Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

Welcome to my Carrot Cake Overnight Oats blog post. You can make this recipe the night before and enjoy a healthy breakfast the next day. Serve hot or cold depending on season or your preference.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup old-fashioned oats, uncooked

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon flax seeds, ground

1 tablespoon shredded coconut, unsweetened

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

¼ cup shredded carrots

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (optional)

¾ cup plain, unsweetened plant-based milk (i.e., soy, almond, coconut)

DIRECTIONS

Select a container for your overnight oats, such as a mason jar or glass storage container with tight fighting lid.

Layer as Follows: oats, cinnamon, allspice, flax seeds, coconut, walnuts, and carrots.
Pour over vanilla, maple syrup, and plant-based milk.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, stir together with a spoon and enjoy cold or warm.

Oatmeal is a breakfast staple in Loma Linda, California where Seventh-Day Adventist Christians abide by a vegetarian diet. Overnight oats are an easy way to prep breakfast for on-the-go. Fill a couple of mason jars with oats and flavorful toppings, and breakfast is ready to go the next morning.

Oatmeal is a high fiber food. Fiber is very important for your digestive system. Diets high in fiber lower the risk of lifestyle diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Oatmeal fills you up. This will help eliminate cravings for snacks, donuts, or other sweets that may tempt you. I remember how people at work would buy a dozen donuts and then share them with other employees. Oats can be included in oat loafs and other vegan or vegetarian recipes to help you improve your health.

Filled with carrots, walnuts, raisins, coconut, and spices, this overnight oats recipe from Sharon Palmer, RDN, the Plant-Powered Dietitian, tastes just like carrot cake! You can pop your jar of Carrot Cake Oats in the microwave for a few minutes if you like it warm.

Hope you have enjoyed reading my Carrot Cake Overnight Oats post. I have many more healthy recipes on my Healthy Living Category of my blog.

Daniel Parsons

Welcome to my Vegan Meatless Meatloaf post where you can enjoy a home style favorite meal that is loaded with fiber instead of the fat and cholesterol that comes with eating animal products.

It takes me about 30 to 40 minutes of prep time to prepare this meal. One tip is to mix your dry ingredients together and process those first in your food processor.

I have learned to replace some of the oil in recipes with just plain water. This helps reduce the amount of calories in the healthy meals that I make and share with other people.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, finely minced
1 cup celery, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 cup shredded carrots
2 cup quick oats
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup whole wheat flour or 1 cup almond meal
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. McKay’s chicken-style seasoning
1-2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
Hint: (put three slices of 100 % whole wheat bread in food processor to avoid additives in packaged bread crumbs)
1 cup cooked lentils
1 cup vanilla soy milk as needed
1 cup ketchup

In a large nonstick skillet, combine olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, peppers, and garlic. Saute until onion is clear. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, nuts, seasonings and bread crumbs. Add the sauteed vegetables and lentils. Mix in soy milk as needed – until mixture holds together well. Spray a 5 x 9 inch baking pan (pyrex) and pat mixture down firmly. Spead ketchup on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

My own personal choice is to only use 1/2 the recommended olive oil and replace with water when cooking the vegetables in the skillet. Vegan meatless meatloaf is loaded with fiber instead of fat and cholesterol.

Many recipes call for cooking with oil. Over the years I learned to use healthier oils when cooking. I do keep some Safflower Oil and Olive Oil in my cupboards to have in food preparation. Oils are high in calories and are a fat so using less than is called for in the recipes will help anyone that is counting calories.

Hope you enjoy the Vegan Meatless Meatloaf recipe. Please share with your friends and comment on how your recipe turned out.

Recipe Source is from Brenda Walsh and is shared on Three Angels Broadcasting Network.

Copyright 3ABN 2008. All rights reserved.

For more delicious and healthy meals, please visit my page below:

Healthy Living

Oat Burgers

Welcome to my delicious Oat Burgers post where you can quickly make a healthy substitute for animal meat burgers.

Ingredients:

8 Cups Water
1 Cup Organic Tamari ( I use Bragg’s Aminos )
¼ Cup Grapeseed Oil
3 Tablespoons Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Sage
¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
8 Cups Organic Quick Oats

Bring all ingredients except the oats to a boil. Mix in oats, stir thoroughly. Turn off heat and let cool slightly to prevent burning your hands. Work quickly to prevent dough from hardening too soon.

Form into burgers with any circular kitchen tool you have. I have circular storage containers that I use. I have used canning jar rings in the past.

Bake at 400 degrees Farenheit for 15 minutes. Flip burgers and bake another 15 minutes.

Great on sandwiches with avocado and sprouts. You can also use in casserole dishes with a mushroom or tomato sauce.

It is sad that big corporate interests are more worried about their profits than the health of the people that consume the foods that they process from animals.

Over time, I was able to give up eating all animal products. I recommend eliminating one food at a time to sustain permanent change. I did not totally give up chicken at once.

I decided to just eat white chicken meat until I was ready to give up chicken breasts. I used the same approach with turkey. Here is a link to some delicious recipes that are vegan. There is a search box where you can enter just about any kind of healthy vegan or vegetarian meal.

Over time as your taste buds change, you will not miss eating animal products. You will also feel better. As a matter of fact, you can get plenty of nutrition from a direct source. Ever notice how cows are grazing in the pasture all day long? If you eat meat from cows, you are getting protein and nutrition from a secondary source. I am grateful that I know eating animal food is not healthy so I ask people do you eat red meat to see if they are interested in getting healthier.

Cows graze pasture lands and eat greens all day. By taking organic greens yourself, you get the protein directly from the plant. Try our organic Caldera Greens and you will have abundant energy all day. Our greens are grown in Utah in soil that is rich in fulvic acid and minerals. The farmer that grows these grasses also processes the product for us.

The farmer keeps the harvest temperature during processing below 88 degrees and that means all of the enzymes and nutrients are not burned off as the greens are dried into juice powders.

Find out more about our Caldera Greens on my website below:

Organic Caldera Greens

It is my hope that this post about Oat Burgers has helped you on your journey to living a healthier life. Please share recipe variations other than the two casserole options I listed above in the comments section below.

Contact Me if there is anything I can help you with on your journey to living a healthy life.

Stop Dieting Start Living

This post is about stop dieting start living. Are you tired of the diet merry go round? Are you spending thousands of dollars but not able to achieve permanent weight loss results?

Here is something that the diet industry does not want you to know.

Over 90 percent of diet pills, potions and programs fail. On average, only 1 of 10 people that start a diet will reach their weight loss goals.

People spend tens of billions of dollars a year to try and lose the fat that resulted from a diet of animal based products. There is no fiber found in animal products.

Plant based foods are loaded with fiber and have no cholesterol. Here is a photo of what I had for lunch today:

Many people fall victim to the deception that you can lose weight by just taking veggie capsules from the weight loss company. Reality is if nothing changes, nothing changes.

If an overweight person is sitting on the couch most of the day and drinking 2 or more large sugar sodas, eating a pizza and then having some ice cream for dessert, they will never lose weight for good because they need to make a total lifestyle change in their relationship with food.

North America is the most over fed nation in the world and many people are not getting the necessary amino acids, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins their bodies need for good health.

Do you get hungry in between meals? The body is trying to tell you that you are not getting enough nutrients into the digestive system.

Do you drink at least 8 glasses of water each day? Don’t count coffee, sodas or tea. By drinking water, you will aid  your body in eliminating excess fat.

Health Tips

1. Avoid eating fast foods, junk foods and processed foods.

2. Eat foods as grown. The more raw foods you eat the better.

3. Start off your day with 2 large glasses of water then go for a brisk 30 minute walk before breakfast.

4. Eat a large breakfast of fresh fruits and healthy whole grains.

5. Get some fresh air and sunshine each day.

6. Avoid eating between meals. It is also a good habit to drink a glass of water 30 minutes before eating and do not drink any fluids while eating your 3 meals a day.

7. Eat your largest meal at breakfast, then a healthy plate of fresh vegetables with some whole grain rice, quinoa or other grain around the middle of the day. Eat a small supper of soup or salad.

8. Get an accountability partner to help you help yourself and others achieve that perfect body for the beach or swimming pool.

Are you ready to make a total change in your eating habits?

Beans, Fruits, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Vegetables and Whole Grains are loaded with Fiber.

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate (just like sugars and starches) but since it is not broken down by the human body, it does not contribute any calories. Yet, on a food label, fiber is listed under total carbohydrate. So this gets kind of confusing for people who have diabetes. Carbohydrate is the one nutrient that has the biggest impact on blood glucose. So, does fiber have any effect on your blood glucose?

The answer is that fiber does not raise blood glucose levels. Because it is not broken down by the body, the fiber in an apple or a slice of whole grain bread has no effect on blood glucose levels because it isn’t digested. The grams of fiber can actually be subtracted from the total grams of carb you are eating if you are using carbohydrate counting for meal planning.

Fiber is a good thing for people with diabetes.

The average person should eat between 20-35 grams of fiber each day.  Most Americans eat a diet that primarily consists of animal foods. In those cases, the person is only getting 10 grams of fiber in their diet.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that people with diabetes who ate 50 grams of fiber a day — particularly soluble fiber — were able to control their blood glucose better than those who ate far less.

Daniel Parsons

Contact Daniel Parsons

Tofu Scrambled Eggs

Tofu Scrambled Eggs Ingredients include some healthy veggies and spices. You can modify the ingredients for your version of tofu scrambled eggs to fit your particular needs or tastes.

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 container firm or extra firm tofu, pressed and crumbled
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 of a yellow pepper, diced
6 white button mushrooms
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch fresh spinach

Instructions

Sautee the garlic and onion in olive oil in a large skillet. Allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onion turns soft. Add remaining ingredients except spinach and cook, stirring frequently for another 5 minutes or so, until tofu is hot and cooked, adding more oil if needed.

Add spinach and cook a minute or two, just until wilted, stirring well.

I divide the tofu scrambled eggs into 3 servings. I eat one and put the other two covered in the refrigerator for the next two mornings. Serve with a small baked potato sliced into wedges or hash browns if you prefer.

You can fix this recipe for any meal. One suggestion is to make a Vegan Sausage Roll and you have a warm breakfast meal that has been very popular for hundreds of years.

Many people are moving away from eating animal products. There are healthy alternatives for people to chose from to help lower the risk of being diagnosed with what is known as a lifestyle disease.

Animal products have no fiber. Plant based foods are loaded with fiber. Our body needs fiber for good health. I recommend gradually moving away from eating animal foods. I started my journey in 1999 and feel great. The 75 pounds that I lost sure helps me have a more active and vibrant life today.

Nutritional Information:
Calories per serving: 236, Calories from Fat: 96
Total Fat: 10.6 g, Saturated Fat: 2.0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 166 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 21.7 g, 7% daily value
Dietary Fiber: 8.3 g, 33%
Protein: 21.0 g
Vitamin A 340% RDA, Vitamin C 116%, Calcium 55%, Iron 9%

2 Cups is 1 Pound of Dry Baby Lima Beans Soaked Overnight or 8 Hours Then Rinsed Thoroughly

3 teaspoons Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Dry Mustard

1 Tablespoon Molasses

1/2 Cup Soy, Coconut, Omega 3 or Other Butter Substitute

3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

You can prepare this a couple of ways.

Pyrex Dish In Oven Directions

Once your butter substitute is melted, I have put all ingredients in a pyrex dish and baked for 90 minutes.

Crock Pot Directions

Recently I put the melted butter substitute in my crock pot, then added all the other ingredients and just cooked on high for about 2.5 hours. You can set the crock pot on low overnight and should get the same result.

NUTRITION INFORMATION
• ½ cup of lima beans counts as 1 ounce in the MyPlate.gov Protein Foods Group or as ½ cup in the Vegetable Group. For a 2,000-calorie diet, the daily recommendation is about 5 ½ ounces.

• ½ cup of baby lima beans are fat and cholesterol free and provide 20% of the daily recommended amount of fiber.

Beans will also help your body lower your blood sugar so add beans to your diet !

Do you like chocolate? Many people do. Many people are searching for healthy alternatives to desserts that are not loaded with harmful ingredients like fat, salt, & sugar. Chocolate chia seed pudding is a quick & easy way to create a healthy treat. If you follow the measures, there are roughly 550 calories in the pudding. There are many nutrients which is why adding real chocolate & chia seeds to your diet is a very smart thing to do.

I learned about Carob Powder so I just replace the cacao or chocolate with some carob powder. I have made carob cake, pie & pudding with the carob powder & the desserts all are delicious if you ask me. Here is the recipe using the regular ingredients.

2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
2 Tablespoons Cacao Powder ( I use same amount of Carob Powder )
2 Tablespoons Raw, Organic Honey
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¾ Cup Almond Milk

Add all ingredients to your Nutribullet Short Cup ( can also use a food processor ) and extract for 30 seconds, or until smooth.
Let settle in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.
Sprinkle with your favorite toppings, including cacao nibs, coconut flakes, almond pieces, and more.

If you want to reduce the calories, you could use reduce the amount of chia seeds, almond milk & honey.

So we do not have to give up chocolate desserts to be healthy. I find that just avoiding fat, salt & sugar in all the recipes I make is the ultimate way to ensure you are eating a healthy diet.

I started this journey back in 1994 & lost over 70 pounds through eliminating unhealthy foods & doing some moderate daily exercise. We were designed by our Creator to move so exercise is a natural thing for human beings.

I did some searching about the benefits of cacao versus carob powder. Kenzie of the Kholistic Blog gave a very nice summary for your review.

Like cacao, carob is a tropical pod that contains a sweet, edible pulp. But their different plants and have different flavors.
Unsweetened carob powder may be naturally sweeter than cocoa powder, but carob is not as flavorful as chocolate. It actually has a more bitter taste, making the cacao seem sweeter.
Baking with carob may means less sugar, since carob powder is naturally sweeter than cocoa
Both have equal parts of calories and fat.
Cacao is RAGING with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (more antioxidants than any other plant food), making cacao a superfood.
Cacao has also shown to stop artery-clogging plague, lower cancer risk, has cardiovascular benefits, and lowers cholesterol.
Some people report adverse effects, like headache, jitteriness or allergic reactions to cacao– in this case carob is preferred.
Cacao has mood enhancing chemicals: caffeine and theobromine that can be addicting.
Carob is caffeine free (good for kids).
Carob is more alkalizing for the body.
If substituting one for the other in recipes: replace one part cocoa with 2-1/2 parts carob powder by weight is order to mimic the taste. But I’ve also done a 1:1 before and had no problems.
Due to cacaos popularity, especially for making it into conventional chocolate, there are environmental and ethical issues present with harvesting cacao. Carob isn’t reported on, but I’d guess because it’s less used, it’s more fair. However, raw cacao is going to be prepared differently than commercial chocolate. Buying Fairtrade (or something of the sorts) may be a good idea.

Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower appeals to the most discriminating palate and is a healthy way to add vegetables to your meal. You can modify the vegetables as they are available each season.

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper ( optional )
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ( optional )

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Place cauliflower, shallots, & garlic in large roasting pan, then slowly drizzle olive oil over them.
3. Mix salt, paprika, turmeric, black & cayenne pepper together, spinkle over vegetables & toss them until they are evenly seasoned.
4. Place roasting pan in oven for 20 – 25 minutes.
5. Remove & garnish with parsley & a squeeze of lemon before serving.

Optional
Chopped parsley & fresh lemon juice for garnish

Cauliflower is an excellent source of phytonutrients and vitamins and helps detox the liver.

Vegan ‘Chicken’ Pot Pie is a healthy warm dish to serve during the cold winter months. There are no animal products in the pot pie.

Ingredients
One package of Butler Soy Curls
1 Cup Mixed Vegetables
1 Cup Kale
1 Cup Diced Potatoes
4 Cups Water
4 Teaspoons of McKay’s Chicken Style Seasoning

Cook in an oven safe pot for 20 minutes at 350 degrees

Take some Pastry Dough and form a pie that will cover the dish. Also make a slurry out of corn starch and water and mix until starts to thicken. Let the slurry settle. Mix again until desired consistency and then stir into your pot after pot has been in the oven for 20 minutes.

Put the pastry dough over the dish and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

I do not have an oven safe pot so I just used my regular large cooking pot to get the vegetables tender and then put the mixture in a 6 x 9 glass pyrex dish. Cover the pyrex dish with the pastry dough and return to the oven.

I forgot to make the slurry the first time I made the dish but the pot pie did not end up being too runny or moist. It was probably because I put in a large diced potato and a generous amount of kale.

Recipe is from Chef Mark Anthony who has a You Tube channel with many great healthy recipes!

Whole-In-One Hot Dish

3-4 thin sliced raw potatoes
1 large sliced raw onion
Sliced vegan cheese slices
1 package Quorn grounds
1 can organic tomato soup
1 sixteen ounce can Bush’s vegetarian & low sodium baked beans
3 Tablespoons catsup

Layer potatoes, onions, cheese, and grounds in medium rectangular pan or casserole dish. Cover with tomato soup & then beans. Dot with catsup. Cover & bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Recipe is from Hope for Health USA

Eggplant is a very healthy food that grows on vines. There are many health benefits from eating eggplant. There are minerals, phytonutrients and vitamins in the purple skin plants.

You can serve eggplant in a number of ways. I eat eggplant baked, raw or steamed lightly. Enjoy the recipe below to try eggplant with some healthy spices.

Here is an Indian recipe that makes an excellent eggplant dish. The recipe is from Mayri Cruz and was published in the August 2014 Three Angels Broadcasting Network’s World Magazine .

Ingredients

1 Eggplant

1/2 Clove Garlic, Crushed

1 Onion, Chopped

1 Tomato, Chopped

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne or Chili Powder

1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

1 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1 teaspoon Turmeric

Salt to Taste

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 500 F

2. Wrap eggplant in aluminum foil & bake for 30 minutes ( until soft )

3. While eggplant is baking, crush garlic & chop onion, tomato, & cilantro.

4. Fry onions until brown, then add garlic. Lower heat & c0ver.

5. Take eggplant out of the oven, unwrap & cut into pieces. Add eggplant to onions & garlic.

6. Mix in tomato, cilantro, & remaining ingredients; then cover & cook mixture over low heat for about 5-10 minutes. Serve with basmati rice & enjoy!

Vegan  Casserole

Serves 6-8

16 oz whole wheat penne pasta
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
8 oz fresh green beans, cut into pieces
16 oz cooked cannellini ( white kidney ) beans
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shelled or frozen peas

Sauce

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup dry parsley
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons paprika
1 cup vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
5 cups vegetable broth

If you cannot get fresh green beans, rinse a can of beans about 3 times to get most of the sodium out of the beans. I do not add any salt to the recipe as the vegetable broth is fairly high in sodium.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water about 7 minutes until just underdone. Drain, return to the pot and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion, carrots and celery in 2-3 Tablespoons of water.

Cook stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green beans, cannellini beans and peas.

Cook for another 4-5 minutes. Combine the vegetables and pasta and spread in a deep 9 x 13 casserole dish.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and quickly whisk in the flour. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup of broth.

Add the parsley, thyme, paprika and 5 cups of vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring until thickened.

Pour the sauce over the noodle-vegetable mixture, and bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

Remove the casserole from the oven, uncover, and sprinkle panko evenly on the top.

Return to the oven and bake, uncovered for 10 minutes, until panko is nicely browned. Serve hot.

Note: I used a different bread crumb product and it did not turn brown. Still tastes great even though I don’t add any salt as the sodium in the vegetable broth is enough for me.

Recipe Source: Hope for Health USA

Southern Style Biscuits
By Melody Prettyman

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups sifted unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon baking powder, aluminum free
4 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
1 cup soy milk, plain
1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°

In mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. In a separate bowl sift these ingredients together to mix well. Add the Earth Balance, using your fingertips, rub the margarine and flour together until mixture is crumbly, do this as fast as possible.
Combine the lemon juice and milk. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the milk into it. Using your hands, carefully fold the milk and flour mixture together. This will be sticky.
Pour mixture onto floured surface. Pour 1/8 cup flour over top of mixture and gently folding to mix the remaining flour into the biscuits, (Keep the surface floured to keep from sticking). Gently roll to about 1 inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter. Place biscuits close together onto small sheet pan.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.

Chef’s Note…
Do not over work the mixture. I use a single action baking powder and have to make the biscuits as fast as possible. Make sure to have all ingredients out and ready to mix. Once you try this recipe you will be hooked! For gluten-free use an all purpose gluten-free flour blend. Add additional Tbsp. margarine, 1/4 cup less milk.

Vegan Country Gravy
By Mark Anthony

Ingredients
6 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 quart soy milk
4 vegan breakfast sausage patties
2 Tbsp onion powder (optional)
pinch sea salt to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional heat)
1 tsp red pepper

Directions
In a large heavy bottomed sauce pan,  sauté your favorite vegan sausage until brown and then crumble into small pieces.  Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.  Add the oil and stir in the flour to make a roux.  Cook this oil and flour mixture over low heat until the flour is a creamy brown, stirring often with a whisk to prevent burning.  Roux takes on a creamy brown color when cooked.
Preheat the plain soy milk over medium heat until hot, but not boiling.

Pour half of the soy milk into the bubbling browned flour and whisk quickly. Then add the remainder and whisk until smooth.  Add the crumbled sausage pieces and stir into the gravy.
Remember that the gravy will solidify as it cools. If you reheat the cold gravy leftovers after refrigeration, you may have to add a little soy milk to get it back to a serving consistency.