Strawberry-Banana Overnight Oats

We LOVE making oats in the crock pot and it seems like you do as well since crock pot oats are some of our most popular recipes! Have you tried our Cranberry Apple or our Peaches and Cream Steel Cut Oats? There are so many different yummy combinations!

You'll notice in our oat recipes (and even in our protein shake recipes) that we normally use unsweetened almond milk. There's a reason - because it provides the extra flavor needed (instead of only using water) without added sugar! Unsweetened almond milk (and now cashew milk) is a staple in our house. It's something we ALWAYS have on hand, just like steel cut oats! Our favorite brand is Silk and you can even get a coupon (using this link) to use next time you need to stock up!

For this recipe we had a few bananas that I needed to use quickly - and Scott requested added strawberries - so I simply added everything to the crock pot, went to sleep and when we woke up breakfast was ready! This is a perfect option for breakfast to pair with Greek yogurt, a protein shake, or eggs! You'll start your day off with a healthy meal and the energy you need to accomplish your goals!

P.S. Have you heard about our new Healthy Crock Pot Breakfast Recipes eCookbook?! Learn more here.

Clean Eat Recipe: Strawberry-Banana Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten free steel cut oats
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1 cup frozen organic strawberries
• 4 cups of Silk unsweetened cashew or almond milk
• 4 cups of water
• 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp stevia extract
• ½ tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Spray your crock pot with non-stick spray or coat with coconut oil.
2. Put all the ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on low for around 8 hours.
3. Stir a few times and serve! Store in a container that holds at least 3.5 liters.

Yields 8 servings. To get an accurate serving size, weigh your entire batch (after cooked) and divide it by how many servings of oats you used. For example, one serving of steel cut oats is 1⁄4 dry so if you used 2 cups that is eight servings. Weigh your entire batch of oats and divide that by 8.

Macros (per serving):

• Calories - 213
• Carbs - 38 g
• Fat - 4 g
• Protein - 8 g
• Sugar - 6 g
• Fiber - 6 g

Connect with Silk to learn more about their products and try out some of their recipes!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Budget-Friendly Protein Sources

Here's the first post in our Clean Eating on a Budget "series"! We are SO EXCITED to bring our money saving tips to you! (P.S. If you still haven't started our 12 Month Money Challenge, you have time to join!) We all know protein can be one of the most expensive components of clean eating.  And with so many options to choose from, how do we know which protein source gets us the most "bang for the buck"?  Or should I say "pump for the penny"? ;-)

When comparing the cost of protein sources, it's easier to compare meats based on actual cost per pound (beef vs. chicken or turkey vs. bison), but it gets very confusing when you start adding in other options like fish, dairy, eggs, peanut butter and so on.  So, what we've done is analyzed the cost per 20 grams of protein for individual sources.  Why compare the cost per 20 grams, you ask?  Well, 20 grams should be an average serving size of protein of an active individual.  A chicken breast will have about 20 grams of protein and a cup of Greek yogurt has about 20 grams as well.  So, check out the chart below to see how your favorite protein source stacks up.

There are a few things to consider when looking at this chart...first of all, finding budget-friendly vegan sources isn't all that hard, but it does come with a nutritional cost.  In order to get a decent amount of protein, you have to consume well beyond the recommended serving size and consume additional calories from either fat (additional 15 grams of fat for peanut butter) or carbohydrates.  So, while dry red lentils seem to be the most budget-friendly vegan protein, it probably makes more sense to consume the raw shelled hemp seeds due to the balanced amount of fat, carbs (mostly fiber) and, not to mention, it's a perfect protein.  Hemp seeds also provide an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids and GLA (gamma linolenic acid).  Read more about all the excellent benefits of hemp seeds here.

Our favorite sources of proteins are organic eggs (the whole egg, don't worry about the cholesterol unless your LDL is already high), liquid egg whites (we use them in protein shakes, oats or cooked with veggies), and canned, wild-caught albacore tuna.  Tuna is a great option, because it's somewhat affordable ($1.84 per 20 grams) and it provides a TON of Omega-3s, it's loaded with selenium and provides a great amount of B vitamins (B3, B6 and B12).  One interesting thing to note is that our Costco has the brand tuna we buy (Wild Planet) which costs 50% more on amazon ($4.60 per can) and at least 100% more at our local grocery stores ($6.00 per can) than it does at our local Costco ($3.00 per can).  

All protein sources listed in the chart are of very high quality and are similar to what we would purchase on a regular basis (except salmon).  This chart is meant to show the extremes in costs per servings between types of proteins.

We hope this chart helps guide your decision-making when it comes to filling your pantry (or fridge) with budget-friendly protein sources!

-Scott

12 Month Money Challenge

You might be thinking, wait a 12 Month Money Challenge?! Yep, that's right! You've probably heard us talk about creating a new website for all of our finance tips and travel posts but in order to keep my sanity, we've decided to update this website to include those instead. You will find finance tips and trip/hike reviews in the coming weeks. We've also added a "money" page and "travel" page to the navigation. All of this will be continually updated as I move posts here from other websites.

You can read more here but we decided to add this section to our existing website to help individuals live an enjoyable life through health and wealth.  We share a strong passion for helping our community get better at budgeting, saving and investing, and general personal finance along with living a healthier lifestyle in regards to moving more and eating healthy.

>>>>> The Ultimate List of Ways to Save: 18 Ways to Save $15,000 in 2018!

Finance is just like Fitness - you have to STICK WITH IT to see results, sometimes they don't come as quickly as you would like but if you stick with it a year from now you will be amazed at what you accomplished!

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Interested in more money saving challenges? Try one of these:

• Save $1,000 in 3 Months
• 3 Month Money Saving Challenge
• Beginner 6 Month Money Saving Challenge
• 52-Week Money Saving Challenge
• 12 Month Money Challenge
• $300 12-Week Christmas Money Saving Challenge

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Looking for a printable version of this challenge? We've got you covered! Join our newsletter and you will be taken to a black and white printable version right away! Grab the printable challenge here.

If you have been "following" me you know that I love to save money.  My entire life I have worked and saved everything I made - it's in my blood.  I even ironed my money before putting it into my "cash box" when I was little.  You can read more about that here but I've received multiple requests to help share with you what I do to save money.  It's natural for me to save and I've actually had to work on letting loose of some of it.  I've realized that it's okay to spend money in order to create memories (for example, all the traveling we do).  I still have a hard time spending money on "things" though.  We choose to spend our money on organic food and quality supplements since those are things that really matter!

I've shared a few posts on how to save/make money but I wanted to end this year with a "12 Month Money Challenge" that you can start in the new year! If you follow my savings plan listed you will save $1,050 in one year!  The monthly amount may sound like a lot at first but there are ways that everyone can cut back!

Below are a few examples to look over when you do your budget:

• Prepare dinner at home instead of going out to eat
• Do your own nails instead of getting them done
• Watch a movie at home instead of going to the theater
• Make your own coffee at home, skip Starbucks
• Cancel your cable
• Sell things you don't use/need
• Or, find a way to make some extra money and put it away!

I challenge you, if you have more money to put away - double this.  If you REALLY can't make it work (I mean REALLY, not just that you don't want to give up your Starbucks or nails) then half the amount listed.