For some people, weekends mean making elaborate breakfasts with pancakes, bacon, eggs, and glugs of maple syrup. (“Glugs” is a word, right?)For me, weekends mean adding chocolate to my oatmeal.
This week was extra special for me because I had strawberries. I generally try to stick to the produce that’s in season, and I usually avoid all conventionally grown berries because of the pesticides. However, I was dying for strawberries, and after several weeks of thinking of them constantly, I gave in. So thanks for the strawberries, California!
Throughout the week, I ate them diced up in my oatmeal along with some mashed banana. It was quite delightful, but when Saturday came around, I was ready to amp it up. My original plan was simply to swirl in some chocolate chips at the end, but then I convinced myself to use cocoa powder instead to avoid the extra sugar (not to mention how expensive that bag of chocolate chips was!). To keep it from being too bitter, I used half a mashed banana. Perfect!
What you'll need:
- 1 cup milk of choice, or water
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
- 1/2 an overripe banana
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4-5 tsp cocoa powder
- handful of fresh strawberries
- pinch of salt
How to make it:
- Bring milk (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium.
- Next, mash half (or even less!) a banana well, and stir that in.
- Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add a pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla extract, and two spoonfuls of cocoa powder.
- Stir, and watch your oatmeal transform into fudgy goodness.
- If you'd like to add any additional ingredients (coconut oil, sunflower seeds), do so now.
- When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, dice in 4-6 strawberries and transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice and any additional toppings (shredded coconut, more strawberries, sliced almonds, banana butter).
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