NEW EXPERIENCE

MONDAY MORNING: 4/23/12


This morning's booty call was 30 minutes on the gazelle. Always tougher on a Monday, but also always worth it!

I have made several progressions in oatmeal over the past couple of years and this morning I made one more. When I first wanted to start eating healthier I used to eat Quaker's instant flavored oatmeal packets such as apples and cinnamon, maple and brown sugar, etc. This was a good place to start but I eventually became aware of the amount of artificial ingredients in these and in an effort to eat more naturally started buying Quaker's original instant oatmeal packets.

These obviously had a better nutritional profile, but even though I always make sure to read ingredients, not just the nutrition facts, I had somehow missed a couple. It just came to my attention that these packets of "nothing but oats" contains several ingredients and I really am mostly looking for things that are WHOLE FOODS. The less they are modified from their original state, the better!

This brings me to today's new experience- Stovetop Oats! I have had Old-Fashioned Quaker oats on hand for quite some time but have always been reluctant to make them on the stove top for time's sake and not wanting to dirty extra dishes.

I fear no more! This was super fast and simple, didn't require that much attention, and the best part? The ONLY ingredient is 100% oats!!

Into my pot:
-1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of water
-1/2 cup of oats
-cinnamon
-vanilla
-agave
-banana stirred in at the end

Toppings:
-1/2 TBS of natural PB
-a few shavings of Cacao Bliss
-a few shavings of Coconut Butter
-I meant to add flax seed and even had it out and open but totally forgot!

(Sometime I will do a post all about Caco Bliss and Coconut Butter!)

See those glorious toppings? :D The cacao bliss (the chocolately looking stuff) and the coconut (the white stuff) are originally in a hard form and I flake them onto the oats with a fork and they slowly melt into the oats and become creamy and delicious!

This was a great bowl! Only problem? TOO MUCH. I am used to the packet size of 1/4 cup of oats and only 1/2 a cup of liquid. I had to give Zach half of my bowl because I got stuffed. Next time I will just halve the portion of oats and liquid.

Maybe if I don't have too much to say at lunch I can go into more detail about those toppings. Happy Monday!