September Newsletter

 Welcome to September

As always, we want to deliver information in a way that is in line with our core belief that we try to make everything an easy addition to your lifestyle, and we want to deliver ideas to you that we would use in our own home. So thank you for sticking with us though all the growing pains and kinks as our business grows. 

Before we really get into it, I am going to make a confession. I am facing my biggest fear of doing this less then perfect. I will adjust the delivery as we go, but I am a person who stalls out on things out of a big fear of "failure and imperfection". I generally only do things when I feel like I can guarantee perfect delivery.  But I also know I ask you all to face your fear of imperfect change on a weekly basis. So let's do this!

Today I am going to introduce you to one of my favourite, adaptable, breakfasts that I think you are going to enjoy. 

I have decided to start this with a breakfast, since that sets the tone of your day, and if we can make breakfast easy, the rest of your day falls in place. 

Ok bear with me for the big reveal. 

OATS

I know what you're thinking, how boring, but just hear me out. 

There are several different types, they can be made days in advance you can flavour them, and they are full of gut health fibre! Oats are easy to prepare any time of the day, and are inexpensive. 

Yesterday I prepared myself enough steel cut oats, the ones highest in fibre, for the next 4 days. I choose this option because I am coming off contest prep and that always leave me a bit of a gut mess. 

Oats are a great source of more complex carbs, with a glycemic index of between 53 and 56 depending on which type you choose. This makes this a great option for you if you are diabetic or wanting to be aware of your blood sugar spikes.  For those on a low protein plan, oats can keep you feeling full a bit longer with, minimal protein, due to the high fibre. Particularly in steel cut oats.  

Link to Quaker oats, oat options (including Gluten free)

Ok, on to the prep.    Let me walk you through it.

How I prep my steel cut oats.

It is my preference is to batch cook whenever I can, and I feel it is a valuable tool in everyones pocket, I am going to walk you though how I batch cook in order to know how much I need for my current preferred serving size. I know some of you are going to already know how to do this, but I feel it is important to teach it every time.  My first step in every batch cook is to determine my preferred serving size. With oats we weight (or measure) out our serving sizes dry.  My personal preference is by weight.

I weighted out my oats into a measuring cup so that I could more quickly determine how much water I needed to add to the pot. I weigh out a serving, tare out my scale, and then weight the next serving in right over top of it. This saves me time.

After I measured out my 4 servings I soaked my oats quick. (this could be done for up to an hour if you think a head that far.  Measure out the amount of water needed. (steel cut oats is 1 oats to about 4 water. (I use a little less water just because that is my preferance) Now lets look at cooking options Option 1:  bring your oats to a good simmer and let cook for about 35-40 minuets, Stirring often.  Option 2: (my current preferred method)  Bring your oats to a boil, Turn off and lid your pot. Leave to sit over night. Test oats in the morning for your preferred done-ness.  Re-weight your oats and divide into the number of servings you originally measured for. I store my oats in a container in the fridge and write the cooked serving weight on a piece of masking tape and stick it on the container. scoop out your new serving size when you need! you can re-heat on the stove with a bit of added water/dairy or alternative of your choice, or eat cold.  (FYI I have found 133 grams cooked to be about a 30 gram dry serving) My favourite add-ins to change up your oats are Protein powder, (you may have to add a bit more water or milk/milk alternative) berries, brown sugar/sugar alternative, (I highly recommend swerve brown sugar or a monkfruit/erythiol option) maple syrup, honey, peanut/nut butter, chia seeds, the option are endless and as individual as you! Not into steel cut oats? Rolled oats made into overnight oats in the fridge are an amazing option. All the same add-ins can be added in ready to grab go in the AM.

Not into oats at all? We are also huge fans of rice cereal!  Our favourite brand is Grindstone blends. They add black rice to their product which lowers the glycemic index, and it is quicker to cook them most rice cereals. It is easy to make ahead as well and can even be made in the microwave.  If you shop at Grindstone blends, we have an affiliate code with them that gets our clients and readers 10% off their orders. Use code "heather-lynn10" at checkout or click on the link below. Grindstone Blends link   We are working on some affiliations with a few companies to get you deals on high quality, individually prepped meals built to fit your needs and goals, and clothing. We hope to have some news on this soon.  As always, please let us know what you need from us. It if falls in line with what we are able to provide, we will do our best to do it. We want you to know we are involved and invested in helping you reach your goals on your terms.  If you have any ideas for how we can provide content, please let us know.  We are on instagram as @freemancoaching and appreciate you sharing us with your family and friends.