Peanut Butter Steel Cut Oats with Fruit – gold emblem abound™

In the last few months both my husband and I have a had some awakening moments when it has come to our health.  Since heart disease runs in his family we should have been more deliberate in a lot of our food choices…but haven’t been.  After I went and had a well checkup (which had been about 4 years since my last one, gulp!) and found out my cholesterol levels were creeping up, I KNEW we had to be more conscious of what we are eating.

I admit we’re taking the strides in baby steps, but we are doing something, and we’re starting with the snacks my husband eats on a daily basis and breakfast.

When CVS sent me a gift card to try some of their Gold Emblem Abound™ products I wasn’t sure exactly what kinds of things I’d have to choose from.  Turns out it’s quite a bit!

Gold Emblem Abound is a line of healthier snacks and foods introduced last year at CVS. The line is free from artificial flavors and preservatives and offers a range of more than 40 snacking options to fit unique diets and nutritional goals, including snacks that are gluten-free, cholesterol-free or high in fiber and protein. Rather than grabbing a bag of chips or candy on-the-go, Gold Emblem Abound offers a  great-tasting, better for you alternative such as trail mixes, rice crisps, snack bars and more.

For us it’s just what the doctor ordered…literally!

So I grabbed a bag of Almond Clusters and Raw Natural Almonds for my husband to nosh on while he’s at work (with a strict imperative that he pay attention to the serving size on the label!).

Some of the other items I picked up from the Gold Emblem Abound™ line were their Organic Dried Cranberries, Creamy Peanut Butter and Steel Cut Oats.  Paired with some fresh fruit, I was already imagining a warm, filling and healthy breakfast (okay who am I kidding, in my case it’s more like brunch) made with these products.

0Peanut Butter Steel Cut Oats with Fruit

Makes 2 servings

1 Fuji Apple, peeled and chopped
1 medium Bartlett Pear, peeled and chopped
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 cup Gold Emblem Abound™ Steel Cut Oats
4 tbsp Gold Emblem Abound™ Peanut Butter
3 tbsp of flour*
1 1/2 cups fat free milk
1/2 cup Gold Emblem Organic Dried Cranberries

1. In a saucepan, combine first 5 ingredients and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. While the fruit is cooking, mix up the oats, peanut butter and flour in a large microwave safe bowl (the oats will expand when cooked so make sure there is room) and then add the milk.  Microwave for 3 to 4 minutes watching so it does not expand over (otherwise you may have a mess to clean up, take that on my authority, lol!).  Remove stir and continue cooking another 2 or 3 minutes to your desired texture.

3. When fruit is soft, remove from heat and stir in the cranberries.

4. Dish oats into bowls and top with the fruit.

* I like my oats really thick, almost dough like, the flour in the recipe will thicken it like dough clumps when it settles a bit.  If you prefer it to be more cereal like leave out the flour and you can add even more milk for a thinner consistency.  If you want it thicker but still not ‘doughy’ add less milk but still leave out the flour.

I’ll definitely be getting more items for our family to snack on from the Gold Emblem Abound line at CVS.  I am already thinking of some of the things I can tuck into a Valentine’s Day package for our daughter who is at college like the snack bars and trail mix.  Goodness knows she could use some good, healthy snacks to munch on while she’s studying!

What kind of personal snacking or food changes are you making this year?

CVS sent me a gift card to purchase Gold Emblem Abound™ products.  All opinions are my own.