Who doesn’t love soft, fluffy French toast? Even better when it’s flavoured with the sweetness of vanilla and the warm spice of cinnamon. Even better still when it is packed with protein to power you through your day! And you’d never guess that it’s lower in carbohydrates than many French toast recipes and other breakfast treats and pastries.
No need to save this recipe for the weekend (although it makes a great addition to any brunch) – let’s whip it up RIGHT NOW!
Pieces of rich, decadent dark chocolate. Slivers of slightly-sweet, crunchy, nutty almonds. Flakes of coconut adding taste and texture to every bite. Am I describing the famous Almond Joy chocolate bar or breakfast? Guess what? With my new “Almond Joy” Overnight Oatmeal, the answer is both! Except that the oatmeal version packs the goodness of whole grain oats, extra protein to fuel your day and no added sugar. But you can still pretend you’re having a candy bar for breakfast and no one will be the wiser.
Carrot cake is sneaky. Delicious, but sneaky. It promises to be “healthy” with its grated carrot (a great source of beta-carotene!) but many traditional carrot cake recipes can feature up to TWO CUPS of refined white sugar! Not to mention, added oils, white flour and all those other ingredients that seem to make baked goods taste so darn good and yet aren’t necessarily so darn good for you. Well, the buck (or won, or yen or dollar or kroner or whatever) stops here! It’s time to faithfully represent the true health benefits of carrot cake with this recipe that is FREE of refined sugar, FREE of gluten, FREE of flour and FREE of added fats/oils (but no, not free of calories – what world are you living in?) – all those FREEBIES add up to a BIG, FAT SPENDING on FLAVOUR! Woo-hoo!
It’s not the weekend if I don’t have another new Overnight Oatmeal to share (I’ll run out of fresh new ideas someday, but today’s NOT the day)! And it’s not a Golden Graham Girl Overnight Oatmeal if it’s not a delicious, high-protein, healthyhealthful spin on a flavour combination that is normally reserved for dessert (or at least after noon). So it MUST be Sunday if I have this sweet Cinnamon Raisin Cookie Overnight Oatmeal to share with you! (Checks calendar.) Yup, it’s Sunday! Just in time for you to make a big batch of this for awesome breakfasts ALL WEEK LONG!
Cherry blossom season in South Korea is BEAUTIFUL. Streets and countrysides are lined with trees whose branches are clouds of pink and white blossoms. As the season progresses, these blossoms drop away and float down like a soft, warm wonderful kind of snow and blanket the shoulders of the roadways. But what’s even more beautiful, in my mind, is the bounty of fresh, ripe cherries that follows. Rich, deep-red cherries with shiny, glossy skins are currently lining the shelves of grocery stores, fruit stands and markets everywhere. Their fresh, tart sweetness is begging to be eaten and I am eating them in abundance! I eat them by the handful, the bowful, the bagful, and the whole darn boxful! And guess what happens to pair perfectly with juicy cherries? Rich, complex, oh-so-slightly bitter deep-dark chocolate! I was literally mid-drizzle with my chocolate syrup* poised over a bowl of fresh chopped cherries when my latest idea for Overnight Oatmeal sprang to mind. Dark Chocolate Cherry is decadently delicious and still as healthful, high-protein and wholesome as ever!
Since apples are really a fruit of the fall, I guess I could be accused of pushing the season (but not in a lameefficient let’s-buy-new-school-supplies-in-July kind of way). But summer makes me think of carnivals and festivals (a little shout-out for the Calgary Stampede July 3-12, 2015, a.k.a RIGHT NOW – Mr. Golden Graham’s hometown, yee-haw, ya-hoo!), and carnivals make me think of candy apples! And deep-fried Oreos. But I don’t have an overnight oatmeal for that. Yet. So back to the candy apples. Sticky, sweet and, well, apple-y, this overnight oatmeal has captured it all but without the sugar. And regret. No-regret oatmeal! Catchy, isn’t it?
In case you missed it, summer is (officially) here (in the Northern hemisphere, anyway – Aussie readers, you can make this anyway, or Pin It and check back in six months). Summer cookouts abound and no one wants to turn on the oven, or even the stove if it can be avoided. Good news – this recipe requires neither! And while many summer desserts trick us with their emphasis on fruits, they can still be deceptively high in fat and calories. Not so with this decadent dish! I’ve taken the classic banana cream pie and turned it into a healthy, high-protein breakfast with the goodness of whole grain oats. Make mornings happier, especially if you have a few extra mouths around the breakfast table to feed (school summer vacation, anyone? You can always omit the protein powder and reduce the liquid slightly for the junior set). Enjoy the taste of a classic cool & creamy sweet summer-time dessert with none of the guilt (or excess fat or calories) in this healthy, high-protein make-ahead breakfast!
If you follow me on Instagram (and you totally should – I post mouthwatering food photos, including recipe links, pretty much all day every day!), you’ll know that I am ALL ABOUT my Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes. I eat them at least a few times a week and I never get over how incredibly good they are and how you’d never guess that they’re a “protein” pancake. I won’t even share them with my own flesh and blood (I keep telling The Golden Graham Boy “you wouldn’t like them – they’re not for kids,” as he doesn’t need that much concentrated protein in one serving, nor the touch of Sucralose that comes in my protein powder. Moreover, they’re for Mommy and I’m not sharing!).
I didn’t think protein pancakes could get any better – but they did. I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me they could – but they did. It wasn’t until I ran out of my regular vanilla protein powder and decided to use peanut butter flavour protein powder instead that the magic happened – and boy, it did! Still incredibly low in fat, carbohydrates and calories, these Double Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes have 43g of protein per serving and are free of grains, gluten and refined sugar. You’ll never look at breakfast (or pancake supper) the same way again.
“Carry on my wayward son” (Kansas) – I’m not sure what it is about blogging that makes me want to sing, but random ditties always seem to pop into my head as I’m posting. In this case, I was thinking about carrying on with all of my great Overnight Oatmeal ideas. I can’t believe no one called me to task for failing to post a new flavour combination last week! But never fear, The Golden Graham Girl is here! (Or back. Or whatever.) And I’ve got a great new summer-themed idea, just in time for the first official day of summer (happy Summer Solstice and International Yoga Day, everyone! And FATHER’S DAY – yes, you can make this for Dad! And since you can make it the night before – if you hurry – you won’t have to get up early to present dear ol’ Dad with breakfast in bed! Win-win!).
As I’ve mentioned before, South Korea may not always have what I’m looking for in the local grocery store, but they do have a fantastic selection of seasonal produce. And guess what’s in season right now? MANGOES! Sweet, juicy and downright delectable, I was more than happy to make a mess making this oatmeal. And of course you know that I’m all about all things coconut. Mango and coconut is a great summer duo and for great reason – they taste great together! Not to mention they’re healthyhealthful and good for you in oh-so-many ways. As always, I’ve added my signature high-protein twist to this dish (you can always omit the protein powder if you don’t need this boost!) and it’s just as easy to make this recipe as ever.
Cinnamon gets to me. Every. Single. Time. It can be the height of summer, and I will still turn on my oven for a recipe featuring cinnamon (Salted Caramel Apple Bake has been on repeat for dessert here this week – it’s the lazy man’s – or woman’s – way to a crisp/crumble and really is so great with vanilla dairy ice cream OR coconut ice cream for the Paleo purists). But keep in mind that I AM Canadian, so baking in the summer heat of South Korea also means that I have my air conditioning unit on full blast (not energy efficient, I know). So, here’s my compromise: no oven required for this Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oatmeal! I still can’t resist microwaving it before I eat it, though, to send the scent of cinnamon throughout my office and make everyone jealous of my awesome breakfast (but don’t worry, I generously share this easy, healthy recipe, and I hope you do, too!). High protein, gluten-free and just as easy (easier, even) as pie.
Healthy, gluten free, high protein and calorie conscious creations
Cooking creatively with a healthy touch!
Fitness Food & Nutritious Noshes
The Golden Graham Girl 