Saturday Adventures

I knew I had a busy morning ahead, so I started my Saturday with this:

What is it, you ask?!  Why it's Peanut Butter and Banana Overnight Oats, of course!

Peanut Butter and Banana Overnight Oats
Serves 1

1/2 C oats
1 1/2 C liquid (water, milk, a combination thereof, etc.)
pinch of salt
2 stevia packets (or 2 tsp sugar)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 small banana, sliced (or 1/2 large)
2 T peanut butter (I used homemade)

Directions:

1. Add oats, salt, and liquid to a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until beginning to bubble.
2. Turn down heat to low.
3. Add stevia and vanilla extract.  Stir until smooth.
4. Pour into a Tupperware, or other container, and store in refrigerator overnight.
1. Note:  The oats will not be fully cooked at this point.  Overnight, the oats will absorb the remaining liquid, continue to cook, and become voluminous and fluffy.  YUM!
5. In the morning, stir in a splash of milk to loosen the oats.
1. Note: I prefer my oats cold.  Weird, I know, but I like what I like!  If you prefer warm oats, at this point you may choose to heat them up either via stove top or microwave.
6. Place the sliced banana on top of the oats, and drizzle peanut butter on top.
7. Enjoy!  Elvis would have loved this bowl of oats!

After devouring this bowl of PB&B oats, Bo and I headed to the Corpus Christi Farmer's Market Fall Arts & Crafts Fair to do some Christmas shopping. 

Although it was pretty overcast and blustery, over 50 vendors showed up to display their food and/or crafts!  Bo and I were pretty impressed with some of the stuff up for grabs!

  

We ended up buying several Christmas gifts for our family and friends, but just in case some of you are reading, I can't show them here! :)

Later that afternoon, after returning home for some lunch and a little down time, Bo and I decided to go play golf.  This go 'round I played the role of caddy by driving the cart, holding his clubs, and manning the pole flag.  It was just a little too windy for me to feel comfortable hitting the ball, but next time I am definitely going to have to get back in on the action!

I completely forgot my camera for that outing, so there aren't any pictures from that part of our day. :(  Oh well, there is always next time!

For dinner, I decided to make something simple, quick, and easy: stir-fry!

Asian Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce
Serves 2

1 broccoli crown, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small carton of button mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp grapseed oil (or other oil)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 block of firm tofu, cubed (or other meat such as chicken, beef, etc.)

Directions:

• Heat oil over medium heat.
• Add onion and stir-fry until beginning to sweat and soften.
• Add bell pepper and broccoli, and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.
• Add mushrooms, and stir-fry for 7-10 minutes.
• Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Note: The peanut sauce has soy sauce/tamari in it and is quite salty.  Be careful not to over-salt this dish.

• While vegetables are stir-frying, heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• Once the saucepan is heated through, add the cubed tofu.  Allow to brown on the first side before rotating.
• Continue rotating tofu once every 5-7 minutes until tofu is browned on all sides.
• Note: This step can be a nuisance, but the end-product is well worth your effort!

• Once tofu is browned, add to the vegetable mixture.
• Toss vegetable/tofu mixture with Peanut Sauce (see recipe below) until fully coated.

• Serve over brown rice.

Bo and I both agreed that the Peanut Sauce made this dish!  Without it, it is a bit boring and a bit "flat" in terms of taste.  So, if you are going to make this dish, I would strongly recommend making the sauce to go along with it!

Peanut Sauce
Serves 2

1/4 C PB2
1 T rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil (or other light oil)
2 T tamari (or soy sauce)
2-3 T water (I used 2T)

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together until smooth.
• Pour over stir-fry and serve.

As you all know, I LOVE regular peanut butter, but PB2 is particularly good for recipes like this because it is peanut butter in powder form.  As a result, it mixes very easily into sauces and dips and creates a smooth, slightly thick, consistency.  It is perfect for sauces such as this one, because it sticks to each individual vegetable and piece of tofu.  If you can find it, I would strongly suggest investing in some PB2.  It is great to have on-hand in your pantry!

Sadly, we didn't have any leftovers from dinner. :(  I guess it was just too good!

Question of the Day:

Did you have any adventures this Saturday?  If so, I would love to hear all about them!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo