Chocolate Peanut Butter Moo'd Overnight Oatmeal

In between my second and third year in college, I worked at Jamba Juice for a short period of time. For the most part, I enjoyed working there because I got to meet a lot of cool people, learn how to make a bunch of smoothies, and taste test several smoothies/juices. But the best part of my job was being able to take home a free smoothie at the end of every shift. I took full advantage of this perk by either making a standard smoothie off of their menu or customizing one based on whatever I was craving that day. Not surprisingly, I instantly fell in love with the Chocolate Moo'd and Peanut Butter Moo'd drinks, which are basically chocolate and peanut butter milkshakes. Since I love both chocolate and PB, I would often combine the two ingredients so I could experience the best of both worlds.
Sadly, after I stopped working there I haven't really had a chocolate peanut butter moo'd, partly due to some health violations I witnessed and partly due to the fact that this beverage is super unhealthy. According to the nutrition facts available on their website, both of the moo'd drinks range from 430 - 770 calories!!!
Last night, as I was debating on what oatmeal variation to make for breakfast, I remembered about this magical Chocolate Peanut Butter Moo'd drink I used to enjoy back in the day and decided I would make a healthy oatmeal version. This one is in an almost empty peanut butter jar but it would also work in a bowl or a mug. And now, without further ado, I present Chocolate Peanut Butter Moo'd Overnight Oatmeal (whoo that's a mouthful!).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Moo'd Overnight Oatmeal

Overnight Mix:

1/4 C old fashioned oatmeal

1/2 C milk

6 oz nonfat greek yogurt

2 tbsp of peanut butter

1 tbsp of cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp of chia seeds

Morning Toppings:

1 tbsp of peanut butter

Sprinkle of cacao nibs or chocolate chips

 

Although I haven't had the real thing in eons, I really liked this oatmeal version. I reduced the amount of oatmeal and increased the amount of yogurt to soften the oats and create a thicker, smoothie-like texture. So, it was like oatmeal meets smoothie/shake. Overall, this breakfast version is tasty, filling, and much healthier. A very good alternative that hits the spot without all the calories and fat to weigh you down.

Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal

Last night, I managed to do some multi-tasking during my weekly Wednesday night class where I came up an oatmeal recipe while listening to my professor and taking notes. It also helps that he often re-tells the same stories every week, which provides me a good 10 minutes to zone out and think about important things, like food. =)

During this zoning out period, I was contemplating about what to make/eat for breakfast. I knew I wanted oatmeal but I also wanted to change it up a bit from my usual oatmeal routine. Since I usually either cook it over the stove or make overnight oats, I decided to try baking it this time. Last weekend, when I was doing some grocery shopping at Wholesome Choice, I bought a few apples that were on sale for $0.50/lb.  I still have some left, so I decided to make apple pie oatmeal. This is not your traditional apple pie because it does not include caramel. I substituted that for vanilla bean paste because the thought of eating caramel for breakfast was not appealing.

Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 apple, diced

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 /2 tsp cinnamon sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Pinch of salt

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients and then add the wet ingredients. Set aside. Cut the apple in half, remove the core, and set aside the other half of the apple. Dice the apple into 1/2” chunks. Pour half of the oatmeal mixture into a ramekin or oven-safe bowl. Place the diced apples into the mixture and pour the remaining oatmeal mixture on top. With a spoon, gently spread the oatmeal evenly to completely cover the apples. Bake for 21-24 minutes.

 

Optional: You can use the remaining apple as a topping, store for later, or simply eat it as it is like I did.

Straight out of the oven

And into my mouth. CHOMP!

Overall, I really liked the baked apple pie oatmeal. I used the normal 2:1 ratio of 1 cup of water/milk for every 1/2 cup of oatmeal. However, I forgot that the natural juices of apples are released when cooked, so the texture of the oatmeal was a bit mushy. I don’t have a problem with that because I like oatmeal, but if mushy oatmeal isn’t your thing then I would suggest using less milk/water.

National Cereal Day

Today is National Cereal Day. I was originally going to celebrate by simply eating cereal for breakfast, but at the last minute I decided to be much more festive by baking cereal cupcakes. That and I was up again before 5 AM and had nothing to do. So, I made myself look somewhat presentable and drove to the market to buy ingredients in the very wee hours of the morning. I usually make my cupcakes from scratch because I haven’t had good experiences with boxed cake mix in the past. But, I was feeling lazy today (due to hump day perhaps?) and Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate cake mix was on sale. So, that was reason enough for me to use pre-made cake mix this time.  I also picked up a box of chocolate Cheerios. I’ve never had chocolate Cheerios but I like chocolate and I like Cheerios. Sounds like a good combo to me!

Stars of today's cupcakes:

CHOCOLATE CHEERIOS CUPCAKES

1 box of cake mix 

1/2 cup ground chocolate cheerios, divided

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and fill 2 cupcake pans with paper liners. Grind 1/2 cup of chocolate cheerios either through a food processor, magic bullet, or pour into a bag and crush with your fist like I did. Set aside. Combine cake mix, water, oil, and eggs per the directions on the box. Stir in 1/4 cup of ground chocolate cheerios. Pour cupcake batter into paper liners 3/4 full. Bake for 18 minutes. When ready, let the cupcakes cool in cupcake pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let it finish cooling on a rack. 

Frosting

1 stick of room temperature butter

2 cups confection sugar

1 tablespoon cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, cream 1 stick of room temperature butter for about 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Pour the heavy cream and vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Slowly incorporate 2 cups of confection sugar.  

When the cupcakes have cooled, use a butter knife or icing spatula to frost desired amount of frosting onto each cupcake. Sprinkle cupcakes with remaining ground chocolate cheerios and top each cupcake with 3 cheerios.

Makes 24 cupcakes

I was very pleased with the cake mix and could definitely pass as homemade. It was moist, sweet, and loaded with chocolate chunks.

I also made myself a rare bowl of cereal with Great Harvest Cville Cluster granola on the bottom, Nature’s Path Bran Flakes cereal, 1/2 sliced banana, chia seeds, and milk.

 

Chocolate Cheerios Cupcake + bowl of cereal = breakfast of champions

Happy National Cereal Day!

Chilly Willy

There are many times when I don’t understand the weather. Can someone please explain to me how we went from 80 degree weather to 60 degree weather within 2 days?!!! Major brrrrrr!!!! Despite knowing the huge change in weather, I prepared overnight oats last night because I was not in the mood to wake up early just to make some hot oatmeal. My taste buds were being funky because for some reason I was craving chocolate and green tea for breakfast? 

Overnight Ingredients

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 cup NF plain yogurt

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla soymilk

1.5 tsp cacao powder

1/4 tsp matcha green tea powder

1 tsp cacao nibs

Morning’s Toppings

1/4 cup Great Harvest Cville Cluster granola

1 tsp coconut butter 

I decided to use my “Chilly Willy” cup for my chilly oats due to the chilly weather we are currently experiencing. 

Other than the unwelcome weather, my overnight oats were delish. The flavor was just what I was looking for - creamy & chocolate-y with a hint of green tea. =)

Simply the Best

This weekend was fun. I ate and exercised, but mostly I ate. The weekend started off with a bang. My friend and I made plans to eat at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen at Downtown Disney for OC Restaurant week. But we got there a little early so we decided to go on some rides at California Disney to kill some time. Sadly, we were only able to go on the Little Mermaid ride because the park was super crowded. So, after experiencing a bit of that Disney magic, we left the park and made our way to Downtown Disney where we strolled until our reservation time arrived.

We saw some delectable treats:

 

And watched my future husband (just kidding!) transform normal apples into Jack Skellington themed white chocolate apples. 

With some rare self-control, I was able to overcome my desire to buy any chocolate treats. Maybe it was because I already knew I was going to have dessert later that night? Either way, it took a great deal of effort not to buy their amazing chocolate peanut butter sandwiches. I seriously dream about those treats and think about them every time I go to Disney. They are simply the best.

In the end, my friend and I had a change of heart and opted not to order off the OC Restaurant Week menu. She wasn’t feeling their dessert options and I wasn’t feeling their appetizer options.

I started off dinner with a glass of Edward Sellers “Le Thief” wine. It was a pretty good Syrah – medium bodied, spicy, fruity, and filled with tannins. I especially liked that they gave me a pretty large glass. Too bad I was the driver that night, so I didn’t finish it just to be safe. =(

For me entrée, I ordered the New York Steak with Pomme Frites. It was soooo good.

Dessert was the highlight of the night. Double chocolate bread pudding soufflé.

My friend hasn’t had good experiences with bread pudding and was hesitant to order it. However, after some coaxing, she finally agreed to share it with me and boy was she glad she gave in. It was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious delicious! We scraped that bowl clean. There was seriously not a crumb left. I savored every bite and was sad when it was gone. I will be dreaming of this soufflé until the next time I eat it. It is simply the best along with the chocolate peanut butter sandwich.

Other highlights from the weekend includes a trip to Hmart where I impulsively bought these chocolate milk straws. Supposedly, you place the straw in your glass of milk and it turns it into chocolate milk. I have yet to try this and it was on sale. So, I took that as a sign that it was time for me to test it out. Can’t wait =)

 

These Sneaks Were Made For Walkin'

I think I’m finally climbing out of my current exercise rut. First up – my walk with Bill, who graciously volunteered to be my walking buddy. Last night after work, we met up at the beautiful Woodbridge Lake in Irvine where we re-enacted the Oprah power walk. I haven’t been there in 8 years and forgot how pretty, serene, and relaxing this place is. Must make a mental note to go there for walks/runs in the future.  After an hour or so, I was more than ready to eat and we headed on over to California Fish Grill. I heart this restaurant very much because they serve delicious & healthy dishes with high quality ingredients for very affordable prices.  I ordered their famous White Ruffy fish over a large house salad while Bill ordered their grilled Mahi Mahi combo. Bill also brought some delicious TJ’s dinner bread rolls to go along with our meal, which I forgot to take a picture of.

Mine from a previous trip except this time they forgot to give me my lemon lime vinaigrette dressing on the side. Hrmph!

A picture of his dish, courtesy of Yelp

 I only ate half of my dish because Bill brought dessert and I never turn down dessert. =)

Chocolate and Better ‘n Peanut Butter in honor of Peanut Butter Lover’s Day. The chocolates were amazing, especially when dipped in pb. =)

Pictures courtesy of Valrhona

 

Later that night, my sister came home with an assortment of cupcakes from Big Man Bakes, a popular cupcake bakery in Downtown LA that makes Sprinkles cupcakes taste like Play Doh.

 Upper left: Nutella
Upper right: Red Velvet
Center: Coconut
Lower left: Oreos
Lower Right: Caramel Apple
 

I butchered divided each cupcake into 4 pieces and packed 1 of each for today’s lunch. However, even though I had just brushed my teeth and was about to go to bed, I just couldn’t resist tasting the caramel apple cupcake and nutella cupcake. I justified it at the time with the 3-4 miles walk I completed earlier that night and my Friday morning workout.

Tonight, I am going to Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen at Downtown Disney with my sister and my friend for OC Restaurant week. I’ve been studying their menu for awhile now and am very much looking forward to the Creole Red Velvet Roulade. I am going to TRY to stay strong and avoid the chocolate shop near the restaurant.

So, even though exercise rut seems to be going away, it looks like my appetite has not. I just can’t say no to good food. With all of these tasty foods coming my way today, it looks like my stomach will definitely be having a very good Friday. =)

National Peanut Butter Lover's Day!!

When it comes to food, my love for peanut butter falls right behind chocolate. So, when I found out that today is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, I spent all day yesterday scouring the internet for peanut butter recipes. I was a bit limited in terms of what dish I would make because I wanted to limit ingredients that I would have to buy and I needed something that travels well since most of my creations/dishes are donated to my sister’s co-workers. And office food is tricky because it tends to sit out at room temperature, so that ruled out anything dairy-related. After a few hours, I decided to make peanut butter cups 2 different ways – regular peanut butter cups and churro style peanut butter cups. I used regular-sized cupcake paper cups because that was the only one I had in my pantry but next time I would like to use a smaller size. Also, I'm a dingbat and only remembered to take pictures of the churro peanut butter cup process. Oops.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Adapted from Picky Palate

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup smooth peanut butter

Optional:

Use 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to help the melting process of the peanut butter

Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals and stir after each internal. Melt peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals and stir after each interval. Pour 2 tablespoons of melted chocolate into each paper cup tablespoon scoop to completely cover the bottom of the paper cup.  Scoop 1 tablespoon of melted peanut butter over the chocolate and carefully coat an even layer on top of the chocolate. Pour another 2 tablespoons of melted chocolate over the peanut butter, making sure to completely cover it in its entirety.  Once completed, place it in the refrigerator to cool and harden. Serve cool, frozen or at room temperature.

Churro Peanut Butter Cups

After deciding to make peanut butter cups, I knew that I wanted to create a kind of peanut butter cup that I have never had before. I couldn’t find any recipes for churro peanut butter cups, so I created my own.  It’s been awhile since I’ve had a churro but I remember that it has a cinnamon sugar flavor and grainy texture. So, I chose to use ground graham crackers, cinnamon sugar, and cinnamon in hopes of recreating that flavor/texture. I tried it and it wasn’t bad but in the future I might add brown sugar just for fun.

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup smooth peanut butter

¼ cup ground graham crackers

1 tbsp cinnamon sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

In a bowl, combine cinnamon sugar, cinnamon, and ground graham crackers. Using a food processor or magic bullet, grind the graham crackers until very fine. Sprinkle a dash of the “churro” mix on the base of each cupcake paper cup.  Whisk ingredients together until it’s completely incorporated. Set aside. Follow the melting directions from above for the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Scoop 2 tablespoons of melted chocolate over the dry ingredients and completely cover the bottom of the cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter on top and gently smooth over to completely coat the chocolate. Sprinkle an even and thin layer of the churro mix on top of the peanut butter. Sprinkle an even and thin layer of the churro mix on top of the peanut butter. Scoop 2 tablespoons of the chocolate and completely cover the peanut butter. Sprinkle churro mix over each peanut butter cup. Place in the refrigerator until it has cooled and hardened.

Note: During the cooling and hardening process, feel free to lick the bowls and spoons. Once they have been licked clean, leave the kitchen and keep yourself busy to avoid checking on their readiness every 2 seconds or eating them before it has completely hardened….Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything. =)

 

While the peanut butter cups were resting, I got my breakfast ready. I made my usual stove-top oatmeal with old-fashioned oats but the star ingredients for my toppings were peanut butter. I used 2 kinds: Sun Harvest crunchy peanut butter and Trader Joe’s Natural creamy peanut butter. I also added Great Harvest Cville Cluster Granola, which I received from OpenSky yesterday. Best.Granola.Ever!!!

i <3 giant clusters of granola with my cacao nibs

Nom!