REVISITING THE BEAN

I loved my little cafe, The Green Bean Coffee and Tea Cafe.  It was a true expression of who I am.  I have many fond memories of time spent there...laughter and hard work with my staff....hard work and love offered from my Rick as he faithfully cheered me on in my coffee shop endeavor.  We had all worked so hard before the opening of  The Bean.  Rick, myself and my Zach were there many nights until the wee hours of the morning.  Many loving friends also stopped in to grab a paint brush or broom and assist in the preparation.  It was a busy and exciting time.  

I remember one night when I was very fatigued, I looked at Rick as he was walking in front of me through the cafe.  I burst into laughter (because I was delirious and tired) making fun of his (and my) baggy pants...the next thing I knew I began crying.  Now that is hormones and fatigue working for you!  Rick patiently looked at me and softly said, "You need to go to bed".  I am sure it is sometimes difficult for men to  understand the irrational behavior of women!

My intention for The Green Bean was for us to take a stand in the green movement, by using as many recyclable products as possible....and I also wanted to offer as many organic products in our food preparation as well.  Not everyone understood the concept, but when asked, I was more than happy to explain.  It was awesome to have local folks bringing in their farm fresh veggies, fruits, eggs and cheese.  I have always steered away from ready-made foods.  I wanted to offer my customers, delicious food selections that were made from scratch in our very own little kitchen.  No soups or desserts from a box or a can for me!  See, I have been thinking about our health and  wellness for quite some time. 

This morning my Zach and I revisited a tried and true recipe at The Bean....baked oatmeal!  Zach is working as a lifeguard this summer.  He is having an awesome time, but I worry about him out in this incredibly hot weather!  I try to start his morning with something fresh and healthy.  Most mornings we have been experimenting with nice cold smoothies (which I will share with you soon) but today he opted for what he called...B.O.  (baked oatmeal)  Such an acronym generation...lol! 

    

For those of you who enjoyed B.O. at The Bean, here is the recipe for you to all enjoy.  Yes, it does have a stick of butter in it...and sugar...but for my Zach it is important for me to offer him healthy options as well as calories.  He is a stick man like his mother was when I was his age.  (My nickname in high school, painfully was:  Stick Woman.  Even the other day, someone said, "You are as skinny as a zipper"...now I have to admit, I had never heard that one before!)

Baked Oatmeal from The Bean 

1 stick organic, unsalted butter (melted)

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 farm fresh eggs

1 tsp. sea salt

3 cups organic old fashioned oats

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup milk

1/4 cup organic raisins

1/4 cup flax seed

1/4 cup raw walnuts

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a lightly greased pie plate.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  We like to serve it warm with a little milk poured over the top. 



Feel free to play with the recipe...I added the flax seed this morning and Zach was none the wiser.  I would also like to try this recipe with some organic raw blue agave sweetener that I recently purchased.  I wasn't compelled to experiment this morning...I wanted Zach to enjoy a recipe that he had previously enjoyed at The Bean...before once again heading out into the sunshine.