Nourishing High Protein Blueberry Oatmeal

Are you looking for a healthy breakfast meal that will help you crush your protein goals for the day? Look no further! This high protein blueberry vanilla breakfast “oatmeal” with almonds and coconut packs a punch with 46 GRAMS of protein and it’s perfect as we head into colder weather.

RECIPE INSPIRATION

I need to say that this high protein blueberry vanilla breakfast “oatmeal” actually has zero oats in it! The “oatmeal” base is made up of chia seeds, hemp seeds, almond flour, protein powder, and flax seeds.

I was inspired to create this recipe because I saw Autumn Bates create a very similar recipe on her YouTube channel.

Autumn used Greek yogurt in her recipe to give the oatmeal a thicker consistency and when I tried that, I just did not love the after taste and I didn’t love how the cold yogurt made the cereal lukewarm.

Then I remembered a video that I had seen Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone make about how she adds eggs to her breakfast oatmeal when they have an excess of eggs on their family farm. (I could not find the exact video where she does this, but I will link her YouTube channel here so you can check her out).

Basically, Lisa took eggs and used the hot oatmeal to temper the eggs and then she added them to her oatmeal. The eggs gave the oatmeal a custard like consistency and boosted the protein content.

After I was reminded of what Lisa did with the eggs, I thought I would replace the greek yogurt in Autumn’s recipe with eggs like Lisa had done and this high protein blueberry vanilla “oatmeal” with almonds and coconut recipe was created!

Before we dive into the recipe, let’s talk more about why it is so important to be incorporating enough protein into your diet.

ALL ABOUT PROTEIN

If you are in tune with the health and wellness space, you know that protein has been the hero macronutrient of 2024. Of course, we know that protein has always been super important, but this year in particular, it has skyrocketed in popularity.

You cannot listen to a health or nutrition podcast without hearing them speak about how crucial it is to get enough protein!

BENEFITS OF DIETARY PROTEIN

• Helps curb hunger
• Delivers essential amino acids to your body
• Helps build muscle, which can protect your body from falls as you age
• Balances your blood sugar
• Helps improve your body composition by aiding your body in building more muscle

The current RDA for daily protein intake is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight or 0.36 grams per pound of body weight.

However, you need to remember that the RDA guidelines are telling you only the MINIMUM requirements to keep you alive. They do not account for active lifestyles, and they do not factor in aging and prioritizing muscle tone as you age.

A study showed that only half of women and about 30 percent of men reached the RDA protein levels. This particular study was done on adults ages 51 and older and if the percentages were this low for people older than 50, you can imagine how low they are for men and women in their 20’s and 30’s.

Kelly Leveque, a bestselling author and nutritionist and one of my absolute FAVORITES to follow online in regard to nutrition and health, shares in her book “Body Love Every Day” that she generally has her clients aim for 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day and AT MINIMUM, she recommends 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.

Other podcasts and nutritional resources will tell you to aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight. To me, this is very difficult to hit because I just don’t feel hungry when I am aiming for that number. Which is why I like to follow Kelly’s 0.5-0.75-gram recommendation.

Now that we know some of the why behind sufficient protein intake, let’s dive into the recipe!

HIGH PROTEIN BLUEBERRY VANILLA “OATMEAL” WITH ALMONDS AND COCONUT – INGREDIENTS

• Chia seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Protein powder (I LOVE and recommend Kelly Leveque’s Grass Fed Beef Vanilla Protein Powder. It has the best taste and the ingredients are incredibly well sourced. The chocolate one is also my favorite)
• Almond flour
• Flax seeds
• Milk (I used raw cow’s milk, but I have used almond milk in the past and it’s equally delicious)
• Eggs
• Butter
• Blueberries
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Slivered almonds
• Shredded coconut

TOOLS YOU MAY NEED

• Whisk
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Stainless steel pot
• Cast iron skillet

HOW TO MAKE HIGH PROTEIN BLUEBERRY VANILLA “OATMEAL” WITH ALMONDS AND COCONUT

• In a medium sized pot over medium low heat, add the almond flour, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seed, protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and milk. whisk to combine

• Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk the eggs. Make sure the bowl is large enough for the eggs and for some of the “oatmeal” mixture
• Once the “oatmeal” mixture starts to bubble at the edges, transfer about 1/4 of a cup into the whisked eggs to temper the eggs. Whisk to combine.
• ***This step is crucial!! If you do not temper the eggs before adding them to the “oatmeal” mixture, the eggs will scramble in the “oatmeal” mix and the final product will not be smooth***

• Add the tempered egg mixture back to the pot and whisk until thick. Turn the heat down to low or turn off while you prepare the blueberry topping.
• To make the blueberry topping, add the butter to a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the blueberries to the skillet
• Cook the blueberries until they have released a lot of their juices

• Take the “oatmeal” out of the pot and transfer it to a bowl
• Pour the blueberries over the “oatmeal” and sprinkle on the slivered almonds, shredded coconut and some extra cinnamon

If you love this recipe, share it to Pinterest and give it 5 stars! Bon Appetit!