I went strawberry picking a few weeks ago and I really got carried away with it. I ended up bringing home 8 pts of strawberries. There is NO way I was going to be able to eat all those and I did not want them to go to waste.
Solution: Make Jam!!
I was excited about making my own jam. It cost a fraction of the price, it was easy AND it was sugar free! Awesome!!!
Fresh Strawberry Jam
5 cups Strawberries (washed & stems removed)
2 T Water
1 T Cornstarch
2 T Lemon juice
1. In a large pot combine the strawberries and lemon juice. Cook until heated and a little boiling action starts to happen.
2. In a small cup or bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until there are no cornstarch lumps left.
3. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the strawberries and cook until the strawberries thicken.
4. If the strawberries are too lumpy you can choose to cut them before cooking, however I use an immersion blender and puree the entire jam until it is smooth.
5. Store jam in a tightly sealed container or jar and keep refrigerated.
Share your photos from this recipe with me!
Facebook & Instagram #fitpastrychef @mkirch01
So if you've been reading my other posts you have noticed that I LOVE baking with oats. Why? Because not only are they inexpensive but they make a great flour substitute as well as adding delicious fiber into your baked goods. In my Healthy Oat Pancakes recipe, I explained the difference between rolled and steel cut oats. For this recipe I recommend using rolled oats. You can buy them from the huge bins at the grocery store by weight much cheaper than buying pre-packaged brands but they are essentially the exact same. We are going to do something fun with our oats in this recipe-- we are going to put them in the blender to make oat flour! So lets get started!
Flour-less Banana Bread
3 cups Rolled Oats (after blending it should be 2 cups oat flour)
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Bananas, very ripe
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
1/3 cup Honey
1/3 cup Maple syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
3 tbsp Rolled Oats (for on top)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon (optional, I did not add to mine)
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get your loaf pan ready. You can either use cooking oil to coat the pan or line it with parchment paper.
2. In a blender or food processor, put in the 3 cups of rolled oats and blend on high for 1-2 minutes. You might need to stop it and stir it a little to mix in the oats until they are all blended and it looks like flour.
3. In a large bowl mix together the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and optional cinnamon.
4. Now in the blender you want to puree your bananas, money, maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend this for a minute or so until it is smooth.
5. Pour the banana puree mixture into your dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add your choice of nuts (chocolate chips also work if you want to make it sweeter) and stir in.
6. Scoop your batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top a little. Add the additional rolled oats on top that we not blended into flour.
7. Place bread in oven for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown.
8. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then remove from pan and let cool for the remaining time on the cooking rack. (I skipped this step and cut right into it to taste it.)
Share your photos from this recipe with me!
Facebook & Instagram #fitpastrychef @mkirch01
So there has been questions while shopping for oats. Steel Cut or Rolled? What are the differences? I had no idea at first either, I thought one took longer to cook and the other was under a minute. Are the health benefits the same? Lets find out!
Steel Cut oats are whole oats that are just coarsely chopped. Rolled oats only take a minute to cook but that is because they are processed much more than steel cut oats. Rolled oats are steamed, rolled, steamed again, and toasted. Steel cut oats are a bit lower in calories but when it comes to protein, carbs, fiber, fat, calcium and iron the two oats are equal. Rolled oats do tend to be higher in sugar but steel cut oats sit lower in the glycemic index. So in many opinions the 'healthier' way to go is with steel cut oats just because they are less processed.
In this recipe feel free to use rolled oats instead of steel cut, I am choosing to use steel cut because they are less processed and I LOVE foods that are closest to their natural state.
Healthy Oat Pancakes
2 Eggs
1 Banana
1/2 cup Steel cut oats
1/4 cup Unsweetened apple sauce
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1. Okay guys, this one is EASY. Put all the ingredients in the blender and puree.
2. Over medium heat grease your pan (I use coconut oil) then pour some batter on the pan. Wait for bubbles to appear just like you would be cooking 'regular' pancakes.
3. Flip pancake and cook until done, probably about only 2 minutes per side.
4. This recipe makes 4 pancakes, perfect for a quick breakfast for yourself or the kids. Serve with all natural maple syrup, fresh fruit, peanut butter or whatever you like with your pancakes.
Share your photos from this recipe with me!
Facebook & Instagram #fitpastrychef @mkirch01
I went strawberry picking a few weeks ago and I really got carried away with it. I ended up bringing home 8 pts of strawberries. There is NO way I was going to be able to eat all those and I did not want them to go to waste. 
