Got OJ?

I had some leftover orange juice from our time away last weekend. None of us really drink it - certainly not a big jug - so I wanted to find a way to use it up. I was craving something with oatmeal, so I found a couple of light recipes that included both orange juice and oatmeal.

I adjusted them a tad to suit my preferences, since I'd be the only one eating either one, and made them a little more healthy. The outcomes were both pleasant surprises for me, which was fun since my expectations were kind of low. These recipes certainly fall into the "healthier" category because I pulled out quite a bit of the fat, so naturally, you lose a little flavor. I also cut back on the sugar, so they are not too sweet.  I'm not saying these will ease your ice cream sundae craving or be a great substitute for a donut, but I will happily eat them when I'm trying not to pig out on junk. Trying, I said.

P.S. Sorry about the weird color stuff going on in the text below. Not sure whassup with that.

The muffins were actually fairly similar to my normal morning muffin - maybe even a little more sweet. So these will fit right into my morning eating routine.

Orange Oatmeal Muffins light

adapted from cooking light

• 1 1/2  cups  whole wheat pastry flour   
• 1/2  cup  oats 
•  1/4 -1/2  cup  brown sugar       
• 2  teaspoons  baking powder     
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt     
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon     
• 1  cup  orange juice      
•  1/4  cup  applesauce     
•  1 1/2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind  
•  1/4 cup egg beaters

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine all-purpose flour and next 5 ingredients (all-purpose flour through cinnamon) in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine juice, oil, rind, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.



I'd describe the cookies as more of a soft granola-bar like cookie, than a true oatmeal cookie. The original recipe called for nuts and raisins too, which I skipped.

Orange Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

adapted from suite 101.com

• Little less than 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter (I used country crock)
• ¼ cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt (I used strawberry orange)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. orange zest
• 1/2 cup liquid egg substitute (I used Egg Beaters)
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Cream together sugar, butter/applesauce, yogurt, vanilla, orange juice, orange zest and egg substitute in a large mixing bowl until well-mixed. Add flours, baking soda and salt.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.