Pomegranate seeds can be a bit expensive. If you can get the entire pomegranate instead of just the seeds that would be much more economical. I just haven’t been able to see the whole pomegranate just yet.

For this oatmeal bowl I used steel cut oats. I like the crunch they provide so I have been using this type quite often lately. You can use regular oats if that is what you have as well. No big deal. The recipe will still be as good.

You can also use any type of fruit, nuts, etc of your choice. The variations are endless so make your favorite combo if this one doesn’t appeal to you.

Every time I make oatmeal I make a huge batch. I love my large mixing bowls that are glass, which I have in different sizes. I use the large one to stored this berry pomegranate oatmeal bowl, which lasted the entire week. It was great to have breakfast prepared already. I keep mine in the fridge but I heat each serving in the microwave for one minute and add some extra milk. My kids love it.

I am going to post another variation over the weekend. That one is coconut and strawberry. Super easy, healthy and good as well.

You can even take berry pomegranate oatmeal bowl on the go. I have placed servings on mason jars and then just have it at room temperature. I take them to school. I love it because it keeps me full longer than if I were to have a protein bar or something. This with an apple and I am good to go for at least a couple of hours.

Anyways, I hope you like this recipe. There are more to come just like this one so until then…

Enjoy!

Berry pomegranate oatmeal bowl

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8-10 servings

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups steel cut oats, gluten free
• 5 cup almond milk
• 4 oz mixed organic frozen berries
• 5 oz pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large sauce pan add the steel cut oats, cinnamon and almond milk. Cook over medium to low heat until the oats have soften. About 10 minutes. You may add more milk if the mixture becomes too dried.

Transfer the oats to a large mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and combine.

Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

The post Berry pomegranate oatmeal bowl appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Well well well, here it is, my first live post in my new blog site! Gluten Free No bake blackberry Frozen Cheesecake

I am super thrilled and beyond excited. I have worked really hard to incorporate some better information and with the help of Lindsay, the web designer from Purr, much better features for you to navigate the blog. Do you like it? I do, so I hope you do too.

You have to check out my E-book section. These two books, that I really worked hard on for the past 8 months, have really good recipes so I hope you like them. I am working on a couple more but these will take a few more weeks before I can have them up.

Anyhow, I know it is not summer, or spring time for that matter, but to be honest I am really getting tired of the snow and cold. It is almost April, and in NJ, we are still having snow and really cold weather.

I really want to start making frozen and refreshing treats. I couldn’t wait any longer, so I guess you are in luck. This no bake blueberry frozen cheesecake is to die for.

This Gluten Free No bake blackberry Frozen Cheesecake  is really versatile since you can add any other fruit of your choice, so get creative. I think the colors are rather pretty and your kids will really enjoy eating it.

I had actually made another version a while back, a lemonade version, that was also very good. I think I liked this one better because the consistency was more of my taste. Either way, they were both good.

On another note, I think I am going to be taking a few days brake from the blog world, a much needed rest. I have worked really hard the past 6 weeks so me and my family will be going on a mini vacation up in the Tennessee mountains for 2 weeks. I will be back with new goodies to share with you at the beginning of April, so stay tuned for those.

I hope you like the new site and features. See you back in 2 weeks or so

Enjoy!

Here you can see the prepared crust. I used a 8×8 baking pan previously lined with parchment paper. Also, you can see the puree blackberries. I used my blender to do this.

Half the cream cheese mixture and add the blackberries to one half of it. Swirl for a few strokes obtaining a marble effect.

…and here you can see the final result after freezing the cheesecake for a few hours. You may have to thaw out the cheesecake for 10-15 minutes before being able to cut through it!

No bake blackberry Frozen Cheesecake

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 10 servings

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust

• 2 cups old fashion oats, Gluten Free
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons almond milk
• 1 cup pitted prunes
• 1/4 cup chia seeds

Filling

• 2 8oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 6 oz fresh organic blackberries
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 tablespoon agar powder, or 1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin

Directions:

Line 8x8 square pan with parchment paper. This will allow you to release the cheesecake when it is set.

Place oats in the food processor and pulse for 10 seconds or so. Add the remainder of the ingredients and pulse until mixture comes together. About 1-2 minutes.

Press the crust mixture down onto the prepared pan and place in the fridge while you work on the filling.

Place the agar powder (or gelatin) and lemonade in a small sauce pan and heat for about 1 minute, just to dissolve the powder. In a bowl whip the cream cheese and honey. To this mixture add the lemonade with the agar powder already dissolved and mix through. Divide this mixture in half. Add the puree blackberries to one half of the mixture. Fold just until you get a marble effect like in the pictures.

Pour the white cream cheese filling over the crust followed by the blackberry one. Freeze for about 3-4 hours.

Before serving, run a knife over the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it up and place the cheesecake on a pretty plate. You may need about 20 minutes to bring the cheesecake to room temperature to be able to cut it through.

Store cheesecake in the freezer and thaw out about 20-30 minutes before serving.

The post Gluten Free No bake blackberry Frozen Cheesecake appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have been experimenting with smoothies lately and getting more creative. I want to try other flavors and ingredients so stay tuned for new ones to come.

This beet smoothie is a prime example. I did too use beets for another smoothie not long ago and we really liked it. I think the ginger in that one was what made the smoothie over the top.

This beet smoothie version is good too but I think it resembled a bit more of the beet flavor. It was no a favorite for my kids but they did drank it anyways :-)

For the e-books I have included a few awesome smoothies that I think everyone is sure to like. So far my kids are loving them so I hope you do too.

If you are not fond off or can’t get veggies and fruits in your diet through out the day much you should try to make smoothies. They are super simple to put together, quick and ultra nutritious.

I have seen many places that do sell them but to tell you the truth I find them very expensive and not as good. I also find them super sweet too, which pretty much ruins the smoothie.

Anyhow, let me know how like this beet and berry smoothie if you get to try it.

Enjoy!

This smoothie is really good. If you like you can add more mixed berries. I just added 6 oz. I have just discovered roasted organic beets at my store and I am going to use them much more often. I actually want to use them to make some type or red velvet cake so will see how it goes!

Beet and Mixed Berry Smoothie

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups apple juice
2-3 ripe bananas
9 oz roasted organic frozen beets, I buy them at the store already roasted and then I freeze them
6 oz mixed organic berries, frozen or fresh

Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 5 servings.

The post Beet and mixed berry smoothie appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I don’t want to bored you with so much oatmeal  but I just find it to be such a convenient and healthy breakfast I can’t stop making it every other day!!

Berry season is here and with this comes using this beautiful and nutritious fruits for what ever I can. Besides making smoothies and ice pops, which berries work really good for that, I want to find ways in which I can incorporate these types of fruits. Incorporating these in a berry and almond oatmeal version I thought it could be good.

Anyhow, I hope you get to try this one as well. It is a great way to start your day!!

Enjoy!!

Here you can see the before and after of this oatmeal version. The left picture shows you all of the ingredients except the berries being cooked away. The right picture was when the oatmeal was done and I added the berries about 30 seconds before I turned off the heat.

The sliced almonds really make this breakfast oatmeal especial. They give this a really nice crunch and flavor that complements the berries really well.

I always buy organic berries. They are more expensive, but they taste much better and do not contained a bunch of pesticides. This is one of the foods you want to invest more money in and get organic. If you can include organic berries in your budget go for it. You will not be sorry!!

I think I can make infinite versions of oatmeal at this point. So far I have made 4 different ones, here they are in case you want to check them out. I don’t know which one is my favorite, because they are all really different and yummy and the same time.

Carrot cake oatmeal
Dark chocolate and peanut butter oatmeal
Apple pie oatmeal

Mixed berry and almond breakfast oatmeal

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
2 1/2 cups almond milk, soy milk, cow's milk will also work
3/4 cups coconut milk, if you don't have any use milk of choice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup flax seed meal, optional, wheat germ or oat bran will also work well
2 cups mixed organic berries, any of your choice will work
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds

 

Directions:

Place all ingredients, except berries, in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium to high heat, stirring frequently until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until milk has been absorbed and the oats have softened.

Add in the berries and mix them through.

Served with extra almonds and extra milk if desired.

I have not tried making this in a microwave but I am sure it will also work well as long as you stir in between.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 5 servings. This is high in manganese.

The post Mixed berry and almond breakfast oatmeal appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have seen many versions of parfaits before and I think since it is a very simple, luxurious and nutritious dessert it was time for me to make my own.

While I have made different versions, ones healthier than others, I figured I post the healthiest variation I have made so far. In these parfaits I used a mixture of heavy cream and Greek yogurt, more Greek yogurt than anything really. You can opt for choosing to make them all with Greek yogurt. I think they would still be good since Greek yogurt is rather thick in consistency.

Like many of the recipes I post in my blog, this one is also very versatile. You can add any type of berries, or fruit for that matter, you may prefer and use what ever granola you like. Also these parfaits weren’t that sweet at all so you can add more sugar if you like.

If you are having company over and want to make a quick, luxurious and nutritious dessert, this is it. For breakfast, for lunch or dinner, this is the perfect sweet treat that won’t pack up much guilt :-)

Enjoy!!

Hulled the strawberries. I used a thick straw to do that. A very easy and simple way of doing so!! I always use organic berries. They don’t only taste better but pesticides do affect berries much more than any other fruit so if you can afford it and can find them, get them!!

You can add more granola or make the parfait entirely just Greek Yogurt. I did a mixture of heavy cream and Greek yogurt that was really yummy but if you want to decrease the saturated content of it go ahead and just do Greek Yogurt!!

These parfaits are simple, nutritious, and super tasty. You can have them for breakfast, as a sweet treat or just because :-)

Mixed berry and granola parfait

Yield: 6 parfaits

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream, you can do all Greek Yogurt
1 lb Low fat Greek yogurt, I used 2%
1 cup granola (I used dark chocolate and peanut butter home made granola)
4 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 cups mixed fresh organic berries

Directions:

In a bowl, whip the heavy cream with the sugar. Fold in the Greek yogurt.

In a parfait glass, or any glass container for that matter, place 1 tablespoon of Granola followed by 2 tablespoons of the Greek yogurt mixture. Place some berries over the yogurt and repeat layer.

Refrigerate parfaits until it is time to serve.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 6 parfaits. 

The right nutrition facts is using just Greek yogurt, but 1.5 lbs instead of 1 lb. The left nutrition facts is using the mixture of Greek yogurt and heavy cream.

The post Mixed berry and granola parfait appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Here you have it, another cornmeal recipe….. I am on a roll right?

I am determined to get rid of the cornmeal soon, maybe not at once, but soon. I think between the Honey and orange cornmeal cake I made the other day and these muffins I think I will be able to finish it quite fast. I just don’t want to forget that I have it or for it to get spoiled!

This recipe, again, turned out much better than anticipated. The berries were awesome, the honey gave them a distinctive flavor and they weren’t powerfully sweet.

You can leave the cornmeal out if you prefer and just do all whole wheat pastry flour. You can also use other fruits of your choice like cranberries. I think that will also work very well.

Enjoy!

Batter is ready to be divided between the cupcake liners. A very easy batter I must add!!

After exactly 27 minutes I got them out of the oven and allowed them to cool on a wire rack.

Here you can appreciate the goodness of the berries inside the muffins. Just superb!!

Very Berry Honey Cornmeal Muffins

Yield: 17 muffins

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling
1/3 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup mixed berries, fresh or frozen, I used frozen but I previously thawed and drained)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, You can use 2 cups WWPF and omit the cornmeal if you prefer
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup low fat milk + two tablespoons, soy milk will also work

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, eggs, milk, sugar, and extract. Add flour, cornmeal, and baking powder, and combine. Fold in the berries.

Pour batter into prepared cupcake liners and sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. I baked mine for exactly 27 minutes.

Remove from pan and cool in a wire rack.

The post Very Berry Honey Cornmeal Muffins appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.