Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

 Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup diced apple, divided
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick spray. 

In a large bowl, mix together rolled oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, milk, applesauce, maple syrup, vegetable oil, and vanilla. 

Fold in raisins and 3/4 cup of the diced apples. 

Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup of diced apples. 

Bake about 40 minutes or until the center has set and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow baked oatmeal to cool just a bit before serving. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Enjoy! 

To reheat: For the whole baked oatmeal, cover with foil and reheat in a 350 degree F oven for about 20 minutes. For individual portions, set oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 5-10 minutes or reheat in microwave for 1 minute. 

Pan-Fried Steak

 Ingredients

• 2 steaks (8-9 oz. each)
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons basalmic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon avocado oil 

In a large resealable plastic bag combine soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, pepper and minced garlic. Shake to mix the ingredients.

Add steaks to the bag, squeeze out excess air, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better). Remove them from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking (to allow to come to room temperature, omitting this step will make your steaks tougher).

Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over high heat until very hot (if it starts to smoke, take it off the heat to slightly cool). 

Remove the steaks from the marinade, shake off excess (you can lightly pat dry them with paper towels, this will help to get a more consistent and even sear). Discard the remaining marinade. Coat the steaks with avocado oil place in the pan.

Cook undisturbed (DO NOT move the steaks, DO NOT shake the pan, just leave it alone, we need to get a good sear which will lock in the meat's juices) for 4-5 minutes (depending on the thickness of your meat)

Flip the steaks and cook another 4-5 minutes (for medium rare, if you prefer medium, add a minute for each side).

Allow to rest on plate for about 5 minutes. 

Enjoy!