[Food Series] Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies

Sometimes our 3 year old's sweet tooth starts screaming for a bite of something yummy and when it comes, she definitely let's me know about it, in very clear terms. We don't keep sweets in our house, no refined sugary substances here, so when the sweet beast reared its curly-tressed head recently, I went digging in the pantry to see what I could come up with! Dried cranberries and some fresh orange zest and we were in business! Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup flour
1 cup Dried Cranberries
Zest of 1 Large Orange
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick of Butter (melted)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup half & half
1/4 cup water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, pulverize the oats, then mix in the other dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add to the processor all of your wet ingredients; orange zest, cranberries, olive oil, half and half, water, butter and brown sugar. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and scoop teaspoon-size dollops of cookie dough onto the tray, making sure to leave at least an inch and a half in between. These cookies spread! Bake for 15 minutes, then allow them to cool. Enjoy!

[Food Series] Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

We aren't too big on sweets in our house and I am by no means a baker, but every now and then, especially around the holidays, my domestic, nostalgic side kicks in to overdrive! Cue the cookies! I make Oatmeal Banana Bread with some regularity, so this is a variation of that recipe. I tried to stay away from too much dairy and keep it as healthy as possible, that's why I was shocked when they turned out soooo yummy! The perfect healthy Christmas Cookie alternative! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup half & half
1/4 cup water

In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and stir well. Then add the wet ingredients and make sure that everything is fully incorporated into the dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Let the dough sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes. On a lined baking sheet, drop 1 ounce spoonfuls of your dough on to the pan, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Make sure the cookies are about half an inch thick and about an inch in diameter. Bake them for 15 minutes. Allow them to cool for a minute or two, then devour!

[Food Series] Healthy and Delicious Oatmeal Banana Bread

Some people say we are a family of Monkeys because, in our house, we go through bananas at break-neck speed. We just can't get enough of them! Banana bread is one of my favorite breakfast foods and a must have make-ahead meal when we go camping. It's also a quick and healthy snack on the trail. This recipe has morphed too many times to count, but feel free to add fun things like semi-sweet chocolate chunks or walnuts. V has a slight nut allergy, so we forgo that for the time being. I love this particular recipe because it's really flavorful without too much sugar and packed with nutrition. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of Organic Whole Oats
2 very ripe Bananas
1/2 cup Honey
1 cup Yogurt
2 Eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Throw the oats in to a food processor until they become a fine, powdery consistency. Into the oatmeal flour, incorporate the other dry ingredients; nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly begin to blend in the wet ingredients, starting with the applesauce, then add the 2 eggs, yogurt, bananas, vanilla extract and lastly the honey. Scrape the sides of the processor to ensure there aren't clumps of the dry mixture stuck and all of the banana is pureed throughout. Spray two bread pans with non-stick cooking spray and evenly divide the batter between the two pans. Bake loaves for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.