Please help me welcome a very close friend of mine, Katina. She is a huge blessing in my life…we are in bible studies together, our children go to school together, we pray together, encourage one another, and have fun together!!!! Katina is so supportive of my meal ministry …I am so thankful for her.
In light of the “Reshaping it All” challenge, my sweet friend brought ingredients over to my home and made these delicious Oatmeal Rasin Treats for me. As I was watching her make them (which was so much fun), she shared with me her “food testimony”….I really felt it was a “God thing” hearing what she had to share. I immediately thought of my readers….that some of you may be going through this very thing right now (I won’t ruin it ….I will let her tell you).
I was so blessed to have her companionship that day…. I was the recipient of a “Meal Ministry”!!!!! Katina, I am so thankful for your friendship…(and your oatmeal rasin treats, lol).
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| Katina , her husband, and two sweet children. |
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” -1 Corinithians 10:31
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| Such a sweet family!
Katina writes…. |
About fifteen years ago, I started feeling lightheaded and dizzy and was tired all the time. I went to a doctor regarding this and had all kinds of medical tests done. Everything came back normal, and the doctor told me basically that it was in my mind and that she could refer me to a psychologist. I knew that is not what I needed, so I continued to pray for guidance and wisdom. One day I was listening to a Christian radio program and a local doctor was talking about hidden food sensitivities. He stated that a lot of our physical ailments stem from the foods we eat. I was pretty much willing to try anything at this point since I had been having these symptoms for over seven months. I made an appointment with this doctor and he did some blood work, which revealed MANY food sensitivities. The main ones were sugar, dairy, & wheat….which was in everything I was eating!! I then began to educate myself in this area, and completely revamped my diet. I became a label reader and discovered how many different names are used for these foods. I also realized that anything that said ‘enriched’ or ‘hydrogenated’ stayed in me for days and made me feel a lot worse. I came up with many wonderful recipes…like these oatmeal raisin treats….that were not only healthy, but tasted great! It took about one month and then I started to feel AMAZING…and all my symptoms were gone! Praise God!! The doctor told me that I needed to keep these foods out of my diet for nine months, and then I could slowly start to reintroduce them back into my diet…but in moderation. But that’s the part that I’ve always struggled with….moderation. Growing up in an Italian family definitely does not help in that area lol! During most of my family gatherings we had lots and lots of food around us all the time. And this is what I thought was ‘normal’ for most of my life. I know how to eat healthy…..how to read ingredients….how to stay fit….however, I don’t have good self-control. For the next couple of months I am focusing on renewing my mind and spirit in this area. This recipe is great to have so that I can satisfy my sweet tooth in a healthy way. I hope it helps you as well! God Bless, Katina.
Wow, these look amazingly easy to make! I will have to try them this week!
I always encourage people to eat food the way God made it. He knows what is best!!!
Can I assume that I can use a different oil to the canola as I don't have this oil in my pantry – so much canola is genetically modified so it's one I try to avoid. Maybe sunflower or coconut oil would work well with this recipe – what do you think?
Does Katina do a blog? I would love more healthy recipes like this! I have such a hard time getting my family and myself to eat healthy, because I can't find enough good-for-you-but-tastes-good recipes.
Ann…Yes, you can definitely try using other oils, however coconut oil may change the taste some. The reason I chose canola oil is because it is one of the oils with the least amount of saturated fat…which is good for heart health. I have used sunflower oil before, and they taste just as good:)
Heather…no I don't have a blog. But I can share more recipes with Janelle in the future! You can also find a lot of healthy recipes online as well:)
Also…cooking times may vary depending on your stove. I only need to cook them for 8 minutes in my oven. However, sometimes I overcook them to make it similar to granola. I will then crumble them up and pour rice milk on top and eat it like cereal:-)
Thanks so much for sharing these! I have a little boy who has gluten, dairy, egg, and soy sensitivies. These are perfect! I can't wait to try them!
Do I need to use quick oats or will old fashioned (the kind you cook) work as well? They sure look yummy. Please continue to share healthy recipes – they are greatly needed and appreciated (especially those that are tried and true as I've gotten some off the internet that were not quite what I had hoped so it's good to have ones proven from someone you trust!!!!) Thanks and God bless!
Anonymous…you are so welcome!! Yes, you can use old fashioned oats as well:-)
I dont know what I did wrong except I did not have wheat flour so I used regular flour, I did not think it would make a difference… I ended up with very dry cookies… they are good with milk but was so looking forward to gooey…. 🙁 guess I can mess up any recipe..
oh I ment oat flour….
@TessaShelby….the type of flour can make a difference, however the cooking time is a big factor. I mentioned above that I only have to cook mine for 8 minutes….the longer I cook them in my oven, the dryer they are. If you want them to be "gooey", adjust your cooking time and eat them soon after you take them out of the stove….because they harden up over time. Hope this helps:)
Looks amazing!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I am on a doctor ordered diet: no sugar, no dairy, no wheat lol. I had yet to find a yummy snack. Finally! God really answeres prayers lol. I'm making these right after my banana bread (Janelle, your recipe's amazing) gets out of the oven.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
12-18