After my eventful weekend in Zürich, it was time for me to return to New York. To make sure I continued in my regained healthy ways back at college, I decided to have an ultra high protein day and packed things like tofu, egg white omelette, Quest Bars and Greek yoghurt for the trip.
Once back in New York, my college life recommenced. Stress built, healthy eating decreased… I did however manage to keep up with my workout schedule!
I also started to eat oatmeal nearly every day for breakfast!
Guess who is back on a clean eating spree..
Yup. I have officially eaten one too many sweet potato fries, just enough chocolate chip cookies, and a bit too much Greek yoghurt. I have officially decided to go back to basics.
The idea came to me while reading the Oatmeal Artist's blog as part of my morning blog-reading routine and I came across her Pomegranate Müesli. The first thing I thought of was, my Iranian side would love the pomegranate part of that! My second thought was, my crazy health food obsessed self would actually eat that. And my third thought was: I should make this before a hectic day at college!
Pomegranate + Dark chocolate chips… heaven!
My oatmeal prep-time issue did change however, when about a year ago I had my final high school exams. Each written test was 4 hours long, and after taking only some fruit, nuts and a food bar with me for the first one, I knew I needed something with a little more oompf to keep me going; thus, enter the oatmeal. I would get up extra early, pumped only by an extra dose of adrenaline (I was super nervous..) and have enough time to prepare cashew and blueberry oatmeal to take with me. I would then devour it during my test by the spoonful and wash it down with a tumbler of earl grey tea.
With my work and dance schedule, I need proper food to keep me going. Since oatmeal has never let me down in the past, I rely on it now again to give me sustenance for the day. But since I'm in a work scenario, rather than an exam one, I don't wake up as easily in the morning.. So how can I make sure I can still eat the wholesome meal I want, and sleep until the latest possible moment? I found my answer thanks to none other than my (Swiss!) boyfriend, of all people: Birchermüesli, more internationally known as overnight oats.
The Swiss invention of Birchermüesli was originally made for patients in hospital, as part of their therapy. The physician, Maximilian Bircher-Benner, created this dish in order in incorporate more fruit in to their diet. Based on something he ate while exploring the Swiss Alps, the original muesli – unlike today's – consisted mainly of shredded apples; oats, hazelnuts, lemon juice and condensed milk merely complemented the dish. Since then, endless variations have popped up all over the world, but the base remained unchanged: fruit, oats and milk (or yoghurt).
By preparing this the night before, it ensured a tasty snack/breakfast for whenever I wanted it; totally stress-free! And, as mentioned in my last post, it really works wonders before exercise!
Before launching a google search for overnight oat-recipes, I checked out the Oatmeal Artists options. Her creative ideas have been an inspiration for most of my own oatmeal, and this time was no different. One recipe that really jumped out at me was the tea-steeped oatmeal. This is something I had never heard of before..
The basic recipe was as simple as could be, so the only thing I had to really think about was what tea I wanted to use. Also, in my ongoing quest to up the protein content of everything, I wanted to find a nut butter that would match (I really enjoy the addition of nut butter to my oatmeal, reaping not only amazing flavor but also many nutritional benefits, and after testing a delicious recipe from Peanut Butter Fingers, I knew it could easily be added to overnight oats as well.) But what tea…?
A couple of weeks ago, I found a delicious shortbread cookie. An earl grey and blueberry shortbread cookie to be exact. This buttery cookie gave me new perspectives: earl grey tea and blueberries…match perfectly?! So creative, it works! I was amazed. Even more so, when I remembered my days during my finals, eating oatmeal with blueberries and drinking earl grey tea! It was fate! This exact memory triggered a déjà vu, where I then recalled, that those oats tasted so good, not just by adding blueberries and drinking tea, but also thanks to the creamy, almost buttery flavor of cashew nut butter!
Let me know if you can think of any other great combinations!
But we all know where the actual passion and joy really lies, when we talk about cookies. Just in case you aren't familiar with and can't think of enjoying anything more than an actual cookie, then let me share with you, the love… of eating raw cookie dough!
But eating raw cookie dough can have it's consequences. While being delicious, raw cookie dough (unless it's vegan) will also mean that it contains raw eggs, i.e. there is an increased chance of salmonella infection. Also, in it's raw, scrumptious form, it's very hard to practice portion control, resulting in eating too much sugar and fat (butter), all in one go. (Which is fine when you're in your teens and have an amazing metabolism, but after a certain age you'll start growing sideways…).
So how do we solve this predicament? We clearly can't just go cold turkey!
Well, I can think of two ways around this. The first is making one of these guilt-free cookie dough recipes, created specifically for eating purposes: Cookie dough , Cookie Dough.
The other option is to make an oatmeal-based cookie-dough-like breakfast or snack (see my recipe below) to enjoy as a healthy, balanced meal.
Overnight oats are my current recommendation for a pre-dance snack(or even just before any cardiovascular activity), as it has just the right ratio of carbs to protein to fat to keep my blood sugar levels steady, energy levels high and my hunger at bay…!
What is the comfort food, you know you can always rely on, to cheer you up? Are you also a raw cookie dough eater?