Rice Cooker Protein Oatmeal Cake

+ an exciting announcement!

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

• Inner monologue: I’m starting a snack brand!

• Recipe: Rice Cooker Protein Oatmeal Cake

REMINDER:
- I am running a daily meditation challenge in my Discord community. Come join! It’s free!
- We are also doing weekly cooking challenges. Every week there is a new theme and we all share our creations. The link to join is here.
- You can get 30% off your order at goodprotein.ca using the code SERENA30!

I’m starting a snack brand!

At my desk during lunch, I’d finish an entire bowl of rice in 10 seconds.
No chewing. No tasting. Just inhaling.

This was me for years — rushing through meals, rushing through thoughts. I’ve always had a bit of anxiety. Worried about what people think. Worried about what I’m eating. The one thing that has consistently brought me peace is my veganism — at least I know I’m doing something right with every meal.

But still, my mind has never really slowed down.

Then a family member got sick during the pandemic — like almost didn't make it sick. That changed everything. I was a wreck. But I’m grateful, because this is what led me to meditation. Or more accurately, mindfulness: noticing my breath, my body, my surroundings, my unhinged thoughts.

Now I start every day with 10 minutes of mindfulness (and you can too - come join the meditation challenge over on Discord!). But let’s be real — the stress is still there. All these obligations. All this expectation (is a knife). Before I know it, I’m back to rushing through lunch so I can get back to my desk to show my team how hard I work.

But sometimes, when I really need a break, I go to the bathroom. It’s silly, but it works (and I’m pretty sure there are others who do this too).

Lately though, I’ve realized something. Mindfulness doesn’t need 10 minutes.
Sometimes, it just needs 10 seconds — like the time it takes to eat a snack and actually taste it.

Even 10 seconds of mindfulness — actually tasting your food, chewing slowly (this still hard for me!), being present in your body — can reset shift day. It’s a micro moment, but it can remind you to carry that same awareness with you throughout your day.

That’s why my friend Rachel and I are building Reset Bar. It’s a mindful snack, designed to pull you back into your senses with every chewy, flavourful bite.

Pause. Taste. Reset.
At least, that’s the idea. I’ll be sharing my progress on a new Substack (TBD if we move to a different platform. I haven’t even told Rachel yet that I’m launching this Substack lol):

looks like you need a reset

Subscibe if you’d like to receive special discounts once we launch. Here’s the first pic of the bar:

The current iteration of Reset Bar. A crispy rice treat with flax, hemp hearts, goji berries, chocolate chips, and pumpkin seeds.

Also! If you’re based in Canada and would like a free sample of the bar, reply to this email! I’d love to send some to you.

---

Ok, on to the recipe. This week: Rice Cooker Protein Oatmeal Cake! Aka what I have been meal prepping and eating for breakfast the past 3 weeks.

Rice Cooker Protein Oatmeal Cake

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes

Tools:

• A rice cooker

• A blender (optional)

Ingredients

• 3 cups quick oats

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 pack soft tofu (530 g)

• 1 ripe banana

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup frozen fruit (I used raspberries)

• 2 scoops protein powder (I used Good Protein - use the code SERENA30 for 30% off!)

• 1/4 cup peanut butter (optional, for the topping)

• 1/4 cup maple syrup (optional, for the topping)

• 1 water (1/4 cup to start)

Method:

1. In a blender, combine the tofu, banana, and vanilla. Blend until smooth.

   1. Alternatively, use 3/4 cup non-dairy milk and mash the banana and vanilla into it. So the blender is optional.

2. To your rice cooker: Add oats, cinnamon, and baking powder. If using, add the protein powder to the mixture and stir until fully incorporated.

3. Pour the blended tofu mixture (or non-dairy milk) into the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Sprinkle frozen (or fresh) fruit on top. I used frozen raspberries.

5. Optional topping: In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter and maple syrup. Add a bit of water to reach your desired consistency. Start with about 1/4 cup.

6. Drizzle the topping over the mixture in the rice cooker.

7. Cook in your rice cooker on the "cake" setting if your rice cooker has one. Otherwise, use the "white" setting.

8. That's it! This made about 7 servings for me - enough to last a whole week.

Rice Cooker Protein Oatmeal Cake

67.4KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Link to printer version.

---

• This has a ton of protein! 1 pack of tofu (530 g) is 30 g protein, and 2 scoops of protein powder is 62 g protein. In total, it’s about 121g protein per recipe if you add the peanut butter topping, and 131g if you don’t. I don’t think I’ve ever made a single creation that is so high in protein lol.

• This keeps well in the fridge and the freezer.

• Can I make this in an instant pot? Yes! Cook like you would cook a cake.

• Can I make this in the oven? Yes! Bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

---

• Tofu: Use non-dairy milk instead. The total amount of liquid for this recipe should be 2 cups (500 mL).

• Protein powder: Feel free to omit. Then it would just be a rice cooker oatmeal cake, or really just: Rice Cooked Baked Oats.

• Quick oats: You could use any oat, except I wouldn’t recommend steel cut oats.

• Banana: Feel free to use any mushy fruit. Pumpkin would work.