Kitch Blitz

The weather here has been outta control gorgeous lately, so yesterday morning, Livi and I met up with Meara and her kiddos at La Encantada.

la encantada

Since weโ€™re in between seasons โ€“Tucson canโ€™t decide if it wants to stay spring until spring, or randomly turn into winter- no major purchases, but lots of walking and window shopping.

me and baby5

When we got home, Liv snacked then napped, and during her nap, I grabbed something to eat

sandwich2

(apple and turkey, avocado, mustard, mayo and lettuce sandwich)

and did a little kitchen blitz.

I had demolished the oaties that Heaby sent me, so I made a double batch to have in the freezer. Theyโ€™re absolutely perfect for snacks- especially in the middle of the night and I go downstairs to refill my water.

oatie mix

The only changes I made were using 1 stick of butter and the rest goatโ€™s milk yogurt โ€“the only butter I had was salted, bought by mistake, so I nixed the salt and prayed to the cooking gods it would work out. It did!

And half coconut nectar, a gift from Lizzie, since I only had about 1/4 C maple syrup:

coconut nectar

The texture is more similar to brown rice syrup โ€“super sticky!- and it has a warm flavor, similar to maple syrup. It will be amazing on protein pancakes.

Some of the finished oaties:

oaties2

(two were sacrificed for taste testing purposes)

and I also got some dinner in the slow cooker.

meatballs

Turkey meatballs!

Super easy:

-Chopped an onion and red bell pepper, added them to the slow cooker

-In a bowl, mixed 1 lb ground organic turkey, 1/8 C oats, 1/2 C almond flour, 1 egg, 1 t oregano, 3 cloves of minced garlic, sea salt and pepper

-Rolled the mixture into to balls and poured a jar of marinara sauce on top

-Set it and forget it- high for 4 hours, low for 2

Not too shabby for an on-the-fly meal:

dinner4 

With brown rice pasta and salad.

This morning weโ€™re off to the doc and then to my brotherโ€™s bday brunch!

Happy Birthday, Kyle ๐Ÿ™‚

kyle and tom 

Hope everyone enjoys their humpday!

xoxo

Gina

Something to read:

10 healthy kale recipes

Superfast beauty routines

6 carbs to keep in your diet

Something to do: Winter Shape Up! Hope youโ€™re enjoying this weekโ€™s workout so far ๐Ÿ™‚ Keep up the amazing work <3

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45 Comments

  1. Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat on February 1, 2012 at 11:15 am

    Happy birthday to your bro! Looks like fun times in your kitchen. My kitchen blitzes usually happen on the weekends (and are followed by a much-needed kitchen cleaning!) Have a fantastic day Gina!

  2. Lisa on February 1, 2012 at 11:15 am

    Ha! Are they smurfs or from blue man group?! Glad to see you feel like getting out and about. Your meals look yummy.

  3. Rachel on February 1, 2012 at 11:21 am

    I could NOT figure out why those oat balls went from looking delicious in the oven to looking like raw meat afterwards.

    Oops.

  4. Andrea @ Vegvacious on February 1, 2012 at 11:30 am

    How super productive are you?! Pretty impressive given the fact that you have a newborn at home! I’ve been wanting to try that oatie recipe – I might have to get busy in the kitchen myself tonight!

  5. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga on February 1, 2012 at 11:36 am

    Love that you were out and about and the first pic you snapped is awesome. Motherhood is agreeing with you ๐Ÿ™‚

    Those oaties look fabulous. Keep those oats coming, they’re great for boosting milk production as I’m sure you already know.

    YUM!

  6. HRCK the Herald on February 1, 2012 at 11:36 am

    Hah, I scrolled quickly from the dough balls to the meatballs, and I had a moment of “ew…I don’t think I could eat those!” Glad they got cooked before going into your mouth ๐Ÿ™‚

    (SO many TWSS moments)

  7. Lena @Fit on the Rocks on February 1, 2012 at 11:37 am

    I never thought to add oats to homemade meatballs. I’ll try that next time. Thanks for the tip!

  8. Steph on February 1, 2012 at 11:38 am

    Way to go Mama! She must have taken a long nap for you to be able to get all that done! My son never slept more than 20 minutes at that age. =/

  9. Ellie@Fit for the Soul on February 1, 2012 at 11:42 am

    Those meatballs look great Gina!! And one thing I wish I could like, but just don’t know how to is goat milk! hehe…not sure why, since I love goat cheese! ๐Ÿ˜› I hope you have a beautiful day Gina~!

  10. Jen Correa @ Mom's Gotta Run on February 1, 2012 at 11:56 am

    Happy birthday Kyle aka Brother Smurf

  11. Anna @ The Guiltless Life on February 1, 2012 at 11:56 am

    Glad you’re getting back into cooking; it’s amazing how it’s the everyday things but this must make you feel so much more back in your groove! I love oaties, I make my own without nut butter so I think I have to try Heather’s! I have never tried coconut nectar, so that’s on my to-try list!

  12. *Andrea* on February 1, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    ok i gotta make those meatballs, i love easy recipes that i can’t mess up.. do you think regular flour or breadcrumbs would work instead of almond flour (which i dont have)?

    ps you are such a beautiful momma!

  13. Laura @ She Eats Well on February 1, 2012 at 12:25 pm

    I bet it feels good to be back in the kitchen. There is something really therapuetic about cooking! I am curious – do you use Trader Joes Gluten Free oats for your oaties…?

  14. Sarah on February 1, 2012 at 12:36 pm

    Happy Birthday to your bro! Today is my sons 6th birthday…they grow up sooo fast savor every moment you can get with your precious baby girl. Those meatballs look yummy ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie on February 1, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    La Encantada looks like such a gorgeous shopping area. And I love the picture of you with Livi in the stroller! Too cute!

  16. Stefanie @TheNewHealthy on February 1, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    Why haven’t I heard of these oaties? Totally making a batch.

    Happy Birthday to your brother! I hope he wears that fuzzy blue suit to his bday brunch! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  17. Chloe on February 1, 2012 at 1:00 pm

    I can’t wait to try those oaties and those meatballs! Both great ideas! Look at you – a new mom and still giving us great food ideas! Thanks!

  18. Liz @ Southern Charm on February 1, 2012 at 1:05 pm

    That meatball recipe looks perfect! Love how you just throw it in and then forget about it!

    Happy Birthday to your brother!

  19. Kaila @ Healthyhelper on February 1, 2012 at 1:11 pm

    Everything tastes better when its slow cooked! The flavors are just ten times more intense and robust! Love it!

  20. Emily @ Glitz Glam Granola on February 1, 2012 at 1:16 pm

    Sounds like you had a lovely day and how great that you have other mom’s to hang out with! That must be so fun! And mmm oaties and meatballs? YUM! I’m not really that into meatballs but I think I would like these ones crumbled up on pasta!

  21. Liz @ Tip Top Shape on February 1, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    You were a cooking beast this week! Those oaties look delicious. I’ll have to try them out soon!

  22. Lauren @ Sassy Molassy on February 1, 2012 at 1:46 pm

    Ooh, love the meat ball idea. I made meatloaf for us yesterday. Prepped before work (20 min) and then we just had to turn on the oven, make the glaze and cook. Yum!

    Can you give us the recipe for the oaties?

  23. Melissa on February 1, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    Those meatballs look amazing!!! Thanks for the super easy idea! I also have been eyeing the oaties you’ve been talking about. Which recipe do you use?

  24. Kilee on February 1, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    I bet it feels so good to get back in the kitchen. It looks like you’re doing a good job of making sure you have healthy treats on hand. That’s always a priority of mine ๐Ÿ™‚

  25. Anna @ On Anna's Plate on February 1, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    Yum– those oaties look great! I love how big they are!

  26. meghan@ struggle muffins on February 1, 2012 at 2:42 pm

    Coconut nectar – how curious! I kindasorta want to try some now – oh shucks, guess I’ll just have to make pancakes for dinner ๐Ÿ™‚

  27. Michaela on February 1, 2012 at 2:43 pm

    I really had to laugh at the pic of you and Livi- you can totally tell you are a dancer ๐Ÿ˜‰

  28. Jessica @ BEBT on February 1, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    The pic with you and the stroller is adorable! ๐Ÿ™‚ I’m going to have to make those meatballs! They sound delish! And… I’m always so jealous of the weather there! Looks so warm compared to here (Chicago) nost days.

  29. Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs on February 1, 2012 at 4:07 pm

    Mmmm, the oaties and the meatballs both look delicious!
    Happy Hump Day!

  30. Ali on February 1, 2012 at 4:26 pm

    Looks like you are right back into the swing of things. I LOVE coconut sugar, I am sure that coconut nectar is just as good or better. Haha, happy birthday to your brother!

  31. Talia @ Bite Size Wellness on February 1, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    Coconut nectar is new to me…Where can you get that?
    I am making turkey meatballs for dinner too!!

    • Fitnessista on February 1, 2012 at 6:00 pm

      i’m pretty sure whole foods has it

  32. Chelsey on February 1, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    The weather is gorgeous up here in Phoenix too. I’m loving this winter, although it’s making me nervous as to how hot it may get this summer. Yikes

  33. Kristi @ Sweetly Fit on February 1, 2012 at 6:28 pm

    Your dinner looks fabulous! And of course, the oats: drool. P.S. I did the winter shape up workout yesterday and adored it! Planning on doing another round first thing tomorrow morning. Thanks so keep these going, you rock!

  34. Melissa on February 1, 2012 at 6:56 pm

    Um, don’t you mean 4 hours on LOW or 2 on HIGH? You have it the other way around… ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Fitnessista on February 1, 2012 at 7:05 pm

      No I had it on high first, then switched it to low after 4 hours

      • Melissa on February 1, 2012 at 9:04 pm

        Ah, I thought it was an either/or situation. Forgive me!

        • Fitnessista on February 1, 2012 at 9:23 pm

          np ๐Ÿ™‚

  35. Heather Eats Almond Butter on February 1, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    Can I come over for meatball leftovers? I really need to embrace my slow cooker once again – so many great recipes out there, and it just sits neglected in my cabinet. Love your version of the Oaties. Must try the yogurt in my next batch – bet it adds a really nice flavor. Yum – oaties. ๐Ÿ™‚

  36. Kelly @ Vegolosophy on February 1, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    The weather here in NYC can’t decide if it wants to be winter or spring either ๐Ÿ™‚ It was so amazing today, 62 degrees!!! So much better than a few weeks ago when it was 15 degrees! Those cookies looked yummy too!

  37. Amelia (Eating Made Easy) on February 1, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    The oaties and uncooked meatballs look strikingly similar here – don’t mistake one for the other — that’d be a big surprise!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  38. Maria on February 1, 2012 at 9:58 pm

    The oaties look amazingggg! Yummm, I wish it wasn’t so late at night, I might have attempted the ha. And to Amelia who commented above me.. I thought the EXACT same thing when I saw the meatballs, I was like wait what is she doing with them? ha.. glad I wasn’t alone!

  39. Steffany on February 2, 2012 at 9:25 am

    Aw, yesterday was my birthday too (: ! Woohoo ! I could go for some oaties right about now .. lol.

  40. Jen Marie on February 2, 2012 at 1:39 pm

    I went on a date with my husband for lunch today and with all the choices in front of me I totally had a “What would the Fitnessista do?” moment. Ha ha! THANKS Gina for all your posts and inspiration for all to see!

  41. joelle (on a pink typewriter) on February 2, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    I’m going to try that meatball slowcooker recipe – looks majorly yummy. PS. You and Livi are ADORABLE.

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