Confessions, thoughts and a yummy breakfast

One of the reasons I took a big break from this blog was because I realized that I had gained weight because of reading other food blogs!! I mean, obviously it was still my fault--reading doesn't make you gain weight, shoving food in your mouth does. But I would get all these food ideas from other healthy bloggers that would sound so good. I wasn't realizing, though, that many of these healthy bloggers also happen to be 23 and have never had children. I may feel like I am 23, but my metabolism doesn't. Bummer.

So I'm trying to be really careful about what I put on here now. I have to be VERY careful with what I eat these days. I really try to keep my daily calorie intake low. I have many strategies for doing this--mainly myfitnesspal.com!! Usually I make separate meals for my family and myself for breakfast and dinner. That is my reality. I am almost 36 and things have changed.

Confession: my freshman year in college I ate an entire box of Little Debbie Nutty Bars in one sitting. By myself. I weighed 115 lbs at the time! I NEVER, ever worked out. I probably couldn't even have run for 30 seconds straight. Yes, things have changed.

Here is an awesome breakfast recipe for the whole family (like, I get to eat it, too!!!)

Baked Oatmeal with Bananas and Blueberries--adapted from Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

2 medium ripe bananas, (the riper the better) sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup honey (or agave)
1 cup uncooked quick oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup fat free milk (or Almond Milk--less calories!)
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly spray a 8 x 8" or 9 x 9" ceramic baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on the bottom of the ceramic dish. Sprinkle half of the blueberries over the bananas, 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon, 1 tbsp of the honey and cover with foil. Bake 15 minutes, until the bananas get soft.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the oats, half of nuts, baking powder, remaining cinnamon, and salt; stir together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining honey, milk, egg, and vanilla extract.
Remove the bananas from the oven, then pour the oat mixture over the bananas and blueberries.

Pour the milk mixture over the oats, making sure to distribute the mixture as evenly as possible over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries and walnuts over the the top.

(I do all this the night before and stick it in the fridge. Then the next morning...)

Bake the oatmeal for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the oatmeal has set. Serve warm from the oven.
I always double this--those warm bananas...ahhh, heaven in the morning!!!