Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

The first time I ever had baked oatmeal was at my favorite coffee shop in Auburn.  I immediately fell in love.  They served it in a bowl with warm, frothed milk over the top.  It was to-die-for.  I decided to make my own, and I found a recipe on SkinnyTaste that looked delicious.  The result?  AH-mazing!  I will make this over and over, for sure!!

Hot out of the oven

So moist and delicious, with a nice tartness from the berries

2 medium ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2" thick slices
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup honey
1 cup. uncooked quick oats
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup. skim milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray an 8x8-inch glass dish with non-stick spray.  Arrange banana slices in a single layer on the bottom of the dish.  Sprinkle half of the blueberries over the bananas, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. honey, and cover with foil.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine oats, baking powder, remaining cinnamon, salt, and half of the nuts.  In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, vanilla, and remaining honey.

Remove bananas from oven, and pour oat mixture on top.  Pour the milk over the oats, distributing mixture as evenly as possible over the oats.  Sprinkle remaining blueberries and nuts on top, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and the oatmeal has set.  Serve warm from the oven.

Jonathan's Birthday Surprise

Jonathan turned 27 last weekend, and I took him on a surprise road trip.  Jonathan has always loved anything to do with history and has wanted to go to Medieval Times for a long while now.  Medieval Times is a live jousting tournament and dinner theater.  They serve a meal that would've been eaten at a feast in medieval times, and your fingers are your utensils (no joke!).  The meal was delicious, and I knew Jonathan would enjoy the show, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the show.  It was really fun.

Jonathan outside of the castle

                         

A quick picture of the show

We stayed the night in Atlanta and headed back home on Sunday.  Though it was a really short trip (since Parent's Day was on Friday), we had a blast.  Happy birthday Jonathan!

Senior Parents' Day

This past Friday was Parents' Day for the senior dental students.  I was so excited to have my mom and stepdad, and my dad and stepmom come up for the day.  Jonathan got to take off work to come, too.  The school rented out the Alabama Theater, and we had a nice luncheon and had a great time with our families.

The beautiful Alabama Theater

My mom and me

My sweet friend/classmate, Ashley

What a great day commemorating all that my classmates and I have accomplished over the last four years.  It's been quite a ride, and it was great celebrating with my family!

Low-Fat Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Ever since making the raisin bran muffins, Jonathan and I have realized how great muffins can be. I have always enjoyed lemon poppy seed muffins, but when trying to find a recipe for them, I realized most are super unhealthy (multiple sticks of butter, etc). I found a recipe that looked better for you, and tried it out. I have to say, they were tasty! The lemon is so refreshing for spring/summer, so it's perfect for this time of year.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup sugar

zest and juice of 2 small lemons

3/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup canola oil

2 Tbsp. poppyseeds

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 12-muffin pan. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and lemon zest together until it turns a yellow color and you can smell the strong scent of lemon. In the same bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, mix the lemon juice, Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla and canola oil and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and with a large spoon or spatula mix well (do not over mix). Then stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly in 12 muffin cups. Bake for 18 minutes or until browned.

Source: A Bicycle Built for Two

Cajun Baked Catfish

Jonathan and I went to visit our parents over Easter weekend, and when I got back Sunday night, the grocery stores were closed in celebration of Easter. So, that means a week of easy weeknight meals. Like this one...This is a really simple weeknight meal that I will throw together anytime Publix has catfish fillets on sale. I will usually serve this with a side of green beans, or perhaps a green salad, or cheese grits, and toasted french bread. I don't really use specific amounts of the ingredients; just sprinkle enough of each to lightly coat each fillet.

Catfish fillets
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Paprika
Cayenne pepper (just a touch!)
Chili powder
Onion powder
Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a layer of foil on a baking sheet. Place fish on baking sheet, and brush a small amount of olive oil onto each fillet. Sprinkle other ingredients over the fish, and bake around 12 minutes, or until fish flakes with a fork.

Easy and quick!

Broiled Grapefruit

As a kid, I absolutely hated grapefruit. In fact, I thought my mom and sister were crazy when they would eat it. Now that I'm older, I gave it another try a couple of years back, and now I can't stop eating it! However, I never eat it with a spoon. I get weird looks in the lunchroom because I peel it like an orange and eat it like one. That being said, I've seen lots of recipes for broiled grapefruit online and have always thought, "Now, why would you go and make a healthy grapefruit un-healthy with butter and sugar?" But I have to admit, I was intrigued because of my aforementioned love of grapefruit. I decided to give it a try with some "healthier" options, and I was impressed!

1 tsp. Splenda brown sugar

1 tsp. yogurt butter

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Cut grapefruit in half crosswise (not across the stem, but the other way). Using a paring knife, cut all the way around the grapefruit between the fruit and the rind, and make some slits between fruit segments. Be careful not to cut through the rind so that the juices don't seep out. Spread the butter on the grapefruit, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Place under broiler in the oven approximately 4-5 minutes, or until sugar is bubbly.