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An Ode To Oatmeal
I am a cruel blogger, I know. Every Wednesday, I share delicious looking waffles with you knowing that many of you can’t make them yourselves. There is a shortage of waffle makers in kitchens across the globe. Where is the government lobby for this??
So this week, I am sharing another delicious breakfast that you can make at home! All you need is a microwave or a pot, a love for carbohydrates, and a little creativity ;)
My friends, today we are talking oatmeal. The following is an assortment of some of my most notable bowls to date. There is a vast array of combos you can do and I hope these only ignite ideas of your own! Be forewarned – I need protein in my oats to satisfy my belly.
As a side note, the above photo seems other-worldly to me. That majestic river and greenery used to be the view out my window in New Brunswick. Now I step out the door and am assaulted by noise and traffic. Ahhhh, city livin’ ;)
Onward to the hot creamy carbfest!
Birthday Oats
- 1 packet multi grain instant oats
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 sliced banana
- 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- mini marshmallows
- sprinkles!!
I ate these on my birthday, hence the name ;)
Custard Oats
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Oatmeal with a whole egg cooked in. Read the step by step guide here!
Candy Oats
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M&Ms, peanut butter, coconut. Mini Eggs also welcome!
PB&J Oats
As a nod to the PB&J sandwich, I like to sandwich half the toppings in the middle.
Savoury Oats
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup water
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp Earth Balance
- 1 breakfast sausage,sliced and stirred into oats
- 1 fried egg
- lotsa saaaahlsa
Don’t Try This At Home Oats
When attempting to make steel cut oats overnight in your ginormous slow-cooker, I suggest making a LARGE batch. Smaller bathes apparently just get crusty. Unless you want oat crackers.
Sweet n’ Salty Oats
Rolled oats cooked on the stove top with water and protein powder, then topped with chocolate chips, peanut butter and pretzels.
Oat Bran
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A much creamier version of oatmeal and quick cooking!
Fluffernutter Oats
Marshamallow fluff + peanut butter. Or in this case, made better with chocolate peanut butter.
Oats Topped With Oats
Creamy custard oats topped with crunchy granola and molasses. In this case, Beek’s coconut chia granola.
Frosted Oats
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Instant oats zapped with water and frozen berries, topped with a sweet vanilla yogurt.
Mocha Oats
- 2/3 cup oat bran
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2/3 scoop chocolate whey powder
- 1 package Via instant coffee
- chocolate chips
- roasted almonds
- coconut
Reduces morning sweats that may occur when attempting to eat hot oatmeal and drink hot coffee at the same time.
Scottish Oatmeal
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Like a finer cut and faster cooking steel-cut oatmeal. This is Bob’s Red Mill.
Oats In A Jar
If you hate the hard bottom part of a nut butter jar like me, this solves your problem. Pouring hot oatmeal into a glass jar melts it and mixes it in!
Oatmeal & Yogurt Parfait
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Top oatmeal with fresh or frozen fruit.
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Add yogurt, cereal, nuts or nut butter.
Cream of Wheat
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Okay, technically not oatmeal but a wonderful hot breakfast packed full of iron!
Welcome to autumn bloggie friends! It may not be waffles, but I hope you get to enjoy some warm breakfasts this week :)
Question of the Day: What’s your favourite way to eat oatmeal? I like it custard-style with rolled oats, cashew butter, maple syrup, dates and coconut!
~~~Thursday is your last day to vote for my Scottish-inspired Project Food Blog post! Click here to vote for me (and others!) $10,000 is up for grabs!~~~
Odds, Bits, Ends and Bites
Ohwow, there is some good venting happening over on my last post. So happy I opened up the floor to let you guys get some of your marketing pet peeves off your chest! Elizabeth mentioned food companies telling women they can “indulge” without the “guilt.” Ohyes, that makes my blood boil! We should never-ever feel guilty about the food we eat. We eat it, and move on!
Speaking of which, I’m moving on ;) Har har.
I “slept in” this morning because I had plans on going to spin class after work.
But I still had to work hard this morning at clearing out the four kinds of hot cereal in my cupboard.
Today’s poison was cream of wheat cooked with 1/2 cup egg whites and topped with PB&J. That’s only 1/3 cup of the dry stuff. It cooks up HUGE. Me likey.
Then I put my new $20 outfit on! I hate getting dressed in the morning, but today it was fun :) I wore pink!!
Having spent most of my working life in coffee shops, I’ve always complained about not being able to dress up for work. Well now I have to, and I can’t stand it! Sometimes I manage to sneak yoga pants in, or today’s comfy/casual new shirt :)
Dressed it up with the new $2.99 necklace. All my necklaces are big and chunky, needed something a little more simple and classic. The pants are a little big around the hips, but hey, they were $12 ;)
Today I attempted to do the impossible – exercise after work. People are always so impressed that I get up at 5am to workout. But honestly, I am more impressed by people who can put in a full work day then drag themselves to the gym. All before dinner!! For me, with each minute that passes, there is another reason for me not to work out. So jumping out of bed and doing it first thing gives me absolutely no opportunity to put it off.
I was worried about this. I knew my chance of success was low. As per usual, I shared my concerns on Twitter.
This worked pretty well. I didn’t want to have to tell them tomorrow that I didn’t go.
This is usually a pretty good technique for me. I feel like I need to follow through with a workout after that sugary snack.
I raced home to let the dog out and got into my spin outfit asap. Once I’m in my workout clothes, the chances of me getting there are pretty high. Especially when I’m wearing cycling shorts, as the padding is really awkward to hang out in.
And I made it!! Albeit, my glutes are furious with me right now, but they’ll just have to deal ;) It was a regular spin class, not one of the Les Mills RPM ones, so it was nice to change it up that way. Lots of sitting sprints to some decent music.
Of course, I was ravenous when I walked in the door. Don’t ask me why, but in my hungry state I thought it would be a good idea to cook every vegetable in my fridge.
The left side is roasted broccoli, butternut squash, sweet potato and brussels sprouts in garam masala spice.
The right side is sauteed onions, mushrooms, zucchini and tofu in butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Topped with a healthy dose of parmesan cheese.
So. Many. Vegetables. I will have leftovers for days :)
Finally, after many taste tests, I’ve decided to share the recipe for my newest homemade protein bar.
Homemade Apple Oatbran Protein Bars
- 2 cups oatbran (I like Quaker best)
- 1 cup unflavoured soy protein powder
- 4 packets stevia
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp almond butter
- 2 packaged cups of applesauce (I think they’re 1/3 cup each)
- 1/4 cup egg whites
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup raisins
Mix all the ingredients, minus the water, together. Add water only as needed (it takes a while for the protein powder to dissolve, so mix it for a while first). Flatten in a 9×9 pan and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.
The texture of these bars is just what I’ve been going for! Dense and crumbly. I thank the soy protein powder for that. However, they’re still a touch on the bland side. Likely because the protein powder is unflavoured and oatbran is well, bland. But definitely a step in the right direction!
Now if you don’t mind, I have to do my taxes. I have put them off to the last possible minute. Whoops.
Question of the Day: When do you work out? When would you prefer to work out? My energy is highest mid-morning after a hearty breakfast and mug of coffee. Even when I’m not working out – it’s when I’m most productive.





