Steel Cut Oats with Blueberries and Nuts

Steel Cut Oats
Since the new year began, I’ve been having a hard time getting back on track with healthy eating and exercise. Reality struck when I stepped on the scale and realized that I had gained 10 lbs. Yikes! Whateva, I’m not going to beat myself up about it too much, it does happen. So two weeks ago I made a conscious effort to get back to my normal eating habits. Immediately I started to feel better and that bogged down feeling was finally going away. I’m a creature of habit and religiously eat my Autumn Kashi with blueberries and skim milk for breakfast but I decided to break the monotony and try something new. It obviously takes more time to prepare than it would to simply pour a bowl of cereal so it’s certainly not something I make every day.

Simply Balanced had their organic steel cut oats on sale 2 for 1 so I thought why not give it a try myself. I’ve ordered it at some of  my favorite health stores and coffee shops and loved it, how hard could it be, right?  It takes about 25 minutes to prepare but the health benefits are worth the effort. Steel cut oats are a great choice for a healthy heart, diabetes prevention and blood pressure control. It’s also great for weight loss and/or weight management by making you feel full for longer periods of time.

Once the oats were prepared I added my daily antioxidant boost with organic blueberries and about 1/4 cup of a mixture of almonds, cashews and raisins. I drizzled a tiny bit of oraganic Agave nectar to add some sweetness. If you wanted to cut down on the calories you could simply swap the mixed nuts with a 1/4 cup of almonds. It doesn’t look like much in the bowl but I can honestly tell you that I am full after eating it.

Steel Cut Oatmeal with blueberries, cashews, raisins and almonds Chart.jpg

Simply Balanced Steel Cut Oats

Steel Cut Oats

Steel Cut Oats with Cashews Almonds Blueberry
What are some of your healthy go-to breakfast choices?



Summer Entertaining

Summer Time Entertaining

I don’t know about you but I’m starting to make my wishlist from all those summer catalogs I’ve been getting in the mail lately. I’ve long been obsessed with colorful patterned melamine plates to kick off my summer entertaining. I found these fabulous Q Squared Victorian  Kelly green and white melamine plates at Zappos. They are the perfect base to start mixing different colors and patterns to create a fun table setting. I chose an understated braided hemp circle place mat and spiced it up with a C. Wonder tangerine colored Moroccan tile napkin. Complete the table with these fun stemless wine glasses with buzzwords sandblasted on them, that is sure to be a conversation starter.

It’s always nice to have a pretty drink dispenser of lemonade, ice tea or if I want to keep it really simple I just add some lemons and cucumbers to water. Super easy prep that will go a long way for your next gathering. A lovely potted plant and a few great candles will complete your summer time table.

What are some of your summer entertaining pieces?



Tasteful Tuesday: Water Bar

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Getting into Spring full swing here, we’ve been spending a lot of days on our porch drinking those fancy waters Pellegrino and Aqua Panna. Though I don’t drink either one of these waters regularly, I do like to keep a few bottles on hand for company.

Pellegrino is a nice water to have on hand for summer entertaining because it gives your guests the option to doctor it up with their favorite fruit or make a fabulous spritzer. It’s a great base for endless cocktail possibilities. As for the Aqua Panna, let’s be honest…it just looks good paired with a bottle of Pellegrino. Is it better than any other bottled water? Not so much in my opinion.

What drinks do you keep on hand for summer time entertaining?

Lemons and Limes

Pellegrino