She's Come Unplugged

   I have a confession to make.  In this day and age of social media connection I decided to disconnect my Facebook account.  Why you may ask?  I was becoming overly distracted.  I tried only checking it once a week, once a day, once an hour.  I felt like a dog answering Pavlov's bell, constantly checking my phone for each little ping.
 
    I started on Facebook innocently enough.  I actually made my account at the suggestion of updates from Cardio Coach.  Friends found me and it was fun to re-connect.  Soon I was enjoying quizzes, but only after I put the kids to bed.  Then I would check during their naptime.  It's just like taking a little coffee break. Now I am sneaking off to look for just ten minutes (in the bathroom)!

     I think I am only on it 10 minutes a day, but the multiple checks on my phone really add up.    It is great to catch up with everyone, but constantly being plugged in has left me feeling like a spiritually deflated balloon.  I am always wanting more.  I see others vacation pictures and I want to go away again.  I have to remind myself that I did travel with my family this year.

     This year I would like to take that 10 minutes back to really connect with a real person in my life, to call and catch up with my best friend, take a walk or play with my kids.  What can I accomplish or enjoy with my time offline? 

After School Surprise: Lego Creation

Lego towers

   I was surprised when I walked into my son's room after school and found his latest Lego creation.  His teacher read _The Man Who Walked Between The Towers_ by Mordicai Gernstein and completely unprompted my son made this model of the twin towers. 

March Gladness

    Congratulations to Carol, Chrissie and Diane who all received a token of my appreciation this month.  I hope you create many happy meals with your gift!  I want to take this moment to say thank you to all my readers.  I am very grateful to share my cooking with all of you.  Your wonderful feedback has been an extraordinary experience.

   Outside the Box needs your continued input.  I am exploring life "outside the box" and not just in the kitchen. I will be sharing my experience with simplicity and looking to creative people who live sustainably, within their means, and make the most of life on this planet. Please send your ideas to mickyatoutsidethebox@gmail.com and I may interview you soon to be a featured blog guest.

Happy Bloga-versary

   Two years ago today I began an adventure in both cooking and writing.    I began with a stack of recipes and a desire to carve out something of my own.  On that journey I have had a lot of fun, many messes, and a sense of accomplishment.

    I have had a ball cooking up many dishes.  Although some attempts were not successful, they all taught me something.  I overcame my fear of photography and learned some technical aspects too.   Having followers around the world surprised and delighted me.  I was thrilled to be re-pinned on Pinterest.

     The goal of trying new recipes was met, yet I found my cooking style to be not following any recipe at all!   I learned to cook from what I had on hand instead of cooking by a new recipe.  This was a great way to waste less food.  One of the things I really enjoyed was learning to batch cook.  I also liked transforming leftovers into a new meal (that didn't look like leftovers) .  This brought out my creative side and gave me a frugal fix.  I made A LOT of soup.

    Thank you for joining me on my quest in the kitchen.   To celebrate my writing anniversary, I will be giving away cookbooks this month.  To participate in the cookbook giveaway: comment on any "Outside the Box" blogpost (including any past post); re-pin a post to Pinterest, or shamelessly promote me on facebook or Twitter.

     It is time to retire my little black recipe book, but not my laptop.  I look forward to bringing you my life "Outside the Box." Thank you for reading, eating and sharing.

Read this Book? Yes I Will!

     When health psychologist, Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., offered a course on “The Science of Willpower”at Stanford University it was very well received. In fact it was so popular they had to keep changing the room to accommodate the number of students enrolling. Students have used her 10 week course to improve their lives in many areas including "...quitting smoking, losing weight, getting out of debt and becoming a better parent." McGonigal shares, “Understanding the science of willpower gave them strategies for developing self-control, and greater strength to pursue what mattered most to them.”

     McGonigal felt that scientific studies and findings about willpower had not been translated to the public. Her book, The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It, presents diverse research studies in an easy-to-follow format. The gray boxes call attention to exercises for the reader. The chapter summary section is very helpful for reviewing the presented information.

     The author's style is knowledgeable and yet extremely approachable. I enjoyed her sense of humor that emerged throughout the book. It kept the informative nature of the book from becoming dry. Her inclusion of apps and websites kept the tone very hip, yet not too overwhelming to scare away the technophobic.  Reading the book felt like being immersed in her classroom. You had the benefits of the studies and exercises as if you were taking the course.

     My future self thanks me for reading this book. Trust me, once you've read it, you'll see what I mean. This review is brought to you by BlogHer Book Club compensation, but the opinions are all mine. Be sure to check it out at BlogHer Book Club.  What are your willpower challenges?  

Take A Bough: Sprucing Up the Bathroom

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas!

   Our Christmas tree  is 8 feet by 10 feet this year.  We had planted rows of trees as a wind break a over a decade ago and they were getting crowded so one became our holiday tree.
   
     When we put up the Christmas tree we had to trim a few branches.  My son asked if we could tuck the extras around the manger.  Then he came up with this fabulous idea.

    He suggested we put the spruce branches in the bathroom to make it smell nice for the holidays.  I had decided to take a cue from my family this year and not just decorate from my own expectations.

    I used a vase we already owned and arranged a few sprigs in it.  It looks cute and smells wonderful.  You could add a ribbon or ornament for a more polished festive arrangement.

    Now I don't have to buy any chemical laden fake pine air freshener or worry about an unattended candle. This simple decoration was made from something we would have tossed anyway, making it a great frugal family project.  Next year I would love to learn to make a wreath for the front door or gather pine cones in a bowl for another natural seasonal decoration.  Thanks for the inspiration out of the mouths of babes.

Casual Christmas: 5 Sanity Savers for the Season

Waiting for Christmas can take all month!

     The holidays mean many things to many people.  I shared many of my happy childhood traditions last year in my post Advent-ure.  The holiday time is joyful.  It is also extremely busy.  There are many ways to fill up the month with preparations and parties.

     This year I have a new outlook on the big day.  Would you like to hear it? It is just ONE day.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the wonder of Christmas.  I'm just saying that I am not going to spend every waking moment hustling to create the perfect day.  For one thing, after all that work I'm sure to be disappointed.  No amount of fanfare on the big day is going to satisfy me after all that labor!  So here is what I am keeping in mind:

1. What is really necessary?  

2. What are my limits?

3. Who can help?

4. What do I want from this holiday?

5. Who am I doing this for?

     One way I plan to reduce stress is to knock baking off the to do list.  I am debating about the cards.  I really like to keep in touch with friends and family.  However if the cute family photo shoot doesn't happen it won't be the end of the world.  

   I am shopping local.  In addition to the lack of travel time, I am supporting a wonderful product Save It Bags. They are a practical gift for all the school lunchers on my list. My kids have fun picking out special fabrics for everyone. 

   I will not head to the mall.  We have wonderful small shops in town.  Whatever I can't find there, such as Legos, I can buy online.  I also have an awesome personal shopper.  She calls me whenever she finds something and picks up for me.  Thanks, you are the best!

   I will reduce decorating.  The tree and manger will be featured.  We will cut a big pine from our yard where we planted them over a decade ago. We will decorate together.  Whatever the family wants to do in one afternoon will be enough.

    I will limit our Christmas activities.  We attend an annual children's party featuring a magician, hayrides, sledding and a visit from Santa.  It is a wonderful event that my family enjoys.  Since the big guy will be there, we don't need to visit him anywhere else in town.

   My mother-in-law pulled together an early Christmas within a few days of being in the hospital.  You may be wondering how and so did I.  She shopped for toys and had a simple dinner of a deli platter and side salads.  Instead of focusing on the big meal hubbub, we were able to appreciate the delight as the children opened gifts and had time to talk over the table.  It was a relaxing Christmas gathering and shouldn't we enjoy our holiday time together?  

Play It Again, Ham: 10 Hearty Ham Dishes

     I found a big ham for 99 cents a pound at the store.  The kids had friends over on Friday night and it fed the crowd with plenty to spare.  For our company night I served the ham with mac and cheese and mixed veggies.  I've often used leftovers to make a new dinner creation.  The great thing about ham I found is that it can be used for any meal.  Good luck with your sequels!


10 Hamtastic Meals:

1. Ham steaks for breakfast with eggs.

2. Chef Salad  with ham and chicken, turkey, or roast beef

3. Scalloped Potatoes

4. Pea Soup

5. Ham Sandwiches

6. Ham Salad Sandwiches

7. Ham and Broccoli Pie

8. Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets/Calzones

9. Bean Soup

10. Scrambled eggs with diced ham/ Denver Omelet

Chicken Two: Two Different Meals With One Cooking Night

Chicken Parmesan

   In an effort to clear out any space in the freezer, I defrosted a three pound bag of chicken breasts.  Usually  I buy chicken on the bone since I can find a decent sale price, but I bought the big back to be convenient for camping season. With summer over it is time to cook up these birds.

   I planned to make Chicken Parm.  I made breadcrumbs out of oatmeal mixed with some Italian seasoning and garlic powder.  I sliced the chicken thin, dipped it in the egg and breadcrumbs and into the olive oil it went.     I made a few pans full, so I stored the extra in the oven to keep warm.

There's a whole lotta chicken cooking.

   As the chicken sizzled, I put the spaghetti water on to boil and made a salad.  I topped one skillet of chicken with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.  The rest of the chicken was for another meal.  Before cooking, I cut some of the chicken in smaller chicken strips.  Just don't tell the kids their chicken nuggets are really naked Chicken Parm leftovers.

We'll set these aside for nugget night.

   

Deep Thaw: Time to Defrost The Freezer

The freezer is full!

    My freezer is packed to the gills or rather the wings since I have a plethora of poultry. In case you have been on the edge of your seat wondering if I bought the extra freezer contemplated on in  The Big Chill, I have not. I know I could buy that extra chest freezer and find a place for it in the basement. However,  since I bought these turkey burgers for a summer camping trip I think it is time to clean out the freezer.

    My main motivation for the weeding of the freezer isn't so much that I'm concerned about freezer burn.  It has to do with the sales circular.  I keep hearing about great sales and specials from my couponing friend and there is no where to store the stuff.

   Okay so here we go.  I am not buying any more meat until we free up the freezer.  I bet we can get a week's worth of meals using up what we have on hand. First night is turkey burgers.  I will defrost the chicken too for the next day.  I usually buy whole chickens or thighs.  I got the big bag of breasts again to make it easier for the camping trip.

   Stand by for some creative meals.  I may have to stop at the store for some milk or bread, but dinner is coming from the freezer this week.  Brr! I better get started!

Inside the Box: It's In the Bag

       My September posts focused on packing school lunch.  I mentioned healthy snacks, money saving sandwiches, and even the lunch box itself.  It's time to unzip and take a look inside the lunch box.  I am not a fan of sandwich bags.  I know they are convenient, but it just seems wasteful to me.  Especially as it wastes my time to have to drive to the store to buy more of them.  I was using Gladware and Tupperware boxes, until I found a product I like better.

Open up and slip a sandwich in.

   Save It Bags are reusable sandwich and snack bags made with custom fabric covers and a wipeable liner.  They are very easy to clean. Once a week I throw them in the laundry.  I meant to air dry them, but found out they are dryer safe when I forgot to pull them out.

Turn it inside out for a quick wipe down.

     My kids love them.  They are space saving and don't squish other foods, preventing surprising messes. We have Star Wars, camouflage, flowers and hedge hogs.  I just purchased these for an upcoming birthday party.

Adorable Hello Kitty Save It Bags

     The adjustable Velcro makes them great for carrying a cell phone or electronic device.  They also make a cute make up bag.  I'm looking forward to purchasing more bags for my Christmas list. They are a great product, made locally. They are available through craft fairs and online.  

Thank Goodness: Reflections on Gratitude

     We were off to the library for Lego Club today.  They get a different theme to inspire their building each time.  Today's theme was: build something you are thankful for.

     When they are finished, they can share what they have made.  Our librarian takes a picture and asks them about their project. My son tends to not want to speak up in front of the group, but boy does he like Legos.

What are you thankful for?

     He made what he is thankful for, his house and his parents.  The black stepped Legos are smoke coming from the chimney.  Since we had plenty of time left, he decided to add his tree fort that he built with Dad this summer.

     I am thankful for an awesome kid who has gratitude for the simple things in life.  

I'm Not Dreaming Of a Pink Christmas:Holidays Outside the Box

What will be under the tree this year?

     It's time to start thinking about Christmas shopping.  No, I don't mean before the turkey is digested. What do the kids want this year?  Well in my house instead of making a list for Santa we make one for Grandma since we have our celebration at Grandma and Grandpa's house before the big day in December.

     We asked the kids to make a Christmas wish list by circling items from an ad.  I have never been impressed with the overpriced, plastic items that come out this time of year.  I know kids want the "top toy" of the year, but do they actually play with it when the new year comes?
   
     I know I really shouldn't get started on how the massive consumerism of the holiday drives me up the wall.  I never realized until I had kids that I would feel torn buying gifts for those who have plenty when the money could go to those who don't have enough. I look at all the toys, games, and books we already have and wonder why we need to add to it! I don't need to be a Scrooge to my kids though and I know they will enjoy the presents and be thankful. 

     Now my oldest is easy to shop for.  He wants Legos and plenty of them.  He also likes Star Wars.  There are a number of items in these two categories that are age appropriate and I am sure he will put to good use and continue to play with throughout the year.

     My daughter is the one that has me stumped.  In the words of my son, "When I walk down the pink aisle in the toy department, it makes me want to throw up." Now don't get me wrong we have a dollhouse and babies, but I never covered her toys in pink.  She joined in with her brother at the tool bench and trains.  I had no problem with her brother playing with her toys either.  I just didn't think that every item marketed to girls must be dipped in pink.  She could play with a red car or blue stove.

  Also her age is giving me trouble this year.  I am very used to buying her preschool age toys and now that she has started school I would like something that will grow with her.  She is very energetic so an active toy would be great.  She loves to draw making art supplies a welcome addition. What do you buy for a five year old girl for Christmas?

Hats Off To Thanksgiving: Fun and Easy Crafts for Kid Company

   Okay so you've cleaned the house, shopped for all the ingredients, and baked up a storm.  Now that your turkey is in the oven and the parade is over, what are you going to do with your company?  I'm not talking about the adults.  They will be happy to pick at appetizers and gab, but the little ones are starting to run up and down the hallway.

   It's time to break out the craft supplies.  My children were very lucky to have the day before Thanksgiving off from school.  They were even happier to get to spend the day with their buddies.  After I read them Thanksgiving at the Tappleton's by Eileen Spinelli, they were ready to get their hands busy with a Thanksgiving project.
 
   Since it was short notice, I had not run to the store for turkey stickers or feathers.  I suggested we make toilet paper tube napkin rings.  They would wrap the tube with plain paper, glue the paper to the tube  and draw a turkey or pilgrim for a little decorative touch to your meal.

Here's your supplies, and go!

   The children had their own ideas.  Armored with paper, glue, scissors and markers they created their own pilgrim hats.  All I had to do was fetch a few supplies and they were happy to create away.  They even stapled bands around the hats by helping each other. Once everyone was decked out they were ready to have their own Thanksgiving parade!

A hat for every head.

   If you are expecting little ones at your feast, don't panic.  Grab a few sheets of paper out of the printer, markers or crayons, and the stapler and you can keep them busy while they have some holiday fun!

10 Terrific Meals Using Thanksgiving Turkey

Delicious Chef/Cobb Salad

    Once we have cleared the table, there's no need to go cold turkey!  There are lots of ways to re-invent the bird to make it a whole new meal.  You can make your own Thanksgiving t.v. dinner to have the next day. You may want to tuck some of that delicious dark meat in the freezer to keep for one of these great recipes.  

    My new favorite is the Turkey Chef/Cobb salad.  I made a combination between a chef salad and a Cobb salad using turkey and ham with avocado.  It was delicious and a very different presentation for lunch than the usual leftover turkey.

   Another suggestion made to me was turkey pot pie.  Using refrigerator dough, through those bits of meat and leftover veggies together with the leftover gravy to make a hearty meal.  Skip the the gravy and you can fold up individual calzones or homemade hot pockets to store in the freezer for a later lunch.

   One night I whipped up a turkey stroganoff using Laughing Cow cheese and mushrooms served over egg noodles.  Turkey casserole is a yummy combination of rice, broccoli, and bits of turkey.  I skip the cream of mushroom soup and opt for plain yogurt.

   Making new meals out of the holiday leftovers will make you thankful for less trips to the grocery store!   The only thing left to do now with the turkey is make a wish!  

1. Hot turkey and gravy over bread

2. Turkey Club

3. Turkey Cobb Salad

4. Turkey Soup

5. Turkey Stroganoff

6. Turkey Salad Sandwich

7. Thanksgiving Plate

8. Turkey Casserole 

9. Turkey Quiche

10. Turkey Pot Pie

 

Sensational Sequels

    I have lost count of how many times I have heard people say, "I just don't like leftovers."  Poor, poor leftovers, nobody wants them.  They pack them up in Tupperware just to throw them out when the fuzz starts to creep up the lid.  I say, "No more!"  We must take our leftover food and use it for good and not science experimentation.

    Leftovers need an image makeover.  I am going to start marketing them as sequels.  Is that leftover chicken? No honey, that is Chicken the Sequel: Night of the Nuggets.

   One of my favorite ways to use up leftovers is soup.  Just about any meat and vegetable can be thrown in the pot for a fantastic meal. All month long I will be bringing you more ideas to help you transform those unwanted bits into a new meal.

   Using leftovers is a great way to stretch the budget.  You can dish up leftovers for lunch instead of eating out. You can make a whole new meal by adding a few inexpensive ingredients.  This is great for when you find a sale and stock up.  Leftovers also help lessen your time in the meal prep department.  The trick is variety.  We can't eat the same meal days in a row.  Sometimes you have to take what is left and freeze it for another day when it will be appreciated again.

   What are your favorite uses for leftovers?  Stay tuned for my reruns, I mean sequels coming soon in my kitchen!

Mummy's Nightmare: Attack of the Toys

EEK! A CLOSET TO MAKE ME SHRIEK!

     My youngest child looked up at me and declared, "Mommy you aren't afraid of anything!"  Since I didn't run shrieking at the sight of a bug I had won the bravest person in the world award.  I told her that there was one thing that scared Mommy...messes.  Dirt came into my kitchen on sneakers and spread across the house.  Spills happened and toys tripped me like tangled roots. She giggled at the thought of Mommy running from the dirt, mud, and messy monsters in fear.

     Her room held more surprises then a haunted house.  When I opened her closet to get Playdough it was difficult to reach it without turning my ankle. This was not a boo-tiful closet like her brother's room. It made me think of watching a horror movie and shouting to the screen, "Don't open the door!"  I called in reinforcements for this task.  No it wasn't ghostbusters, more like clutterbusters. I waited until my daughter was on the school bus before my friend helped me tackle this beast of a pile.

   First to find the floor we dragged everything into her room.  Then we sorted pieces, removed outgrown toys, and filed miscellaneous drawings under G. My friend smartly brought a garbage bag in before we started. The stuffed animals  relocated to a bin in her room so she can play with them. The outgrown toys were passed down to younger friends. Dress up clothes were moved to the playroom.

 
     We shelved the books.  My friend suggested we use a clear plastic shoe box for small books.  I combed through the books to find the little readers.  It saved a lot of shelf space by turning the box sideways and made it easier to find skinny paperbacks.

I love this space saving books in a box.

Clear boxes make toys easy to find.

      The addition of  a few clear plastic boxes contained the small toys. I normally used baskets, but these were stacked to save room. All the baskets of craft materials were removed from the closet. There is no work space in the bedroom and I've encountered a few surprises with markers and glue lately.  I have a new 3 bin drawer to house all the craft materials near the homework table outside her room.  

   The result was one happy girl.  After school she immediately went for her closet and played with her favorite toys.  She was happy to get into the closet and find her things. Now for what is lurking beneath the bed!  

   

Boo-tiful: A Dream Closet

There's a floor in the closet.

Books on shelves

      Unlike the skeletons in my closet, my son's closet was a fairly simple job. I didn't take a before picture so let me walk you through it.  I set the timer for 20 minutes on Sunday afternoon and got to work.

     The kids had made a habit of making a secret reading area in his closet.  It sounds like fun, but his sister is not fond of the clean up part.  The result was a twisted pile of sheets and books. He helped me put the books up on the shelf.  That was step one. Next we folded up the sheets and put them away.
 
    Now we had a floor.  The next step was to remove a few games from the top shelf.  They were put up there to keep little hands out of reach years ago.  The outgrown games were donated to the church rummage sale.  What a great excuse to get me to clean things out. I put the games immediately in the car and dropped them off the next day.

    The only other thing taking up a lot of closet space was a bucket of stuffed animals.  I wondered if they reproduced while we were sleeping.  There just always seemed to be a pile of them.  I put his favorites on his bed and the overflow in the camouflage sack so they take up less room.  The bin was cracked so I disposed of it.  Then I triple checked for outgrown clothes and his boo-tiful closet was finished!

Skeletons In My Closet: It's Scary In There!

The Secret Stash of Clutter

Ahh...that's much better!

 

      My favorite blogger Barb from Cleaning Up The Clutter inspired me to take a look at my mess.  I worked hard to keep to a daily chore schedule and tidied up the house.  Meanwhile, my closets were a fright worthy of the Halloween line up.  Somehow out of sight out of mind kept it from getting done.
 
    I set a goal this month to work on making the closets more livable.  I worked 20 minutes a day until it was done. First step was the repair/stain pile.  My Mom is the ultimate stainmaster.  Seriously she could get the mud out of a puddle.  She took a look at my pile and marked stains with pins and sewed a blouse with a tear. Thanks Mom you are the best!

  My husband built me this wonderful storage shelving unit for my birthday.  I needed to clear off the top surface. The box held LL Bean items that didn't fit.  Back to the store they went. What was left?  Clothes that didn't fit.  Time for them to get donated.  Now we had the little surprises I had picked up for the children.  They were moved to an undisclosed hiding place where they were more secure and out of the way.

   With the summer clothes stowed away in the cubbies and the fall apparel in the dresser the closet was complete. I wanted to leave the door open so I could admire a job well done!

Whole Lotta Pumpkin: 5 Things To Make With Pumpkin

    I have a HUGE pumpkin carved in my yard.  Although I do like to bake pumpkin seeds, I don't tend to use the pumpkin itself.  I find the canned pumpkin very convenient.  I buy the plain pumpkin without the spices.  Since it is pumpkin season, what do you do with that canned orange stuff?

1. Pumpkin bread/muffins

2. Pumpkin seeds

3. Pumpkin Pie

4. Pumpkin Oatmeal

5. Pumpkin Harvest Pudding

Pumpkin Harvest Pudding

    After opening up the can for our new recipe pumpkin oatmeal, I had A LOT leftover.  I could just let it sit on the back of the shelf and grow mold, tsk tsk, or find a use for it.  So in the most unlikely of sources What To Eat When You're Expecting I found a pumpkin recipe that used up my pumpkin and my dwindling pile of apples.
   I didn't have frozen apple juice so I substituted unsweetened applesauce.  I was out of pears, so I doubled up on apples and threw two extra in since they were on their way to rottensville. I raided the raisins from the kids snack shelf and I skipped the wheat germ and cranberries since I didn't have any.  I threw in two eggs instead of egg whites, though I did manage to separate them by dropping one on the table. We had some mixed nuts which my little helper enjoyed preparing with a bag and a spoon.
   It took a little work to put together, but it was good!  The recipe said to enjoy it for dessert, snack or topped with yogurt for breakfast.  It was even tastier cold. The crumb topping would make a nice crumble for an apple crisp or granola starter.  I'm not waiting until Thanksgiving for my pumpkin fix!
 



Harvest Pudding from What To Eat When You're Expecting

2 cups canned unsweetened solid-pack pumpkin
1 1/3 cups apple juice concentrate
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 egg whites
1/2 cup raisins, chopped
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
1 medium pear, peeled, cored, and freshly chopped
1/2 cup fresh cranberries (optional)
1 2/3 cups rolled oats
6 tablespoons wheat germ
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pumpkin, 3/4 cup of juice concentrate, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and egg whites in a bowl; beat together until well blended. Stir in the raisins, apple, pear and cranberries. Combine remaining juice concentrate, cinnamon, oats, wheat germ, butter and nuts in another bowl; blend until crumbly. Stir half the oat mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Transfer the pumpkin mixture into a 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture evenly over the top. Bake until crumbs are light brown and pudding is set, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or cold.