During the first five days of my Sugar-Free Challenge, I had to keep a food diary and log the sugar in everything I ate. The purpose of doing this is to find the hidden sugars in foods you eat and where you can cut the sugar in your diet.
To my surprise, my breakfast had the most sugar. All this time, I thought I was eating healthy. I normally start my days with oatmeal and fruit, a glass of orange juice, a glass of organic fat-free milk, and my morning coffee.
Healthy, right? Yes and no. You see, the oatmeal with fruit is healthy. However, the glass of orange juice and milk, healthy as they sound, have a lot of hidden sugar in them. One glass of unsweetened orange juice has an average of 22 grams of sugar. And a glass of organic fat-free milk has 12 grams of sugar. Making the total for my "healthy" breakfast a whopping 64 grams of sugar!
Keep in mind the daily guidelines recommend 50 grams of sugar a day while the American Heart Association recommends only 25 grams of sugar a day. So much for my "healthy" breakfast.
With this in mind, I needed to make some changes to cut the sugar in my diet and my first choice was with breakfast.
I switched to Tropicana’s Trop50 orange juice, which only has 10 grams of sugar per glass instead of 22. And I changed my milk to either cashew, almond, or coconut milk instead of organic fat-free cow milk. The sugar savings there are anywhere from 6 to 12 grams per glass, depending on whether I choose sweetened or unsweetened milk.
And I even found a way to cut the sugars in my oatmeal with this delicious baked banana nut oatmeal recipe from Marie over at Feeling Foodish. Made with bananas, oatmeal, walnuts, and egg with no extra sugar added. The bananas provide the sweetness for natural deliciousness! I made it even more healthy by substituting coconut oil for the butter.
Of course I sprinkled a little bit of unsweetened organic coconut over the top to make it even more scrumptious {smile}.
Now instead of 64 grams of sugar at breakfast, I’ve cut it down to about 27 grams of sugar now with this baked banana nut oatmeal and I can actually say I eat a “healthy” breakfast.
Of course, if you’re not worried about cutting the sugar in your diet, feel free to sprinkle a little brown sugar or slices of banana over the top. Or a little coconut, like I do.
You can also prepare it the night before for a quick and nutritious breakfast in the morning.
Baked Banana Nut Oatmeal
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INGREDIENTS
2 cups oats (can use instant, old fashioned, or steel cut)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 egg, room temperature
2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 and ½ cups Almond-Coconut Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
Spray an 8” x 8” casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, add oatmeal, cinnamon, nuts, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add egg, melted coconut oil, bananas, milk, and vanilla. Mix together.
Add in dry ingredients and blend well. Pour into prepared dish and bake for 20-30 minutes.
Let cool before serving, about 5 minutes.
Can serve with flaked coconut, sliced bananas, fresh fruit, brown sugar, honey, or milk over the top.
Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Inspired by ~ Marie at Feeling Foodish
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