our coconut infused quinoa.

3.  Cook in plant milk.

This is especially great for breakfast grains.  You can add almond milk or any plant milk to raw oats or cooked rice or quinoa in the morning and pop it in the microwave for a yummy morning start.  Then, add fruit, raisins or dates and cinnamon and you're good to go. 

4.  Add spices.

When you're not relying on fat and sugar to add flavor to your whole-grains, spices are where it's at for intense flavor.  If you don't know what spices taste good with what grains, google it! Google knows everything.  

Or, you can buy pre-blended spice mixes so you don't have to guess what spices compliment other spices.  For example, buy taco spice mix, cajun or Italian spice mixes.  Add a heavy sprinkle to your pot when you add the grains to your liquid.

5.  Add herbs.

Herbs also flavor food while adding a mega-boost of nutrition, just like spices.  Certain herbs can be added during the cooking process, while other should be added just before eating.  

Soft herbs (think of delicate leaves) such as basil, parsley and cilantro, should be added once the cooking is finished and then mixed in, or added to whole-grains as an edible garnish or topping.  

Hard herbs are thicker and usually have a tough stem.  Rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, lemongrass and lavender are great examples.  Add these herbs while cooking for a robust flavor profile.

Take Control Now

Which of these tips will you try in your kitchen to make whole-grains tastier?  Have a different go-to method to share?  I'd love to hear it.

Answer by clicking 'comment' below the references.

References

1.  Lin, B-H and Yen, ST, The U.S. Grain Consumption Landscape: Who Eats Grain, in What Form, Where, and How Much?, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, November 2007.  Accessed online August 2016 at http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/216644/err50_reportsummary_1_.pdf

2.  South Carolina Nutrition, Obesity and Physical Activity and Obesity Fact Sheets for Youth and Adults, 2011.  Department of Health and Environmental Control.  Accessed online, May 2016 at: http://www.scdhec.gov/library/cr-009958.pdf

3.  Mobley, AR et al. Identifying Practical Solutions to Meet America’s Fiber Needs: Proceedings from the Food & Fiber Summit. Nutrients. 2014 Jul; 6(7): 2540–2551.

Why Superfoods Suck

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I still remember browsing for spices in the grocery store 2 years ago when I overheard a concerned and overweight couple (mid 50s).  They were searching for turmeric.  I over heard them say "we hear it's really good for you" to the market employee as they painfully walked down the aisle.  

Studies have been done on turmeric and its effect on diabetes.  I assumed the couple was struggling with their health and were hoping turmeric was going to help them feel better. Unfortunately, the advertising of superfoods such as turmeric, Maca Powder and goji berries etc. can be quite misleading and here's why...

If you're unhealthy or overweight and all you do is add a superfood to your regular diet, it's highly unlikely that any physical positive change are going to come from that, especially if you're eating the standard American diet (SAD!).  What is for certain however, is that if your whole diet shifts away from one that is mostly made of processed, refined foods and animal foods (like most Americans eat), to a diet comprised of at least 90% whole, plant foods, you're health is going to improve significantly and quickly.

For example, if all you do is add a tsp of turmeric to your diet or a tbsp of maca powder, that's not going to cut it compared to eating fruit and oatmeal every morning, veggie pasta with bread and a salad for lunch and a rice and bean burrito with salsa and guacamole for dinner.  And for dessert?  Yes of course, banana ice-cream! 

You could lose 1-3 pounds per week and reduce or eliminate cholesterol medication, blood pressure medication, insulin and other medications within one month by switching the totality of your diet to a whole foods, plant-based diet without superfoods!  

I'm not trying to say these individual superfoods aren't high in nutrition and aren't very healthy… they are!  And if you're eating them, don't stop!  It's not the superfoods themselves that I don't like, but the concept of superfoods is what sucks, or rather, what's misleading.  

Many people believe these superfoods will save them.  Superfoods are another 'magic bullet', reductionist, solution to a wholistic (yes, purposely spelled with a 'w') problem - the entire American diet. 

Take Control Now

What did you learn from this episode?  Have you ever been sucked into the 'superfood' trap?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.  Thanks for watching (or reading!).  See you next Tuesday!

Vegan, Plant-Based Food for Camping

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Last night I returned from a fun-filled camping trip.  My ladies and I car-camped for a night and set off for hiking and swimming along Scott Mountain trail in Oregon the next day.  As you can see, it was beautiful and a lot of fun with great friends.  However...  

Me, Anna, Jodi and Maggie at the summit of Scott Mountain, Oregon.

Me, Anna, Jodi and Maggie at the summit of Scott Mountain, Oregon.

We made sure we were eating an abundance of whole, plant-based foods to sustain us during our trip (it was more like an adventure really) because traditional, American camp food is crap.

I'm talking traditional hotdogs and hamburgers for lunch and dinner, s'mores for dessert,  scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast and chips and pretzels for snacks.  If you're lucky, there might be some baked beans in there.  

Where are the vegetables!?  The plants?  In these traditional eats?

To incorporate more whole, plant-based meals while camping, try these healthy, plant-based dishes to satisfy your hunger instead.  

Plant-Based Camping Recipes/Easy Meals

Breakfast: Oatmeal.  Bring little baggies filled with regular rolled oats, raisins and cinnamon.  Then, all you need is hot water to pour on top of your pre-made mix (in a bowl of course).  Next, chop up a banana or a piece of fruit for on-top.  This is also an excellent breakfast for a day of hiking.

 
 

(Psst.. you don't want to use 'thick' oats when cooking this way. You'll risk having hard, thick oats instead of soft and chewy!).

Lunch:  If you're on the trail, fill your hiking pack with a boxed soup and a baked sweet potato.  If you're hanging around camp with the kids, make veggie-hummus or -avocado sandwiches.  Spread oil-free hummus or 2 slices of avocado on 100% whole-grain bread, and top with sliced cucumber, carrot and lettuce.  Fresh fruit for a side-dish or again, boxed soup.

Snacks:  I brought lightly salted edamame beans, fruit, baked sweet potatoes and boxed soups that I could eat straight from the carton, or warm up on the fire on our camping trip.  Slices of watermelon were perfect in the heat!

Dinner:  Mexican tortilla wraps.  Combine canned beans, canned corn and salsa in a pot and place on the fire until warm.  While this is cooking, warm tortillas on the fire.  Then, simply add the warmed mixture to the tortillas and bam you have dinner (just don't forget your can opener!).  Takes less than 15 minutes. 

In addition you can, heat corn on the cob on the fire.  Leave the husks on, and once it's cooked, eat plain or spread a lime wedge along the corn and top with your favorite seasoning.  Mine is taco or cajun seasoning.  

Marinated veggie skewers are also a great addition and 100% whole-grain pasta with a can of tamato sauce (oil and sugar free) is also easy and quick to make.  

Dessert:  Fresh fruit like watermelon, peaches and seasonal summer fruit are always delightful.  

However, if you're looking forward to making something around the camp fire, try a roasted banana boat s'more.  Slice the length of a banana's peel with a knife length wise and insert a tablespoon of dark chocolate or peanut butter along the banana's flesh.  Close the peel and place on the grill on the fire or on a hot rock.  Open once warm and enjoy directly out of the peel with a spoon or, spoon out onto graham crackers instead of using marshmallows (marshmallows are horrible for you and your kids and ya'll should NEVER eat them!).  Replace all your marshmallows with campfire bananas (they're even sweeter this way!).  

Now I'd love to hear from you.  Please answer today's Take Control Now question in the comments section below and then click 'like' to show me some love and let others know, "that hey, there's valuable information here!".  Thanks.

Take Control Now

What's your favorite, healthy, plant-based meals for camping?  What unhealthy (treats) food are you serving that you shouldn't?

Answer in the comments section below and find me on social media.

How to Freeze Blueberries

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One of my favorite things about summer is the blueberries.  From July to September blueberries are freshly picked in Oregon and I eat them on everything.  I go into complete berry overload!

I put blueberries on my oatmeal in the morning, on salads for lunch and dinner, in my banana ice-cream for a summer cool-down treat, in my blueberry breakfast crisp or just plain as a snack.  

Blueberries are soo good for you too!  They've been shown to improve memory in humans (1), protect against the progression of cancer (2), atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke and neurodegenerative diseases of aging (2).  

Blueberries are so wondrous for our health because there are so many health promoting compounds in blueberries.  Blueberries contain (3)...

  • fiber
  • calcium
  • magnesium
  • phosphorous
  • potassium
  • vitamin C
  • folate
  • choline
  • vitamin A
  • beta carotene
  • lutein + zeaxanthin (carotenoids)
  • vitamin K
  • a ton of flavonoids and proanthocyanidin (disease fighting compounds)

The list doesn't stop here.  Blueberries also contain many trace amounts of additional vitamins and minerals that are not included in this list (3). 

One way to get a lot of blueberries in your diet, is to always have them around.  However, they can be expensive, so the least expensive way to have blueberries year round is to freeze them.    

How to Freeze Blueberries

1.  Buy freshly picked blueberries.  You can buy them in the store, however, they will cost less if you buy them directly from a farmer, especially in large batches or even better, if you pick them yourself (find your local U-Pick blueberries).  I prefer organic blueberries but if you can't find or afford organic, non-organic is better than not eating blueberries at all!

2.  Spread the berries evenly as one layer onto a cookie sheet or pie pan.  Don't pile blueberries on-top of each other.  They'll freeze together in clumps this way.  Pick out any stems or leaves.  Don't rinse the berries before you freeze them.  This will make the skins tough and not as tasty.  

3.  Place in the freezer for at least 3 hours or until hard.   

4.  Remove blueberries from freezer, remove any additional stems and store in plastic sealed containers or zip lock bags.  Write the date you froze them on the bag or container (you can also use a piece of tape).  This way you'll know how old they are when you find them years later in the back of your freezer!

5.  When you're ready to eat your frozen blueberries, rinse them, and then cook!

Top left: packaged frozen berries, Top right: berries about to go in the freezer, Bottom left: picking stems off berries post freezing, Bottom right: berries on my oatmeal this morning

Take Control Now

How do you freeze blueberries?  Have a different method you'd like to share?  Or, what's your favorite way to eat blueberries?

Put your answer in the comments section below.  I'd love to hear from you.  And please like this article or pass it on if it was of any use to you!

 
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