Keeping It Simple

My food has been pretty simple lately. I have been a little less creative in the kitchen, trying out other bloggers meal ideas and bringing out old favorites instead! My mental energy has been harnessed for school, but I have promised myself that I will be more creative soon! Here are some of my most recent favorites:

Baked oatmeal (affectionately shortened to Boatmeal) by Chocolate Covered Katie: The banana bread oatmeal is good, and the pumpkin pie oatmeal is great, but nothing beats the cinnamon roll baked oatmeal. I usually add 1 tsp of ground flax seed, and sometimes a bit of chopped apple! I also always pour a bit of milk over it, mostly too cool it down fast enough so I can dig in right away! It is hearty, delicious, and makes the whole house smell like cinnamon.

Overnight oats in a jar by Kath: My peanut butter and almond butter ran out within the same week, so that means 2x OOIAJ this week! This has been great as the weather has been bipolar in Boston. Some mornings are chilly and perfect for baked oats, and other mornings are hot and better for cold ones! Making the oats in a leftover nut butter jar is perfect because you don’t waste a drop of that precious stuff!

Roasted snacks: I made these roasted chickpeas a while back, and hadn’t made them again until this past week! I forgot how addictive these are! At least they are good for you! My newest spice combo: 1/4 tsp each garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne and salt. These are a great high protein, low-fat study snack, perfect to satisfy the potato chip salt craving! My latest discovery, however, is roasted green peas. I am a huge fan of wasabi peas, but didn’t want so much spice. Instead, I coated 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas (still frozen!) with 1 tsp nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. I spread them out over a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray, and roasted them at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring them every 15. They will turn slightly brown and shrink a lot, but they are oh so delicious! They are crunchy, salty without being overwhelming, and technically count as a veggie! I have been eating them plain as a snack, but am sure they would be great over salads as well!

Balsamic hummus dressing: I have seen a few bloggers put hummus on their salad in a few What I Ate Wednesdays, so I decided to try it for myself! All I can say is this led to the best creamy Balsamic dressing I have had to date. I mixed a teaspoon of Balsamic vinegar, a big teaspoon of hummus, and a half teaspoon of water together and poured it over my salad. Lower fat than a typical cream based dressing, and a nice change from my normal viniagrette!

Question: What is a simple meal or snack you have been enjoying lately?