Breakfast

Blueberry Overnight Oats | with lactation overnight oats option

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This blueberry overnight oats recipe has excellent sources of fiber and healthy fats coming from chia and flax seed and can be made up to a week in advance for meal prep. Also includes lactation overnight oats option. blueberry overnight oats

 

I remember when overnight oats hit the scene.  They were as popular as chia and kale and for good reason. Overnight oats is a nutritious breakfast you can customize for whatever taste you desire or by using whatever fruit is in season. 

They also can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the fridge in covered bowls or mason jars making them a perfect meal prep option for those on the go. 

What are Overnight Oats?

Overnight oats are an alternative way to prep oatmeal. Instead of adding a liquid or milk to your oats and heating them on the stove, they are soaked in milk, stirred and refrigerated overnight.  Because the milk fully soaks through overnight, they become soft and are able to be eaten cold.  There are many different flavors of overnight oats you can customize. 

How to Make Blueberry Overnight Oats:

I’ve tried many combinations of overnight oats, but adding blueberries has always been my favorite.  This recipe also contains chia and flax seed for extra nutrition and fiber. 

  1. To a 16 oz wide mouth mason jar add: old fashioned oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir until dry mix is fully combined. 
  2. Add in 1 cup of milk or dairy free milk and stir in with dry oat mixture until fully combined.
  3. Top with blueberries (fresh or frozen).  These can also be stirred into the wet oat mixture. 
  4. Cover mason jar and leave in fridge for at least 4 hours to allow enough time for milk to soak through the oats and for milk to absorb into the chia and flax. Leaving them overnight is ideal. 
  5. Once ready to eat, give everything a quick stir, adjust sweetness if needed and enjoy!

Lactation Overnight Oats:

You can also make lactation blueberry overnight oats by tweaking this recipe just a bit.  There are certain foods that help with milk production. Popular ones are oats, flax seed, coconut milk and brewers yeast. 

What is Brewers Yeast? Brewers yeast is used in making bread, wine, beer and has a high vitamin B content. Brewers yeast is not the same as nutritional yeast, so make sure you are buying a quality brewers yeast that is unfortified. I purchase this one by SOLGAR on Amazon. 

To turn this blueberry overnight oats recipe into a super food that could help your milk supply, simply make sure the milk you use is coconut milk and add 1 tsp brewers yeast.  NOTE: Make sure the coconut milk is not from a can! Purchase the ones in the refrigerated section that are half gallons next to almond, soy and cashew milk. 

Overnight Oats Frequently Asked Questions:

What kind of oats to use for overnight oats? Typically for overnight oats, old fashioned rolled oats are best as they offer a good texture once soaked through. You can use quick cook oats or instant oats, but beware that it may be a bit mushy but still fine!

What kind of milk to use for overnight oats? You could use any milk you prefer including cows milk, cashew milk, almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, hemp milk or even oat milk. 

Can I use fresh or frozen blueberries? You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe.  Fresh blueberries will have a different texture than frozen once they are thawed, but frozen blueberries are cheaper and can be found year round!

Can you heat overnight oats? You can heat overnight oats in the microwave or stovetop.  Heat in microwave for 1-2 minutes.  Because the oats are soaked through already, it takes less time to heat up and cook the oats.

How long do overnight oats last? If you use a dairy free milk, your overnight oats will last 5-7 days in the fridge.  This means you can make 5 days worth, portion them out into mason jars and have breakfast for every single day of the workweek in minutes. 

What Can I Use to Sweeten Overnight Oats?  I absolutely love using brown sugar as it gives it a comforting taste, but feel free to use your favorite sweetener such as stevia, monkfruit or whatever you enjoy. 

Check Out These Healthy Breakfast Recipes:

Blueberry Overnight Oats

blueberry overnight oats

Blueberry Overnight Oats | with lactation overnight oats option

Blueberry Overnight Oats | with lactation overnight oats option

Yield: 1 serving
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
  • 3/4 cup Milk or Dairy Free Milk of choice
  • 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tsp Ground Flax Seed
  • 1 tsp Chia Seeds
  • 2 tsp Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 pinch Salt

Instructions

  1. To a 16 oz wide mouth mason jar add: old fashioned oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir until dry mix is fully combined. 
  2. Add in 1 cup of milk or dairy free milk and stir in with dry oat mixture until fully combined.
  3. Top with blueberries (fresh or frozen).  These can also be stirred into the wet oat mixture. 
  4. Cover mason jar and leave in fridge for at least 4 hours to allow enough time for milk to soak through the oats and for milk to absorb into the chia and flax. Leaving them overnight is ideal. 
  5. Once ready to eat, give everything a quick stir, adjust sweetness if needed and enjoy!

Notes

What kind of oats to use for overnight oats? Typically for overnight oats, old fashioned rolled oats are best as they offer a good texture once soaked through. You can use quick cook oats or instant oats, but beware that it may be a bit mushy but still fine!

What kind of milk to use for overnight oats? You could use any milk you prefer including cows milk, cashew milk, almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, hemp milk or even oat milk. 

Can I use fresh or frozen blueberries? You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe.  Fresh blueberries will have a different texture than frozen once they are thawed, but frozen blueberries are cheaper and can be found year round!

Can you heat overnight oats? You can heat overnight oats in the microwave or stovetop.  Heat in microwave for 1-2 minutes.  Because the oats are soaked through already, it takes less time to heat up and cook the oats.

How long do overnight oats last? If you use a dairy free milk, your overnight oats will last 5-7 days in the fridge.  This means you can make 5 days worth, portion them out into mason jars and have breakfast for every single day of the workweek in minutes. 

What Can I Use to Sweeten Overnight Oats?  I absolutely love using brown sugar as it gives it a comforting taste, but feel free to use your favorite sweetener such as stevia, monkfruit or whatever you enjoy. 

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 455 Total Fat: 13g Saturated Fat: 6g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 34mg Sodium: 361mg Carbohydrates: 64g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 7g Sugar: 11g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 22g
It is the reader's responsibility to determine the value and quality of any recipe or instructions provided for food preparation and to determine the nutritional value, if any, and safety of the preparation instructions.
© Valerie Skinner | Thyme and JOY
Cuisine: american / Category: Breakfast
This blueberry overnight oats recipe has excellent sources of fiber and healthy fats coming from chia and flax seed and can be made up to a week in advance for meal prep. Also includes lactation overnight oats option. #overnightoats #breakfast

How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

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Learn how to cook bacon in the oven which is a total kitchen game changer. Using just a rimmed baking sheet and bacon, you’ll be able to batch cook bacon so you can eat it, store it or use it for all of your low carb meals. 

Learn how to cook bacon in the oven which is a total kitchen game changer. Using just a rimmed baking sheet and bacon, you'll be able to batch cook bacon so you can eat it, store it or use it for all of your low carb meals. 

I’m definitely one of those people who jumped on the bacon craze when it happened.  Well, honestly I feel like the craze never left.  

There is just something about the salty crispy dense cured meat that keeps everyone wanting more.  It helps that it goes with any meal and even has started to creep into the sweeter side of recipes. 

Cooking bacon always seemed like a chore to me. For me, if it wasn’t cooked in a pan then it wasn’t ever going to be the right texture. But taking out the pan and waiting for it to heat up plus all the splatter that could potentially burn you never made a good argument. 

Can you bake bacon?

YES! And it is glorious. There are different types of thickness of bacon and heats you can do this at, but it is possible to get crispy bacon in the oven. 

One Simple Oven Cooked Bacon Secret:

Once I figured this out, it changed everything!

The trick is to put your bacon on a rimmed baking sheet COLD and put it in a COLD oven.  The pre-heating process of the oven begins AFTER you put your bacon in the oven which is contrary to so many cooking tips. 

For whatever reason, cold cooking allows the bacon to stay straight and not curl up while baking which is valuable if you care about the bacon aesthetics or are using it to make certain recipes.

Make sure your oven rack is in the center! 

How to Cook Bacon on a Rimmed Baking Sheet:

You’ll need a rimmed baking sheet for oven cooked bacon so that you don’t lose all the fat all over the oven and potentially start a fire.

My favorite baking sheets and baking pans of all time are by the brand USA Pans.  They are commercial grade and have held up really well in my personal chef adventures.

You can place aluminum foil or parchment paper on the rimmed baking sheet so that you do not have to clean as much grease off of the pan.

I usually just cook with the bacon flat on the pan, but you can also use a non-stick cooling rack that is oven safe for oven bacon. 

You can usually get 8-9 strips of bacon on the pan depending on it’s size and length. 

CLICK HERE to save this recipe to your PINTEREST BOARDS

Learn how to cook bacon in the oven which is a total kitchen game changer. Using just a rimmed baking sheet and bacon, you'll be able to batch cook bacon so you can eat it, store it or use it for all of your low carb meals. 

What temperature should I bake bacon?

It depends on how thick your bacon is: 

  • 350 Degrees: for thin-medium strips of bacon
  • 375 Degrees: for thick cut bacon

No matter what the thickness of your bacon is, it is important to always check your bacon every 5 minutes as oven temperatures vary.

How long do I cook bacon in the oven? 

I always start with 15 minutes at 350 degrees with any type of bacon and keep checking every 5 minutes until desired outcome is reached:

  • 15 minutes: almost crispy, great for reheating in half the time
  • 16-20 minutes: very crispy, almost burnt

How can I store oven cooked bacon?

  • When your bacon comes out of the oven, use tongs to add each piece to a plate or pan lined with paper towels to absorb any excess bacon grease. 
  • Once pan is cooled, you can pour the bacon fat into a glass jar and re-use for cooking!  Great especially if you buy high quality bacon because you are getting a high quality cooking fat out of it!
  • To store your bacon, use a glass storage container or ziploc bag and places layers of strips between paper towels.  This will ensure that the bacon strips won’t stick to each other or break.
  • To reheat, simply add to a hot skillet, air fryer or microwave between 2 paper towels on a microwave safe dish. 
  • Bacon can be stored in the fridge for one week. 
Print
Learn how to cook bacon in the oven which is a total kitchen game changer. Using just a rimmed baking sheet and bacon, you'll be able to batch cook bacon so you can eat it, store it or use it for all of your low carb meals. 

How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

  • Author: Valerie Skinner | Thyme and JOY
  • Prep Time: 1 minute
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 16 minutes
  • Yield: 8 strips of baking 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Learn how to cook bacon in the oven which is a total kitchen game changer. Using just a rimmed baking sheet and bacon, you’ll be able to batch cook bacon so you can eat it, store it or use it for all of your low carb meals. 

Scale

Ingredients

  • 8–10 strips of bacon

Instructions

  1. On a rimmed baking sheet, place bacon strips next to each other. Do not overlap.
  2. Aluminum foil or parchment paper can be used to line the rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Place in a cold oven then set the temperature to 350 and the cook time to 15 minutes.
  4. Check every 5 minutes until desired level of cooked bacon is reached.
  5. Place on paper towels to drain excess bacon grease.
  6. Store in glass container or ziploc bag with paper towels between the strips of bacon.
  7. Will stay good for 1 week.
  8. Reheat on skillet, air fryer or microwave.
  • Category: breakfast, protein, meat
  • Method: baking, oven baked
  • Cuisine: american

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 strips
  • Calories: 86
  • Fat: 6
  • Carbohydrates: 0
  • Protein: 6

Keywords: crispy bacon in the oven, bacon in the oven temp, oven baking recipe, baked bacon recipe, can you bake bacon, bacon cooked, how to bake bacon in the oven, oven cooked bacon

 

 

 

 

Baked Denver Omelet with Golden Potato Crust

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This baked Denver omelet contains all the classic Denver omelet ingredients like bell pepper, onion and ham. It’s oven baked with a golden potato crust on the bottom for a healthy meal for any time.

This baked Denver omelet contains all the classic Denver omelet ingredients like bell pepper, onion and ham. It's oven baked with a golden potato crust on the bottom for a healthy meal for any time. #whole30 #glutenfree #paleo

If you didn’t know already, I am obsessed with making anything with eggs. I feel like eggs are so underrated sometimes as a way to eat healthy because they are cheap and can be made into so many meals. 

In fact, I like to cook with eggs at least once a week to save money and switch things up. 

Who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner? 

The beauty of baked omelet’s or even frittata’s is that you can literally add any combination of meat and veggies in them so there are endless combinations and endless ways to use up leftovers in your fridge before they go bad and this baked Denver omelet is no exception!

What is a Denver omelet?

A Denver omelet is also known as a western omelet or southwest omelet.  The origin of the name is mixed all over the place. Believe me, I tried to find the answer to this and couldn’t really nail one down. 

Chances are that somewhere started making them and the name just kind of stuck.  Like a cult phenomenon, but with eggs. Maybe one day we will know why, or at least a smart reader of this blog would?

What is in a Denver Omelet?

A Denver omelet has a variation of ingredients, but for the most part you can find a combination of:

  • Eggs
  • Bell Pepper
  • Onion
  • Ham
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Mushrooms

This particular baked Denver Omelet recipe has a little bit of a twist. It is baked in the oven and has a sliced golden potato crust underneath making it a full meal or omelet and hash browns all in one. 

Can I make this Denver Omelet Keto or Whole30?

To make this keto: Omit the potato crust completely and it will be low carb. Feel free to add cheddar cheese!

To make this whole30: make this recipe as is. Cheese has been omitted from this recipe to stay whole30 compliant, but if you can handle dairy and are not on a round, it’s a delicious traditional addition. 

Check Out:

Baked Denver Omelet

CLICK HERE to save this recipe to your PINTEREST BOARDS

This baked Denver omelet contains all the classic Denver omelet ingredients like bell pepper, onion and ham. It's oven baked with a golden potato crust on the bottom for a healthy meal for any time. #whole30 #glutenfree #paleo

Print
This baked Denver omelet contains all the classic Denver omelet ingredients like bell pepper, onion and ham. It's oven baked with a golden potato crust on the bottom for a healthy meal for any time. #whole30 #glutenfree #paleo

Baked Denver Omelet with Golden Potato Crust

  • Author: Valerie Skinner | Thyme and JOY
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This baked Denver omelet contains all the classic Denver omelet ingredients like bell pepper, onion and ham. It’s oven baked with a golden potato crust on the bottom for a healthy meal for any time.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 12 Eggs
  • 8oz Cooked Ham, diced
  • 2–3 Golden Potatoes (3/4 pound)
  • 1/2 cup Onion, diced
  • 1 cup Green Bell Pepper, diced
  • 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375. Grease a 8X8 deep baking pan with 1 tbsp avocado oil.
  • Thinly slice your potato using a mandolin or very sharp knife. Slices should be 1/4-1/8″ thick. Layer the slices overlapping on the bottom of the pan evenly to create the bottom crust. Once layered, put in oven for 25 minutes or until potatoes are 80% cooked through.
  • Heat remaining 1tbsp avocado oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute pepper, onion, and ham in skillet for about 5-7 minutes. Vegetables should be starting to soften but not be fully cooked through.  Most of the cooking will take place while it is being baked.
  • In a separate bowl, crack 12 eggs and whisk together along with, salt, pepper and any other seasonings you’d like to add.
  • Take potato crust pan out of oven and pour egg mixture right on top. Take vegetable and ham mixture and disperse evenly on top of egg mixture. Egg mixture will go under the crust and in between layers and this is ok!
  • Bake Frittatta for 25-35 minutes or until middle is firm. Let cool and slice into 4-6 pieces.
  • Let cool 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
  • Category: breakfast, omelete
  • Method: baked, oven baked, stovetop, skillet
  • Cuisine: american

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 296
  • Fat: 16
  • Carbohydrates: 17
  • Protein: 19

Keywords: baked denver omelet, oven baked denver omelet, keto denver omelet, low carb denver omelet, what is in a denver omelet, what is in a denver omelet, whole30 denver omelet

Valerie Skinner is a Whole30 approved personal chef & recipe developer that bridges the gap between healthy eating and busy lives by providing simple healthy meals and recipes for you and your family.Charleston Personal Chef Thyme and JOY

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