Travel-Friendly Energy Bites

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Wilder at Eating Rules)

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I will have been on the road almost every weekend for two months. The life of a debate coach is a crazy one. Toss in the food blogging shenanigans at the International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC), and I feel like I am gone more than I am home. 

However, with time changes and quick layovers and late nights, sometimes I find myself without a healthy option for a quick bite. So I have been playing with a base recipe for granola bars that a friend gave me on a handwritten notecard. I modified it a bit to play with different flavors and hopefully amped up the nutritional profile just a bit.

Play around with what you choose to mix in and what nut butter you want to play with. This recipe makes about 36 1" by 1" squares but you can size it up however you want. The nutritional information below are for the specific name brands I used. Feel free to request the names if you want them or calculate your own nutritional stats.

Energy Bites

Yields: 36 bites

1/2 cup almond butter

3/4 cup brown rice syrup

2 tbsp cane sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup reduced-fat unsweetened coconut shreds

1/2 cup dried goji berries

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds

1/4 cup white sesame seeds

1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats

1 scoop Garden of Life protein powder

Combine brown rice syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and cane sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat and then reduce the heat. You want to make sure the nut butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Combine coconut shreds, goji berries, flax meal, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, oats, and protein powder. Pour in liquid mix and stir until combined. I tend to knead the mixture by hand towards the end to make sure everything is combined.

Grease a 9X9 baking pan or use wax paper (I do both). Put "dough" into the pan and press it flat. Let harden (I toss it in the fridge to speed up the process). Remove from pan, cut into squares, and wrap in wax paper.

Per serving: 90.6 calories, 3.7 grams of fat, 11.8 grams of carbs, 1.6 grams of fiber, 2.5 grams of protein

Full recipe: 3263 calories, 134 grams of fat, 425 grams of carbs, 57 grams of fiber, 89 grams of protein

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

With the race weekend over and academic classes almost complete, I feel like I can finally sit down and share something I have been munching on during these cold winter mornings. I know a number of people have their own special additions to oatmeal and I would love to hear your ideas! Here is my super simple pumpkin pie oatmeal.

1 packet plain instant oatmeal
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
pumpkin pie spice, to taste
stevia, to taste

Mix, microwave, enjoy!

I have also used my homemade frozen steel-cut oats and bulked it up with the pumpkin and seasonings. It is a perfect pumpkin pie substitute and a warm filling breakfast.

So how do you do your oats in the winter?

Mix me up a piece of that at MixMyGranola

I love customizable products. In a world that markets to the individual, it seems like everything out there can be personalized to meet your needs. And now granola can also be mixed to fit your desired flavor profile.

MixMyGranola is one of the latest companies to sweep the blogosphere. Part of it has been their willingness to cooperate with the hoards of eager taste testers because many bloggers will read one blog and then stalk the company for their own sample of the latest trend. However, one of the reasons for all the hype is because the products that MixMyGranola produces are just that good.

With a variety of bases and mix-ins to choose from, the options for creating your own granola blend are endless. MixMyGranola offers a number of organic ingredients and advertises that all of their mix-ins are made from natural ingredients. You can choose from dried fruits, nuts, seeds, chocolates and even candies to create that signature taste. As you go through the steps of creating your own mix, there is even a nutritional calculator to figure out just how many calories you will be spending to enjoy your blend.

The cost of the granola is based on what you mix in. The base cereal runs from $3.99 to $4.99 and after that it is up to you! The more times you click on an ingredient, the more they add to your mix and the more it costs. I recently created a mix with dried mangos, blueberries, cherries, chia seeds, hemp seeds, amaranth seeds, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds. The entire mix plus shipping was well under $20. They also sell gift cards which make it a personalized gift for your favorite health food fan.


The containers themselves are also environmentally friendly. These 16oz containers are 100% recyclable, however I reused mine to store pasta!

The flavors of the granola are fresh and pop in your mouth. I preportioned out the 8 servings so I could grab them on the run. My mix was high in protein and fiber which serves as a filling snack on it's own but it is also great mixed in with yogurt or sprinkled on oatmeal. My "Uncovering Food Mix" comes with it's own individual number so I can order the exact same mix again if I want. This means I don't have to remember how many times I clicked pumpkin seed to get that perfect blend.

Because the nutritional information will vary based on how you mix your own granola, I encourage you to check out the MixMyGranola site to find out just what your granola would look like!

Pumpkin and Brie Panini: Bauman Family Fruit Butters

If you have been following my food journals at Uncovering Me, then you may already know that I bought a Breville Ikon Panini Press and I am in love! It has non stick plates which means I don't have to use any added oils when I make sandwiches. And make sandwiches I have!

As a featured publisher at Foodbuzz, I was given the opportunity to try Ile de France Le Brie. I plan on sharing more about the cheese specifically in an upcoming blog, but I knew I had to try some of it in a panini. I also had just received a sampler of Bauman Family Fruit Butters. As I look to utilize more naturally sweetened products, I ran across this company who sweeten most of their fruit products with fruit juice or honey. Many of the products they just let the fruit sweeten itself! This results in an all natural and low calorie alternative to overly processed spreads you find on store shelves. You can find these fruit butters in stores or order them online! One of the butters was a pumpkin butter that is sweetened with fruit juice and is only 25 calories for a tablespoon!

Pumpkin and Brie Panini

2 slices Oroweat Light Whole Wheat Bread (or your favorite whole wheat bread, adjust calories accordingly)
1 tbsp Bauman Family No Sugar Added Pumpkin Butter
1.5 oz Ile de France Le Brie

Warm panini press while assembling sandwich. On one piece of bread, spread pumpkin butter. Place cheese on top of butter and top off with second slice of bread. Grill on low for 3 minutes. Enjoy!

This sandwich is sweet, spicy and creamy. With April being National Grilled Cheese month, consider this my contribution to the celebration. It is so delicious I had one for dinner last night and another for breakfast this morning.

Nutritional Information using the above named ingredients: 255 calories/14 grams of fat/7 grams of fiber/11.5 grams of protein.


There are many uses for fruit butters besides paninis. I have used all of these to sweeten my steel cuts oats in the morning. They are also great on waffles and toast as well as mixed into yogurt. I even used the butters in savory main courses! All of the Bauman Fruit Butters I tried ranged in calories from 25 to 35 calories per tablespoon and were bursting with sweet fruit flavors. I love that the company has been around for over 100 years and is still family owned and operated.

For those of you who enjoy fruit butters, am I missing another use? Please share ideas and links to your favorite fruit butter recipes here!

An Amazing Value: One Organic Food Bars

Very rarely do I find a bar that I have to buy more of immeadiately after sampling. One that I email and Twitter about after the third bite. One that I want to savor bite by bite, every chew, until I am sad that it is gone but so fully satisfied that I am happy at the same time.

More specifically, when I do find such a bar, very rarely is the bar sold at an affordable cost. Made with organic ingredients. Free of trans fats, refined sugars, high fructose corn syrupand preservatives. And prepared fresh daily through cold processing!

When I first communicated with Organic Food Bar, I was interested in learning more about the Active Greens and Omega-3 Flax bars. The names just seemed so.... healthy? But Eric over at Organic Food Bar was convinced my readers and I would fall in love with the One line, a low cost and all organic line of bars. Eric was right about one thing... a girl has to watch her wallet these days. These bars are only 86 cents when you buy a box of twelve (and only $1.19 if you buy them individually) online. When he told me they were gluten free, soy free, dairy free and peanut free... I KNEW I had to try them. I have friends with a number of allergies and if these were as amazing as they sounded, I would have to tell the world!

Lucky for me, the happy taste tester, and all of my amazing readers, the One Organic Food Bars are worthy of gracing the screen of Uncovering Food. Although don't create too big a demand, because this girl still wants to be able to get her hands on some of them!

Raspberry Muffin Crunch

Okay so while the first picture on the blog is one I took, I loved how the graphics on the company web site included the ingredients that go into the bar! The Raspberry Muffin Crunch was my favorite all around bar. It was sweet without being too sweet. The raspberry pieces just popped in my mouth and combined with the organic non-glutton cereals and granola, it was the perfect texture. The bar consistency was firm but soft, creating a satisfying mini meal and a perfect pre-workout snack. Did I mention it has 500mg of Omega Threes and is Vegan? When reviewing my notes, the first thing written in caps across the top of the page was: YUM!!!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Ingredients: Organic Raspberry Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Raisins, Organic Raspberries, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Crispy Brown Rice) Organic Rice Syrup, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Millet, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Flax, Organic Acacia Fiber and Organic Freeze Dried Raspberry Juice.

Nutritional Information: 180 calories/4.5 grams fat/3 grams fiber/5 grams protein

Chocolate Macaroon Crunch

Coconut lovers beware! The Chocolate Macaroon Crunch Bar is full of this fabulous ingredient! Complete with more probiotics than a serving of yogurt, this bar was my second favorite of the line. Every mouthful was chocolate and coconut. I felt like I was being so bad! It was definitely more cookie like, which was good when I was looking for something to enjoy with a good cup of Teavana Earl Grey Creme tea for afternoon tea time. It is also very filling for a bar. After enjoying it with my tea, I wasn't hungry for hours!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Ingredients: Organic Rice Syrup, Organic Coconut, Organic Coconut Almond Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Barley Flakes, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Raisins, Organic Almonds, Organic Coconut, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Sunflower Seeds) Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Millet, Organic Chocolate Chips (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Chocolate Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter), Organic Acacia Fiber and Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086.

Nutritional Information: 210 calories/10 grams fat/6 grams fiber/2 grams protein

Blueberry Muffin Crunch

Another quality bar in the line, the Blueberry Muffin Crunch Bar also boasts heart healthy Omega 3s. This was my least favorite in the line, as it was definitely sweeter than the raspberry bar with less pop from the fruit. The bar does have a nuttier texture though which I enjoyed and savored. When I say it was least favorite, let me be clear that I would still buy and eat these Vegan babies. The texture is a bit chewier (although I did get a couple larger chunks of almonds - yum!) and the bar was a bit darker in color from the blueberries. However it also left me satiated and with a fresh burst of energy!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Ingredients: Organic Blueberry Almond Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Raisins, Organic Apples, Organic Almonds, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Blueberries, Organic Sunflower Seeds) Organic Rice Syrup, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Millet, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Flax, Organic Acacia Fiber and Organic Freeze Dried Blueberry Juice.

Nutritional Information: 180 calories/4.5 grams fat/6 grams fiber/3 grams protein

Morning Delight! Honeyville Steel Cut Oats and Freeze Dried Berries

I am a breakfast girl. I need food in my stomach within an hour of getting up or I am out of whack for the day.

I am also not a morning person. I like to sleep as LATE as possible. In fact this morning, I found out I was a "sleep snoozer". I have been told this is what someone who hits the snooze button in their sleep is called. Which I did so many times this morning, I missed my run!

Luckily, I had made breakfast last night! And it was still delicious this morning.

Oatmeal has been all the rage for blogging foodies. But most people like the convenience of quick cooking rolled oatmeal. Which is understandable if you have a need for speed. But let me take a couple minutes to try and convert you to something that takes a little more preparation but is well worth the wait (and can be prepped ahead of time!):

Steel Cut Oatmeal!!!

The fine folks at Honeyville allowed me to opportunity to sample their Steel Cut Oatmeal as well as their Freeze Dried Strawberries and Freeze Dried Blueberries. I was excited to try out something new from a family owned company with a longstanding reputation for working with restaurants around the country. What does that mean for an individual consumer? Their online store is fantastically inexpensive! And if you have a larger family or big event, the bulk ordering is also a great deal! Not to mention the inexpensive shipping cost.

But enough about how awesome the company is and how great the prices are. Let's talk about taste!

I started by preparing two cups of steel cut oatmeal (8 servings) in twelve cups of boiling water. The process took approximately 45 minutes, but aside from stirring, was really easy. It cooks up to somewhere around a cup a serving cooked. The reason for prepping a larger batch was so I could portion it out for later.
The oatmeal itself is extra creamy and smooth with bites of whole oatmeal. I feel healthier eating it but also more satisfied. It not only filled me up this morning but kept me full for the couple hours before I got my caffine fix. It is high in fiber and protein which helps make it so filling. I wanted more for lunch but alas I didn't bring any to school!

When I preportioned the cooked oatmeal, I took a couple of servings and mixed in 1/4 cup of strawberries or 1/4 cup of blueberries. The strawberries are slices that are also great for munching (guess what is going in my carry-on for next week's championships!) and the blueberries are large and whole. Both are crispy and full of flavor. Did I mention how low in calories they are?
Back to the oatmeal. Adding the fruit in was the idea of Chris over at Honeyville. His suggestion was fabulous! The creaminess of the oats and the natural sweetness of the strawberries made the perfect morning treat. As a child, I loved Strawberries and Cream instant oatmeal. This reminded of that... only ten times better because it wasn't overly sweet or full of chemicals.

I look forward to sleeping in and just popping my oatmeal in the micro each morning. Honeyville made a believer out of me that taking the extra time is worth it for flavor, nutrition and satiation.

Ingredients in Honeyville Steel Cut Oats: Whole Grain Oats

Nutritional Information for 1/4 cup uncooked Honeyville Steel Cut Oats: 160 calories/3 grams of fat/5 grams of fiber/6 grams of protein

Ingredients in Honeyville Freeze Dried Strawberries: Strawberries

Nutritional Information for 1/4 cup Honeyville Freeze Dried Strawberries: 15 calories/0 grams of fat/1 gram of fiber/0 grams of protein

Ingredients in Honeyville Freeze Dried Blueberries: Blueberries

Nutritional Information for 1/4 cup Honeyville Freeze Dried Blueberries: 30 calories/0 grams of fat/1 gram of fiber/0 grams of protein

Mystery Box Challenge: Baked Stuffed Peppers

When Doug challenged me several weeks ago to come up with a recipe that included his choice of random ingredients (ala the Food Network show "Chopped"), I readily agreed. When he told me the ingredients were Bell Peppers, Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Oatmeal.. I gagged slightly. This would be a challenge. At first I thought about doing a quiche with an oatmeal crust. However after hanging out with my Hungarian dad, I settled on something more familiar. Stuffed bell peppers!

This recipe makes two halves, which I am counting as two servings. You can lower the calories by using reduced fat cheese or a leaner ground meat. These freeze and reheat well. Enjoy and I look forward to seeing who wins the $10 Starbucks gift card! The March challenge closes at midnight on the 31st!

Baked Stuffed Peppers

1/4 lb 90% lean ground sirloin
1/4 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 green bell pepper, halved and cleaned
1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1 small white onion, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 small can of tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Set aside a pinch or two of cheese. Mix remaining ingredients, except bell pepper and tomato sauce, together until blended. Stuff into two halves of the pepper and bake for 20 minutes.

Open the can of sauce and pour over peppers. Bake for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 5 more minutes.

This should be enough time to cook through while not leaving the bell pepper soggy. You can check the internal temperature of the meat with a thermometer.

Nutritional Information: 250 calories/10.5 grams of fat/4.5 grams of fiber/17 grams of protein

Junior Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

It didn't make the Quaker Top Chef semifinals, so I promised I would share it with all of you. Since I am on the road this week, it seemed like the best time to post. This recipe comes from a variety of inspirations including my father who taught me how to make my first meatloaf when I was a young 4-H member. I won a blue ribbon at Food Fiesta!

You can reduce the calories and fat in this by using light cheese, but I just love the flavor of the extra sharp cheddar I used, and there isn't much on each piece!

1 lb 93% lean ground beef
8 slices of center cut bacon
1/2 large red onion
1 cup Quaker oatmeal
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 egg
2 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp chili powder
2 oz of extra sharp cheddar cheese, slices into 8 thin slices

1. Cook six slices of bacon until crispy. You want these slices on the crispy side for easy dicing later. Use cooked bacon to grease inside of muffin tins. Then let bacon cool.

2. Toast oatmeal. Heat oven to 350 degrees and lay oats out in a single layer on baking sheet. Toast in oven for ten minutes, stirring halfway through. Place toasted oats in mixing bowl. Oven should then be turned up to 450 degrees to preheat.

3. Dice red onions and cooked bacon finely. Add to mixing bowl.

4. Add seasoning salt and chili powder to bowl. Stir to blend.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk egg until frothy.

6. Add beef, egg and barbecue sauce to mixing bowl with dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. This is a great time to get dirty by using your hands to ensure the ingredients are well mixed? Don't like to get messy? Use a large wooden spoon to aid the process.

7. Evenly distribute meatloaf into 8 bacon-greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes.

8. While meatloaf is baking, slice remaining two slices of bacon into quarters.

9. Remove meatloaf from over. Place one slice of cheese on top and finish off with a slice of bacon. Place back in oven for an additional 5 minutes or until bacon reaches a desired doneness. I sometimes use the broiler for one or two minutes after the five additional minutes of cook time. This allows the bacon to crisp up. If you prefer your bacon on the chewy side, skip this part.

These meatloaf muffins are a perfect serving size and are full of healthy ingredients!

Nutritional Information: 202 calories/10.5 grams of fat/1 gram of fiber/19 grams of protein

March Mystery Box Contest

After watching the Food Network show Chopped for the sixth or seventh time and annoying the people around me with "oh I would make this!" or "wait why wouldn't you use the ingredient this way?" I decided to do something about this desire to create meals out of random ingredients.

I invite you all to join me on this monthly adventure. Each month I will post the mystery box of ingredients. Your job is to create a dish that utilizes all of these ingredients and document the preparation and final product as well as a review of how it turned out. Post a link to your documentation in the comment section of the mystery box post. At the end of the month, all eligible entries will be entered to win a fabulous prize! The contest closes the last day of the month at midnight. While you can use other ingredients from your pantry, the dish must include the mystery ingredients.

This month's mystery box includes: Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Oatmeal, Green Bell Peppers

The prize is: Let's start off the challenge like I enjoy starting my mornings. Starbucks! The winner of the challenge will receive a $10 Starbucks giftcard.

Remember you must use ALL of the ingredients of the mystery box in the one dish. Please take pictures, post your recipe and a review in your blog! You should also copy the mystery box logo and link back to this post in order to qualify.

Good luck!

Baked Buffalo Bites

So I stayed up rather late crafting my various recipe ideas and this one was very tasty but didn't make the cut. I am trying one more tonight and will post whichever remaining recipes I don't send in to the contest. If you decide to enter the contest let me know! Maybe we'll meet in the final round :o)

I will try to post a better picture later tonight if I remember. I am also going to try to include pictures with all of my recipes now at the request of you!

1lb boneless-skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup of Quaker oatmeal
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup egg whites
2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Hot'n Spicy Seasoning mix
2 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
2 tsp chili powder

1. Put cubed chicken into a ziploc bag with hot sauce. Toss to coat. Marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. While chicken is marinading, toast oats. Heat oven to 350 degrees and lay oats out in a single layer on baking sheet. Toast in oven for ten minutes, stirring halfway through.

3. Prepare breading. Blend oats until they are a fine consistency. Add seasoning mix, seasoning salt and chili powder. Mix thoroughly.

4. In a separate bowl, pour egg whites.

5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

6. Dip individual chicken breast cubes quickly into egg white (you don't want to wash off the hot sauce!) and then into the breading. I like to use one hand to dip into the egg white and the other to handle the breading. This prevents either hand from getting a cakey coating. Lay cubes on cooking sheet.

7. Bake for ten minutes, flipping chicken halfway through. Depending on your oven, it could be done a little bit early or take a little bit longer. Use an instant read thermometer to ensure the poultry is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

You can serve Baked Buffalo Bites with a twist on the classic ranch or blue cheese dipping sauces by adding a couple drops of hot sauce to the dip before serving. It will brighten the flavor and kick up the heat.

This recipe makes four servings. The NI for each serving is 216 calories/1.5 fat/2 fiber/32 protein

Overnight Apples and Oats

2.25 cups of old fashioned oats
6 small-medium apples, your choice
cinnamon, to taste
ancho chili powder, to taste
1 packet of stevia or sweetener of choice
Water (between one and two cups depending on how thick you like your oatmeal)

Slice two apples into medium thick slices that layer the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle one cup of oats over the sliced apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon, chili powder and half of the stevia packet.

Repeat layering.

Dice remaining two apples and sprinkle over the top. Pour water over the top.

Cook on low overnight.

This makes between 4 and 5 servings and points vary based on the size of your apples.

Plum Cobbler

6 plums
3 tsp brown sugar
3/4 cup uncooked oatmeal
hot water as needed
spray butter

Preheat oven to 350. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Cut plums into bite size chunks and pour into dish.

Mix oatmeal with brown sugar and enough hot water to moisten the oatmeal and make it a thick but loose consistency.

Drop spoonfuls of the oatmeal over the plums. Spray with spray butter and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes and remove foil. Broil until crust is brown.

6 servings = 1 pt, 4 servings = 2 pts

Apple-Beet Sauce

This is perfect to mix into steel cut oats or yogurt!

6 small apples, cored and quartered
3 small beets, scrubbed and chopped
Ancho Chili Powder, to taste
Cinnamon, to taste (usually 3x the chili powder)

Mix beets and apples together. I do a very light dusting of chili powder and a heavier dusting of cinnamon over the top.

Cook on low for 5-8 hours, stir every 3-5 hours. Length of time will determine a chunkier or saucier consistency.

1/6 of the recipe is only 1 Point!

Rubarb-Apple-Strawberry Sauce

3 Rhubarb Stalks, washed and sliced
4 Braeburn Apples, washed and sliced into chips
Cinnamon Stick
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 baskets of Strawberries, rinsed and quartered

Cover bottom of slow cooker with rhubarb and place cinnamon stick in center. Sprinkle sugar over rhubarb. Layer apple slices over rhubarb, covering the rhubarb entirely. Drizzle water over apple layer. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Mix in strawberries and cook on low for another hour.

This sauce is perfect over slow churn vanilla bean ice cream. It would also be great in oatmeal, yogurt, and who knows what else!

Serving size will vary but 1/12th of the pot is 1 Point.