Fruit and Nut Bars for the 11th Day of Christmas #SundayFunday

These fruit and nut bars are chock full of nutrients, protein, and antioxidants.  They taste like you are eating a piece of candy.  Nutrition never tasted so good.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are sharing Nutritious Nibbles today......

Olive Oil Blueberry Muffins #BreadBakers

These healthier muffins, made with a mixture of whole wheat and white flour, are sweetened with very little sugar and lots of blueberries, high in antioxidants.  Moistened with low-fat milk and heart-healthy olive oil, these muffins are the perfect start to your day and your New Year.

It's time for the 2024 edition of Bread Bakers......

Healthier Lasagna paired with a Small Family Vineyard Pinot Noir and a Book Review #WineDownWednesday

A friend recommended the book Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave.  She knows that I love wine and that I love to read.  She had just started the novel and thought of me right away. 

I ordered it up and then I thought it might be a good choice for our new Wine-Down Wednesday group and offered to host for this month.......

Here's to Longevity. Cheers!! #WinePW

Longevity.....Long Life, Durability, Endurance, Vitality.  During this month of February when we celebrate Black History Month, Lunar New Year and Valentine Day it is a very good and appropriate word.

The Wine Pairing Weekend gang are celebrating Black History Month by showcasing BIPOC wines and wineries.  I have chosen to share Longevity Wines.  

Baked Oatmeal for #FoodieExtravaganza

I am privileged to be hosting Foodie Extravaganza this month.  For those of you new to my blog, Foodie Extravaganza is a fun group where we gather each month and make a recipe based on a food or themes from The Nibble. The Nibble is a website that lists all of the American Food Holidays throughout the year.  You can search by month and you will be surprised how many National Food Holidays there are.

We always post our recipes on the first Wednesday of the month.  This month it also happens to be the first day of the month as well.  February has so many food holidays.....some that you would expect....it is national chocolate month, of course.  It is also national heart health month, national fiber focus month, national cherry month and national hot breakfast month. 

We also have days for national holidays.  February 14th is national cream filled chocolate day, today is national baked Alaska day and the second Monday of the month is national oatmeal day. 

I decided that, since it is still fairly early in the year and a lot of us are still focusing on making 2017 a healthy year, I would combine several themes and ask for recipes made with Heart Healthy, Fiber Rich Foods.  That is a very broad theme and wait until you see all the great recipes that my friends chose to share with us today.  You will find links to them underneath the recipe I have decided to share.

I combined all of those themes that I listed above and made a heart healthy, baked oatmeal with dried cherries.  To stick with the Valentine's theme, I baked them up in heart shaped muffin cups so that they could be popped into the freezer and taken out to be microwaved and served up as a hot breakfast throughout the month.  They can be served in a bowl with milk or they can be handed to your loved one like a muffin or granola bar as they run out the door. Better yet, take them with you on your next snow shoe, x country ski or hiking adventure to snack on as an energy boost half way through the activity.  Your heart will thank you.

Baked Oatmeal

1/2 c. canola oil

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

3 c. old fashioned oats

2 t. baking powder

1 c. milk

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. dried cherries

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour into a 9x9" baking pan or into 12 individual muffin tins and bake in a preheated 350* oven for 20-25 minutes, until brown.  Print Recipe

More Heart Healthy, Fiber Rich Dishes

•  5-Way Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Squash Boats from Palatable Pastime 
• Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Bake from Cookaholic Wife
•  Baked Oatmeal from A Day in the Life on the Farm
•  Black-eyed Pea Salad - Saladu Ñebbe from Food Lust People Love | 
•  Cranberry Nut Muffins from Hardly A Goddess
• Easy Breakfast Oatmeal from Basic N Delicious
•  Farmer's Salad from Fearlessly Creative Mammas 
•  Fruity chewy granola bars from  Caroline's Cooking 
•  Fruity Custard from Sneha's Recipe 
•  Heart Beet Smoothie from Sew You Think You Can Cook
•  Moroccan Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew from Culinary Adventures with Camilla 
•  Vegetarian Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps from cookinandcraftin