Refrigerator Oatmeal

Guys, this stuff has changed my life!

I had never heard of refrigerator oatmeal until last week, but now I make it almost every day. 

The premise is really simple: add some oats and dairy to a jar, add some flavours, shake and put in the fridge overnight.  While you sleep, the oats suck up some of the moisture and flavour, and leave you with a hearty breakfast that is low in calories and fat, but high in protein.  It keeps me full until lunch, and doesn't require me to get up any earlier (which really is the best kind of breakfast for me).

 

I'm going to share my favorite recipe so far: Banana Chocolate with protein powder.  The protein powder here really gives this some substance, and because it sits overnight, you don't get that chalky taste.

The basic recipe is like this:

1/3 cup rolled oats (not quick oats or instant oats)
1/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk


To make this extra awesome, add:
1/2 banana, sliced
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
1/2 tsp cocoa powder


Optional:
1 tsp hemp hearts

or

1 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

or

1 tbsp blanched, slivered almonds


Put it all in a jar and shake it!  Tomorrow, you will have a filling breakfast with no effort. 

Other flavours that I've toyed with:

I substituted cherry-flavoured greek yogurt and added a couple spoonfuls of frozen blueberries instead of bananas.

I added blueberries and a spoonful of peach butter (no cocoa or protein powder)

I added frozen strawberries, unsweetened coconut, and a few drops of vanilla extract.

Invent your own!

Pasta with Tuna and Broccoli

It would appear that posting about my former carb-obsession may have opened the floodgates to more pasta recipes.  Certainly, they've been a go-to thing over the past couple of weeks.  I mean, who has time to cook when there's playoff hockey to be watched? 

So in that vein, I'll present you with another easy and fast pasta recipe that puts most of your favorite food groups in a single bowl. My dad found this recipe several years ago - possibly in Canadian Living Magazine.  You may think it to be a weird combination of flavours, but it works - it really does. And for the boonies cook, it's pretty achievable.  The broccoli can be fresh or frozen, and everything else is canned or dried.

Start by breaking apart a head or two of broccoli and putting the florets in a steamer. Put the water on to boil for the pasta, and put the broccoli on to steam (about 5 minutes once it starts to boil - you want it to retain a bit of crispness).

Mince 3 cloves of garlic and saute them in 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan until fragrant but not brown. 

Add 2 cans of flaked tuna (drained) to the garlic and stir around. Then add 1 tbsp dried basil (or about 1/4 c. chopped fresh if you have it), and a few shakes of crushed red chili pepper (to taste).

Put about 3/4 c of raisins in a coffee mug.  At this point, your broccoli should be done, so drain the broccoli water directly into the coffee mug to blanch the raisins.  Then add the drained broccoli to the tuna mix and stir. After about a minute, drain the raisins and add those to the broccoli and tuna. 

Toss with the cooked pasta of your choice (I like rotini - it holds on to the tuna better than other pastas), and serve garnished with parmesan cheese. 


Tuna and Broccoli Pasta

2-3 servings of pasta (rotini works well)
1-2 heads broccoli, split into florets
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cans flaked tuna, drained
1 tbsp dried basil
crushed red chili pepper (to taste)
3/4 c. raisins
parmesan cheese

Protein

One of the issues with cooking in the boonies, is getting good quality food that won't kill your budget.  Protein is usually a huge killer to the food bill because let's face it, meat is expensive.  On that note, there are things you can do to decrease your protein bill a bit, while still getting quality meat (and other protein products). Here are some tips:

• Make friends with a farmer. 
• This has been the biggest relief to our food budget in the last couple of years since our friend Wade started a small farm.  This year, I bought a whole pig, a giant Thanksgiving turkey, and about 1/3 of a cow. Wade takes his animals to slaughter in the fall and has them processed at a local (inspected) butcher shop.  We paid about $200 for the beef and $280 for the pork (including the cut and wrap) and came out of it with about 100 lbs of  meat (ribs, roasts, ground, steaks, chops, bacon, etc..). That's a little more than $4/lb, which is a pretty good average I think. It may not be the least expensive price you'll pay for meat, but it's made up for in quality - it's delicious! Bonus, our meat isn't trucked from afar to make it to the skillet, decreasing the environmental impact a bit. If you don't know a farmer, try checking out farmer's markets near you.  Many markets have farmers selling meat, and you can find out from them if you can buy in bulk.  Usually, animals go to slaughter in the fall, so you have all summer to find a farmer near you.
• Buy in bulk. 
• Go to your local wholesale or Costco and check out the sales.  Even if you don't have a huge family, buy meat in bulk and separate it into smaller packages for freezing when you get home.
• Hunt and fish.  

• Hunting is not for everyone either, but if you are a hunter or know a hunter, you could have a great source of cheap protein. In the boonies, many people get more meat from hunting than from the grocery store. There are lots of regulations about gun-ownership, openings, tags and permits, but if you get one moose, you could have as much as 300 lbs of meat to get you through the winter.  Many butcher shops will process your meat for you, right from the hanging to the cut & wrap, or you can learn to do it yourself.  It's a great alternative to factory-farmed meats.  
• Similarly, fishing can provide you with some great protein, but it can be expensive, especially if you go salt-water fishing (boats, gas, guides, etc..) and you won't get a lot of meat from the trip. If you live near the ocean, try buying direct from the fisherman at the wharf. It's often cheaper and the money goes directly to the guy who caught it, with no middle man.
• Eat alternative protein. 

• Learn how to incorporate beans and high-protein grains and tofu into your diet. The vegetarian lifestyle isn't for everyone, but eating at least one vegetarian meal per week will decrease your food bill, expand your horizons, and make you healthier. Beans and grains are also super easy to buy in bulk and store, making them perfect for boonies cooking.  Some high protein grains include quinoa, barley, brown rice, kasha and oatmeal. Be on the lookout for upcoming recipes involving quinoa - it's my new favorite thing.

Today's recipe: Garlic-Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

This recipe comes directly from the ladies at my favorite cooking blog Our Best Bites. You'll need 1 or 2 pork tenderloins, some grainy mustard, garlic, rosemary, and olive oil.

 First, rinse your tenderloin and trim off excess fat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and preheat the oven to  450°F.

In a small bowl, mix together 5 or 6 minced cloves of garlic (lots of garlic!), 2 tbsp of coarse-grain mustard, 2 tbsp rosemary (the recipe calls for fresh, but I've used about 3 tbsp of dried rosemary with success), and 2 tbsp olive oil. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Put your tenderloins on the baking sheet and slather them with your mustard mix.  Pop in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes (the meat should be juicy, but not pink and the internal temp should be 160°F with a meat thermometer). I've also done this on the BBQ and it works great.

Serve with your favorite side dishes - roasted potatoes are great, but so is rice. Pickled beets are a great, colourful veggie accompaniment.