Recipes | Fluid Movement + Massage

Pineapple Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats Recipe

January 31, 2016January 31, 2016Anne

Looking for a quick easy breakfast you can take on the run? Try this tropical overnight oats recipe!

You can use any combination of oats, liquid (cow milk, coconut milk, water, or juice), fresh or dried fruit, and nuts – the recipe below even has a little dark chocolate! Prep breakfast the night before, warm in the microwave if you like, or just grab the jar from the fridge and go. Now you have no excuse for skipping breakfast!

Why “overnight”? You may have heard me talk about the benefits of soaking your grains. The folks at Nourished Kitchen suggest you can “enhance the nutrient profile” of your grains and make them easier to digest by soaking overnight (read all about that here). You may warm the milk slightly, add all other ingredients, cap the jar and leave it on the counter. If the thought of warm milk left out overnight makes you squeamish, pop the jar in the fridge.

The basic overnight oats recipe is as follows: 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup liquid, a small amount of the toppings of your choice like nuts, and fresh or dried fruit, plus 1 tsp spices (I like cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and nutmeg) a pinch of salt, and if you like a splash of acid like yogurt, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

I recently played my favorite game of “what’s in the fridge/ pantry” and came up with this combination of fruit, nuts and coconut milk and it was delicious!

Here are the tropical oats before going in the fridge…

…and the next morning, ready to eat! They puff up a bit as the grains absorb the liquid.

Below is my recipe for pineapple dark chocolate coconut overnight oats. Try it and if you like it or have feedback please leave a comment below.

Pineapple Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats
1 cup full fat coconut milk
2 tsp ground chia seeds
2 tsp ground flax seeds
2 Tbsp chopped dark chocolate
2 Tbsp chopped pecans
2 Tbsp shredded (unsweetened) coconut
1/3 cup chopped pineapple
2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a glass jar and shake well to combine. Seal with a lid and place in fridge overnight.
You may enjoy oats as is, or if they are too thick for your liking thin with a few spoonfuls of milk, yogurt, or juice. I prefer my oats warm so I heat mine for one minute in the microwave before eating.

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She offers this recipe to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.

Pomegranate, Kale, and Wild Rice Salad

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016Anne

Ok the holidays are over, the sweets are (hopefully) out of the house, the relatives have gone home, now back to a more normal schedule and diet. I did pretty well for the month of December but definitely consumed more sugar then usual. This month I am taking a sugar break, and incorporating more green leafy veggies and whole grains into my diet. This salad is the perfect healthy start to the new year. Try it and let me know what you think.

Pomegranate, Kale, and Wild Rice Salad

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup pomegranate seeds
2 cups shredded kale
2 cups wild rice, cooked and chilled
4 clementines, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1/4 cup feta cheese

Dressing ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup orange juice
4 shallots, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Make dressing. Place all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake until combined.
Make salad. In a large bowl mix pomegranate seeds, kale, and cooked rice with the salad dressing.
Top with sliced clementines, toasted nuts and feta.
Enjoy!

Gluten Free Apple, Cranberry, And Pecan Crisp

December 10, 2015December 10, 2015Anne

Looking for an easy breakfast or dessert that is sure to please a crowd? This not too sweet crisp is easy to assemble and delicious served warm or cold.

I used a mix of granny smith, red delicious and braeburn apples. Use gluten free oats to make this recipe gluten free. With only 3/4 cup of maple syrup in the filling and 1/2 a cup of brown sugar in the topping the apple and cranberry flavor really comes through and the dish is not overly sweet.

Ingredients:

Topping

1 cup quick oats
1 cup almond flour
2/3 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 Tsp sea salt
1 stick (8 Tbsps) butter, melted

Apple filling

6 apples cored and chopped into 1″ chunks
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

2. Make topping: In a large bowl mix oats, flour, pecans, sugar and salt. Add melted butter and press into small clumps. Put topping in the freezer while you assemble filling.

3. Make filling: In a large bowl mix apples, cranberries, maple syrup, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. Pour filling into pan spread it out, pressing the fruit into the corners.

4. Spread topping over filling, evenly distributing it to cover the apple mixture.

5. Bake for an hour, or until the crust is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly. Let it cool for twenty minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Chai Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

November 9, 2015November 9, 2015Anne

Ok ok I know you have been seeing “pumpkin everything” for weeks now, but these muffins are so delicious when I tasted them I immediately fell in love and wanted to share them with you.

Quick and easy to make, these babies are just slightly sweet and nicely spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and clove. The pumpkin puree keeps them moist and fluffy. The Chia seeds add a subtle crunch.

Remember chia pets from the 80’s? Chia seeds are the latest “hot” food trend and for good reason.

Chia plants are native to South America and the seeds were prized by the Aztecs and Mayans. In fact “chia” is the ancient Mayan word for “strength.” These super nutritious seeds are high in protein, calcium, magnesium and B vitamins. Chia seeds contain anti inflammatory properties. My stepmom Judy suffers from painful arthritis in her knees. For several months now she has been taking Chia in her morning smoothie and swears this has eliminated her knee pain! She even has my Dad on the daily Chia program.

Almond flour is found in most grocery stores either in the baking section or bulk aisle. I used this local brand.

One cup of pumpkin puree provides you with 7.1 grams of dietary fiber. It is also loaded with potassium, iron, and vitamin E which can boost your immune system. I found raw pumpkin seeds and all the spices below in the bulk bins at New Seasons.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana, mashed
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs, whisked
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup shelled raw pumpkin seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners (try these). When I made this recipe it actually filled 14 muffin cups.
In a large bowl mix banana, pumpkin, eggs, sugar and maple syrup.
In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients (flours, chia, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all spices), but not pumpkin seeds.
Mix dry ingredients with wet until just combined, do not over mix.
Using a 1/3 cup measure, fill muffin tins. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds evenly over muffins. I topped mine with a tiny sprinkling of coarse sea salt as well.
Bake for twenty minutes, or until the tops are slightly browned and feel dry to the touch.

Enjoy!

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood) Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers this recipe to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice. Anne is not paid to endorse any of these products, she loves them and wants to share them with you.

Lemon Basil Hummus

August 7, 2015August 7, 2015Anne

Looking for something to do with your zucchini harvest? How bout slicing your squash and topping it with this fresh lemony hummus? I love this recipe for it’s simplicity and easy preparation. Most of the ingredients you likely have in your fridge, pantry or garden. Tahini (sesame seed paste) can be found at most grocery stores. It’s savory, nutty flavor rounds out the spicy garlic, fresh acidic lemon and sweet basil.

This high protein, high fiber snack has been shown to aid in weight loss, and reduce cholesterol. Garbanzos (also called chick peas) are a nutritional powerhouse providing iron, calcium, folate and loads of other vitamins, minerals and amino acids plus a healthy dose of fiber.

So easy to make, this would be a good project to tackle with the kids. You basically just dump everything into a food processor (or chop the garlic and basil by hand and then mash everything together with a potato masher). My philosophy is the more garlic the better so I used 4 large cloves per one can of beans. You can adjust this amount to suit your taste.

Try it and let me know what you think in the comments below…

Lemon Basil Hummus

Ingredients

1 lemon
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 handful fresh basil leaves
1 15.5 oz. can of Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 Tablespoons of tahini (I found the tahini sauce pictured above at Trader Joe’s)
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Zest about half of the lemon, peeling off just the yellow rind, not the white pithy part. Slice the fruit and squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor. Add the zest to the bowl as well.
Add garlic cloves to the lemon juice, pour in olive oil and process until the garlic is minced.
Add the fresh basil leaves, garbanzo beans, tahini and salt and blend until smooth

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers this recipe to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.