2025 Food Trends

It's time for all the yearly wrap-ups, and this one being about our food trends. This past year, I cooked mostly from Meal Prep in an Instant. I tended to half the protein in the recipes, as it was more than we needed, but other than that, I seriously recommend the book. We're not finished with it yet, as I cook based on what we have on hand and what we need, rather than the full meal plan each book. Still, this is a resource I would recommend!

I feel into some ruts with other cooking. Dumpling soups had their moment. My husband ate many varieties of lentil soup for his lunches. Muffins somewhat died off. Pumpkin had more than its moment in the sun (and is still easing its way out). I ate overnight oats almost every day. I got somewhat fixated on Pop-tarts, trying five of the boxed kind and making two from scratch. 

After several all day sourdough projects, I decided using discard is my way to do sourdough. With that, I made A LOT of bagels, as well as some other recipes.

I completed 12 Sally's Baking Challenges.

I did a few Fit Foodie Find Cooking Club Challenges and a few from Budget Bytes. (Neither seemed to be regular.)

I am still kind of over cooking. I guess I really like and dislike it at the same time. It is time consuming and tedious, but it also produces great results. There is something so satisfying about saying, "I made this." And so, because it is both duty and delight, it shall continue, unless the Lord somehow deems otherwise.

Sour Milk Oatmeal Muffins

 

Have some milk that soured in your fridge? Whip up a batch of these beauties and store them the freezer for sustenance all week long!

Ingredients:

1 c rolled oats

1 c sour milk

1 c whole wheat flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/4 t salt

1/2 c applesauce

2 eggs

1 1/2 t vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, soak rolled oats in the sour milk for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Whisk together dry ingredients and add to the rolled oats and sour milk.

4. Whisk together applesauce, eggs, and vanilla, and add to the large bowl.

5. Stir until all ingredients are moistened. (Be careful not to over stir!)

6. Portion batter into 12 muffin cups. (I prefer to use muffin liners to make clean up faster.)

7. Bake 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.

Adapted from this buttermilk oatmeal muffins recipe from Lady Behind the Curtain

Apple Banana Baked Oatmeal

Yep! Still in it! Here is another great baked oatmeal with a fall theme!

Ingredients:

1 banana, mashed

4 eggs

1 c oats, blended 

1 t cinnamon

2 t baking powder

1 apple, diced

Directions:

1. Mash the banana.

2. Add in the eggs, and beat together.

3. Fold in oats, cinnamon, and baking powder.

4. Add diced apple.

5. Bake in a greased pan 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

I'm back into my baked oatmeal phase. This one is a blended oatmeal, one that tastes just like pumpkin pie and has a similar custardy texture. With no added sugar and four whole eggs, this is a great, protein-filled breakfast!

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 c pumpkin

1/2 c water

1 t vanilla

1 c oats, blended 

2 t pie spice

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

Directions:

1. Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, water, and vanilla.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.

3. Bake 60 minutes at 350 degrees.

4. Cool and refrigerate before cutting and eating

Inspired by Making Thyme for Health's healthy pumpkin baked oatmeal.

High Protein Zucchini Baked Oatmeal (No Protein Powder!)

Sweet zucchini bread flavor, baked oatmeal texture, protein, and a full cup of vegetables per serving? Yes! This a great way to use up late summer produce, and a great breakfast to boot.

P.S. Do you know what a food has to be to be called high protein? It has to contain at least or 20%, or 10 grams, protein (Bourianne, n.d.). This recipe clocks in about 22% and 10.5 grams of  protein!

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1/2 c applesauce

4 c grated zucchini

1 c rolled oats

2 t cinnamon

1.5 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 c water

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and applesauce.
2. Stir in grated zucchini.
3. Fold in the oats, spices, baking powder and salt.
4. Add and stir in water.
5. Place in a greased six cup glass baking dish.
6. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
7. Cool, and refrigerate before cutting into squares to eat.

 (Inspired by Real Kitchen and Beyond's baked zucchini oatmeal)

Reference:

Bourianne, T. (n.d.). View: FDA - nutrient content claims (Derived). Label Insight. https://helpdesk.labelinsight.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018102633-View-FDA-Nutrient-Content-Claims-Derived

Healthy Red Velvet Overnight Oatmeal

It's been a long time since I posted an oatmeal recipe. I know! I still eat it almost every day. I just don't experiment as much, hence no new recipes to post. This time, though, I have something for you: a way to get in your fruits, veggies, carbs, and protein all in one. Feel free to portion this recipe to meet your needs.

Ingredients:

1 c water
1 fresh beet
1 c unsweetened applesauce
1 c rolled oats
4 T cocoa powder
2 t cinnamon
4 scoops protein powder* 

*I use the plant protein powder from Winco and each scoop is about 3 T.

Directions:

1. Pierce the beet. Place it in a bowl and cover it gently. Microwave 5-10 minutes, or until done. Let cool slightly.
2. Place the beet and 1 c water in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.
3. Mix together the remaining ingredients and divide portions based on your needs.
4. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Top with vanilla Greek yogurt, if desired for a true red velvet experience.

This recipe was inspired by Flora and Vino's red velvet overnight oats with raspberry puree and Rise and Run's red velvet superhero muffins.

Just For (Granola) Fun...

So I did a thing...I made 52 new granolas this year. My goal was to make one a week. Well, we eat more than one batch of granola a week, so here we are: September, and I've met my goal.

I tried all kinds of granolas-

Some sugary:

Cinnamon roll granola (A Messy Bun Kitchen)

Some with no sugar:

Extra chunky and naturally sweetened granola with walnut (Bless This Mess)

Some with oil:

Homemade granola with flaxseed and chia (Ai Made it For You)

Some with butter:

Super simple homemade granola with chunks (Joyfully Thriving)

Some nutty:

Nutty butterscotch granola (Girl Gone Gourmet)

Some with no nuts:

Nut free granola (Lynn's Kitchen Adventures) 

Pretty much all of them required the oven, which was not my preference given the hot temperatures of Arizona, but it worked. 

I made lots with cinnamon:

Cinnamon roll granola (Salted Plains)

And several with peanut butter:

Peanut butter and jelly granola (Averie Cooks)

Chocolate appeared a lot of times:

Chocolate pumpkin granola (Family Food on the Table) 

Even Reese's!

Reese's pieces granola (The Wanna Be Chef)

It's fun to switch things up for a time. With grocery prices and time constraints, it's probably back to my normal super simple granola, though. Gourmet is good, but sometimes you need simple to allow time to have fun and prioritize other things in life.

Low-Heat Meal Prep

It's hot! We hit 118 several days last week, and the heat has not let up much this week. People in our geographical area have experienced power outages, and the city sent out an e-mail asking users to conserve energy between 3 and 8 pm by using less appliances that take a lot of power (as dishwashers, ovens, etc.). Meal prep is part of our current way of life, but given the heat and the city's request, I needed to do things a little differently. That led to this low-heat meal prep.

What is low heat? Well, since we keep our house at 80 degrees already, that meant meals that created as little heat as necessary to make. The oven was definitely off limits, and I wanted to use the stove as little as possible. Additionally, I wanted meals that could be eaten cold, or reheated with little extra energy output. 

Here is what I came up with:

Breakfast:

Carrot cake overnight oats (No cook/raw)

Stove-top granola (Not pictured)

Lunches:

Mexican chicken and vegetable bowls (Chicken cooked in the Instant Pot; eaten cold)

Sandwiches (Not pictured)

Dinners:

Ricotta/asparagus pasta salad with ham (Stovetop; eaten cold)

Spicy black bean and caramelized onion tacos (Stovetop; eaten cold)

Snacks:

Apples (Not pictured)

Bananas (Preferably frozen; not pictured)

Baked oatmeal (based on this recipe by Budget Bytes; eaten cold)

*I cooked this in the microwave for 14 minutes verses 45 minutes in the oven based on GE's microwave recipe conversion ratio.

Carrot sticks (Not pictured)

Cheese sticks (Not pictured)

Peanuts (Not pictured)

--

Could I have reduced or eliminated stove-top cooking for this prep? Sure! I could have made raw meals, or solely used the Instant Pot, but this worked. I made the no-cook recipes at night, and spent a few mornings with the stove and voila, done!

--

Readers, what are your favorite low-heat/no cook recipes? What do you eat to help survive the summer heat? Please share in the comments section.

--

*For more inspiration, see Work Week Lunch's "Cold Lunch Ideas" blog post or no-reheat meal preps.

Super Simple Granola

There's the fancy-schmancy granola. Then there's the chock full o' health food kind. Then there's my kind: four ingredients, 15 minutes, out of the pot and into the bowl (if you want to eat it warm, which I recommend doing with cold milk at least once). A few friends and family members have asked for my recipe, so without further ado, here it is!

Ingredients:

1 T oil (I use olive oil, but canola or coconut or vegetable oil would also work.) 
5 c oatmeal
1 T cinnamon
1/3 c oil
1/3 c honey

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat 1 T oil over medium heat on the stove. 

2. When oil is hot, stir in 5 c of oatmeal mixed with 1 T cinnamon.

3. Toast oats for 4 minutes, stirring every minute or so.

4. Pour out toasted oats into a sheet pan, or into a large bowl.

5. To the pot on the stove add 1/3 c oil and 1/3 honey and stir together.

6. When oil and honey are bubbly, add back toasted oats and stir until all oats are coated.

7. Turn out oats back onto the sheet pan and allow to cool, or place it directly into a bowl that can be covered. (Covering the oats when warm may result in more clumping of granola.)

*Recipe adapted from All Recipe's Cinnamon Stove-Top Granola.

Tips:

1. I measure the 1 T cinnamon into the 1 c oatmeal measure before measuring the oil into the pan on the stove. This reduces the dishes I use.

2. Like add-ins? Feel free to stir in oat bran, wheat germ, or flax meal with the oats. Note that this may make the granola drier, however. Stir in dried fruit, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc. after turning the oats onto the sheet pan for the final time.

3. Like crunchier granola? Bake it! Just omit the beginning 1 T oil and stir together remaining ingredients, baking at 350 degrees for 15-30 minutes. (Still stir periodically.)

Apple Recipe Round-Up

You know I like a good recipe roundup. And you know I like pumpkin. But when the initial pumpkin shortage tempered my normal fall baking pattern, I knew I had to find a new theme. Enter apples. They're a fall frivolity and one I often fail to showcase, despite how much I enjoy them. Enter the apple recipe a week for fall challenge. Below are just a few of the fruits of my labor:

Apple cinnamon buttermilk quick bread (The Kitchn)

Apple stuffed baked oatmeal (inspired by this recipe)

Apple cider granola (Allison Day/Yummy Beet)

Apple pie overnight oats (Budget Bytes)

Apple peanut butter baked oatmeal 

Baked apple cider donuts (Sally's Baking Addiction)

Chocolate turmeric applesauce baked oatmeal

Feel free to share any of your favorite apple recipes in the comments section. It's still apple season!

Celebrating National Pumpkin Day

Yeah, I have a thing with pumpkin. I don't remember exactly how it started, but I seem to remember it starting with a roommate's scrumptious pumpkin chocolate chip muffins one fall long ago. Sometime after, I started buying pumpkin, lots of it. I like to see it as a pantry staple. Or maybe it's just a sanity staple because I like it so much.... 

Normally October is my pumpkin month and my recipe round-up comes November 1st. But I just realized that today, October 26th is NATIONAL PUMPKIN DAY! Cue all the pumpkin stuff now!

Pumpkin carving

Pumpkin coincidences

Pumpkin commitments

Gratitude pumpkins (Coffee and Carpool)

Pumpkin cozies

(Okie Girl Bling 'N Things pattern)

Pumpkin couple dates

And yeah, the recipes, albeit a few less this year due to the (not) pumpkin shortage:

Easy pumpkin chili (Erin Lives Whole) and whole wheat pumpkin cornbread (The Baker Mama)

Flourless pumpkin pancake (Kim's Cravings)

Pumpkin nice cream (Running in a Skirt)

Spiced pumpkin vinaigrette (Daring Gourmet)

Plus a few of my own creations:

Pumpkin hot chocolate

Chocolate apple pumpkin peanut butter baked oatmeal



Chocolate pumpkin protein overnight oatmeal

Cocoa pumpkin baked oatmeal

Any other pumpkin lovers out there? Please share your favorites with pumpkin in the comments section!

The Best Snack Ever

You all know I like oatmeal, and chocolate, and nighttime snack. But I've got a new recipe for you, one I've been making every week since we got that 50 pound bag of black beans. Simple, satisfying, sweet, but sugar free? This snack checks all the boxes. Don't knock it until you try it. Fudgy. Chocolate-y. Just right!

(Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie's Flourless Chocolate Blender Muffins)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c cooked black beans

1/3 c old-fashioned or quick oats

2/3 c unsweetened applesauce

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 c peanut butter

1 t vanilla

3/4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/8 t baking soda

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups. (I prefer to use coconut oil.)

2. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until mostly smooth. (There may be some lack of uniformity.)

3. Divide into 10 muffin cups and bake 20 minutes.

4. Remove muffin tins from the oven and let cool on baking racks.

5. Remove muffins and refrigerate until ready to eat.

*These muffins can also be frozen and thawed for later enjoyment.

Pumpkin Recipe Round-Up (Year Two)

We all know I like pumpkin. So in an effort to care for myself and enjoy life, I made October about the pumpkin, vowing to make at least one pumpkin recipe a week. I succeeded, barely. 

Here's what I made:

Easy pumpkin masala (The Iron You)

Pumpkin baked oatmeal (a riff on my traditional baked oatmeal)

Pumpkin hummus (Kroger)

No-bake pumpkin oatmeal energy balls (Bless This Mess)

Pumpkin protein oatmeal (My own concoction)

Pumpkin spice granola (Budget Bytes)

Also, I realize I posted last November 1 about pumpkin. I guess it's a thing now....

Chocolate Zucchini Proats

I've been trying to eat more protein since my dystonia diagnosis and all the physical therapy I've been doing. But I'm also struggling to eat my veggies. These overnight oats covered all my bases and left me with a little more free time in the morning since they were pre-made. This recipe was a win for me, so I thought I'd share it with you, too.

I like bittersweet chocolate, so if you like things sweeter, feel free to add sweetener. Otherwise, enjoy as is.

Ingredients:

1/3 c quick oats
1 c grated zucchini
3 t dark cocoa powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t cardamom
2 scoops protein powder (I like the organic pea protein from Trader Joe's
1 c water

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl or large jar.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Enjoy in the morning!

Healthy Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal Cups

I am having a bit of a heyday with baked oatmeal cups made with almond butter. Almond butter is seriously a game-changer! Take a look at these healthy gingerbread oatmeal cup beauties!

I adapted this recipe from Kristine's Kitchen to up the fruit content (via applesauce) and eliminate the sugar. I am not anti-sugar at all, I just feel better when I do not eat it at breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c oats
1 t ginger
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t nutmeg
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 c applesauce
1 c water
2 T almond butter
1 t vanilla

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Grease 12 cupcake tins. (I used coconut oil.)
3) Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
4) Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
5) Add wet ingredients to dry and stir.
6) Bake at 380 degrees for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7) Allow muffins to cool in the pan before removing.

I put my muffins in the freezer after they cooled and pop out a few when I need them. They are good partly frozen, but then again, I like all my baked goods that way!