"Operation Healthy Initiative" or, Why I Love Captain Tesla

Yesterday, Captain Tesla mentioned on her blog that she was beginning "Operation Healthy Initiative" in order to prepare for a ballet performance of epic proportions. I am bowled over that I helped to inspire OHI by posting what I eat here. In turn, I was inspired to join her on her healthy journey. It's always better to have a partner in crime - whether you are causing trouble or getting your act together. (I totally wish we were causing trouble, but we have to be adults. Tanqueray, my old friend, how I miss you.) What we are planning to do is post what we eat and how much we exercise. In order to make this more interesting to the average reader, we are also posting healthy recipes that we come up with. Since I've not been able to work out yet today and my food intake consists of:

• 1/2 serving of "Overnight Oats"
• 1 giant cinnamon muffing
• 1 overly large latte
• 1 Coke Zero

I will be sharing with you the first of what I hope is a series of tasty recipes chock full of heath that will sate your hungry tummies. Today's recipe is the aforementioned "Overnight Oats". I totally stole this idea from Julie at pbfingers.com. I hope that we can become blog buddies, but for the moment I am just another reader of her awesome healthy lifestyle blog. 

What are "Overnight Oats"? Simply put, they are uncooked oats that soak in some sort of fluid overnight in the refrigerator, thus tenderizing them and making them suitable for human consumption. I suppose you can use either Rolled Oats or Steel Cut - the original recipe called for Rolled, but I prefer Steel Cut, so that's what I've been using. In the interest of not overloading on calories, this makes for a rather small bowl of oats, but they are pretty filling and full of vitamins and minerals. Not to mention, they are very tasty.

Cinnamon Apple Overnight Oats

Look how proud she is of us. Source

1/4 cup Steel Cut Oats 

1 tablespoon Chia Seeds

1/4 cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce

1/4 cup Silk Unsweetened, Unflavored Almond Milk

Cinnamon to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Cover in saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Serve in the morning.

Simple, right? You are probably wondering "Why Chia Seeds and what are they?". Chia Seeds are those things you spread all over your Chia Pet, but they also happen to be a super healthy thing to eat. They are high in protein (2 grams per tablespoon), as well as omega fatty acids, which is good for 2 reasons. 

1. Omega Fatty Acids are good for your heart.
2. The nutrients in Oats are fat soluble.

That means you have to eat the oats with some sort of fat in order for your body to break the good stuff down and use it. The Chia seeds add should add just enough healthy fat to do the job. They also serve to bulk up the dish as they are high in fiber. Once they've soaked, they are very similar to kiwi seeds and they take on the flavors of the apples and cinnamon - delish.

A few more facts about oats, while we are on the subject: They help to lower your bad cholesterol and to stabilize your blood sugar. As someone with a history of high cholesterol and a family history of diabetes, these are the kinds of things I like to see in my food. It doesn't hurt that I love oats. I used to think I hated them, but over the past several months I've learned that I just hate rolled oats as a sweet porrage. It doesn't work for me. Thankfully, I've been doing some creative things with oats in the kitchen, so rest assured, this isn't the last Oat-y post from Uranium J.