Blueberry Lavender Oatmeal

Oh hey… it’s me. 🙂

Wow, it’s been a while. I haven’t posted–or even logged in–for 13 months. I actually struggled to remember how to access the blog’s dashboard, and it took several minutes to re-familiarize myself with all the tools.

But first, I’ll tell you how to make this blueberry-lavender bowl of goodness:

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup water*
• 1 tsp dried lavender (culinary grade)
• 3/4 cup milk of choice, or more water*
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• optional sweetener, to taste (start with 1/2 tsp)
• 2 big handfuls of fresh blueberries, plus more for topping
• 2 tbsp toasted almonds or walnuts

How to make it:

1. Set water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and add lavender buds.**
2. Once it’s simmering, allow 2-3 minutes for the lavender to infuse.
3. Add milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk) lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt, and return to a simmer.
4. Add oats, and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add optional sweetener if using. Then, gently stir in blueberries. It’s OK if some of them burst, but I like the majority of mine to stay intact.
6. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to two bowls. Add a splash of your milk of choice, a few more blueberries, the toasted nuts, and any other additional toppings (nut butter, dried fruit, coconut, jam, nuts, etc.). I do not recommend topping with “raw” lavender, as it’s not great as a garnish.

Just an FYI:

Now for my rambling.

I quit blogging last summer. A lot was going on: the end of a toxic relationship, a new career, political chaos, and even online dating (which is the most time-consuming endeavor ever, by the way).

Also, I started to resent blogging. Because I couldn’t get any natural sunlight in my apartment, I either couldn’t take the photos, or the photos would come out grainy and awful. It was so frustrating. I fell out of love with the entire process.

Fellow oatmeal artists, I can’t promise you that I’ll be here, posting 2-3 times a week, for the rest of my life. I can’t even promise you that I will have a follow-up recipe next week.  But I’m testing out what blogging is like in a new chapter of my life. If I like it, great. If not, at least I tried it out. Thanks for being willing to embark on this experiment with me.

As for that new chapter I mentioned, I’ve moved to Denver. Turns out, online dating was so great that the fella I fell for convinced me to move across the country with him. What can I say? He’s great. And when I told him I was typing up this return-to-blogging post, he grinned and cheered me on.

Why the return to blogging? For starters, this apartment has great light. Denver has great light. At least 14 different Denverites have told me with pride that this city gets 300 days of sunshine a year. (It’s literally raining as I type this, but we’ll let that slide.)

As we were packing up our boxes for the move, I sighed. “What should I do with these oatmeal dishes?” The boyfriend nudged me to pack them. And I did. So the dishes and props came to Denver with us, and I lovingly arranged them in one of the extra cupboards of my new kitchen, easily accessible for quick photoshoots. Something about the whole thing felt like a sign.

But also, I miss you all. Your comments on my Instagram photos, my blog posts, and my Tweets did not go unnoticed. I felt the absence, too, and I feel more equipped to fill that void now. I miss the creative process, and the satisfaction of sharing my ideas. And as I adjust to being in a “foreign” city, feeling a lack of stable earth under my feet, the thought of reconnecting with this old friend sounds so appealing.

So I made this:

I’ve tried not to ramble too much (although a year’s absence does deserve some extra length). Now about this new recipe you’ve all waited 13 months for…

It seemed fitting to return with a lavender recipe. In the past year, I’ve become obsessed with lavender. My boyfriend inspired it by using lavender essential oil in his diffuser when we met. Something about keeping mosquitos out of his bedroom.

When he left for Spain for eight stupid months (ugh), he left me with the oil so I could fall asleep to that smell every night. I started drinking lavender tea at work to soothe my sadness while he was gone. I bought lavender-scented lotion, shampoo, and conditioner. I buy lavender-flavored kombucha. It’s kind of become my signature scent.

Lavender pairs well with citrus and berries, so I incorporated both. A touch of sweetener does help make the floral flavor of the lavender more delicious. If it’s not sweet enough,it does have a soapy taste. You’ve been warned.

Random Recommendations:

• [reads] my article on HealthiNation, “8 Life Lessons Everyone Could Learn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapists” (my favorite thing I’ve ever written)
• [eats] the Sticky Sesame Cauliflower from Chocolate Covered Katie