Oat Peach Crumble + Let’s End Goal Shaming!

I often get asked questions about the way I eat as an individual in comparison to what my family eats for dinner. The answer is always the same. Whatever I make, everyone eats. That doesn’t mean that everyone consumes what I do in a whole day. For example, J will have larger portions and eat sweets on more occasions than I, and baby M will have her snacks of crackers, cheese, yogurt, and various fruits (she’s into peaches right now) throughout the day. And guess who preps it all – this girl.

When people hear this, certain ones will offer a mournful look of pity and say ‘awww that’s so sad’  or ‘man, your life must be horrible’ and say something along the lines of ‘it’s like being at your own party and not partying’ or ‘it’s like making dinner while you’re fasting.’ The most entertaining part about these people are their faces – almost mockingly sympathetic with, get this, a slight hint of satisfaction. I completely do not understand why, but some people just feel the need to accept the common but outlandishly false misconception that a healthy lifestyle is a miserable one, especially when speaking of food. It doesn’t matter that in reality, I’ve never been happier or felt more confident about life, because when they’ve told themselves this lie, thinking ‘at least I’m happier,’ their thirst is quenched and they go off on their way.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to shame anyone else’s lifestyle nor do I think any part of mine is above anyone else’s. We all have things to work on, and frankly I could not care less about what anyone else is doing. Why? Because I have my own life and my own goals. All goals have certain steps, a certain path one must walk on, and I’m just living my life working on that path, with an eye on the prize. It’s much like how a student must study to achieve their degree, or how an artist must develop and hone their craft in order to achieve their goal of inspiring others with their work.

So, the next time we ask anyone about their goals, let’s not be condescending or try to shame them, nor point out negative aspects of the course they’ve chosen. They know what they’ve signed up for. Whatever it may be, it’s not easy. It’s difficult and requires sacrifice. But they have heart, focus, passion, and determination. Respect that and just say, “Hey! That’s awesome. Way to go!”

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”― Theodore Roosevelt

blahblahblah done with rant. Now with today’s recipe! A friend asked me for some good ‘treat’ ideas to serve her fam. Hope this helps!

OAT PEACH CRUMBLE

Peaches + stevia + lemon juice

Crumble ingredients

Topping it off

Straight Outta Oven (couldn’t wait!)

End Result…mmm!

For the filling:

• 4 peaches, pitted & sliced
• 3/4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 packets of stevia

For the topping:

• 3 packets of stevia
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 5 tbsp I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light Spread, scooped into pieces
• 1 1/2 cup oats, ground to a flour in a blender/food processor
• drizzle of honey(optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Filling: In a bowl, combine peaches, stevia, & lemon juice. Stir.
3. Spray a 9×13″ pan. Arrange the peaches in it.
4. Topping: Combine flour, salt, stevia, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5. With a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the butter in to the dry mixture until it forms little peanut-size clumps (2-3 minutes).
6. Sprinkle the crumble over the peaches. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Remove and serve warm.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 12.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 68
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2 g	4 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	2 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 85 mg	4 %
Potassium 64 mg	2 %
Total Carbohydrate 10 g	3 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	7 %
Sugars 3 g
Protein 2 g	4 %
Vitamin A	6 %
Vitamin C	5 %
Calcium	1 %
Iron	3 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Peach Chicken in a Cauldron {Paleo//Gluten Free//Dairy Free}

And by cauldron, I mean slow cooker.

Here’s the thing – I used to use the slow cooker all the time. The problem was, all of my recipes included cream of this or cream of blah blah, which was fine then, but now… me no like – for reasons that are obvi. So, here’s a clean one without all that mess. 5 ingredients = budget friendly. 4 steps = easy as pie. (an expression. do not go eat pie.) Here we go.

You’ll need:

1 onion, sliced
3 peaches, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 lb chicken breast

First off, I have to apologize for these lame pictures, I have no other resource to take them than my phone so blah. Also, inspiration struck at like 6 a.m. and I didn’t feel like waiting for the sun to come out for good lighting.

Anyways, take the chicken, cut and trim and what not. S & P those suckers and sear them in a hot pan. Then, into your slow cooker.

*Then-a you take-a the onion-a* and saute it in the same pan until starting to become translucent but still gots that slight crrrrunch (personal preference, maybe because it tastes better, but mostly because I’m impatient)

Throw them peaches in there, luv.

Why peaches? Because they were 48 cents a pound at Sprouts and Asians love a good bargain!

Mix these things up and add them to the pan.

Then top your chickahn with the mixture.

Cook on low for 6 hours yo.

End result on a bed of brown basmati rice – ORGANIC *snobby face* (just kidding. I mean it is organic but I’m not snobby about it, I don’t care what you have 🙂 ) + good ole Caalarada (that’s how old men say ‘Colorado’ here) green beans.

Ingredients:

1 onion, sliced
3 peaches, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 lb chicken breast

S & P to taste

1. Salt and pepper chicken breast. Spray pan w/ non-stick butter spray and put on high heat. Sear both sides of chicken. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Combine honey and balsamic vinegar.
3. In the same pan, saute the onions until translucent. Add peaches & honey balsamic mixture.
4. Place mixture in slow cooker also. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 10.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 276
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	6 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 133 mg	44 %
Sodium 82 mg	3 %
Potassium 610 mg	17 %
Total Carbohydrate 16 g	5 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	4 %
Sugars 15 g
Protein 42 g	83 %
Vitamin A	4 %
Vitamin C	6 %
Calcium	1 %
Iron	5 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.