If you’re a regular on Instagram and my #oatmealartist feed, you probably know Dana as the one with the mountain of toppings on her porridge. And I don’t simply mean “mountain” as “a lot.” I mean her toppings–like graham cracker ‘crumble’ or granola or yogurt–form a perfectly shaped mountain atop her oats. Now she is October’s Oatmeal Enthusiast!
Before I get started, I wanted to take a moment to thank Lauren for contacting me and offering me an opportunity to share my oats with the world! My name is Dana, I live in New York City, and although my entire academic career has been strictly dedicated to literature and analysis, I have always – ever since I was a child – had a flair for all things creative. My artistic interests include everything from music and drawing to cooking and baking. I became a foodie in my first year or two of college and if anyone else reading this happens to be an NYC native, I’m sure you’ll agree that it can offer a plethora of eclectic culinary inspirations.
Although I love working with all different kinds of food, breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day. In my opinion, it offers a wide range of creative liberty, from baked goods to skillet dishes, from sweet to savory, breakfast is just all around fun.
This brings me to my love of oatmeal. Now where do I begin? There are so many reasons to love oats, they are a delicious, easy to make and good for you but one of my favorite aspects of oats is that they are a canvas. You really can do almost anything with them. From warm and comforting to cool and creamy, oats have it all! Few foods provide the opportunity to bring such a dessert-like decadence to meals that are healthy and nourishing for your body. Finally, and this certainly won’t be a surprise, because oatmeal is such a natural canvas, it is the perfect food to use to create seasonally inspired dishes, which is something that I think everyone will notice I tried to focus on for the month of October. I hope everyone enjoys the bowls I’ve prepared for this week!
MONDAY: APPLE CRUMB BOWL
Cinnamon spiced oats, topped with caramelized apples and finished with a soft baked crumble and warm maple syrup.
TUESDAY: DOUBLE DARK CHOCOLATE PRETZEL OVERNIGHT OATS
Whole rolled oats blended with almond milk, Greek yogurt and dark chocolate cocoa powder all soaked overnight, topped with crushed dark chocolate covered pretzels and some cream 🙂
WEDNSEDAY: BANANA BREAD BOWL
Hot banana oatmeal, cooked with cinnamon and spices, topped with fresh banana, crushed grahams and a drizzle of warm honey for good measure!
THURSDAY: SWEET POTATO PIE BOWL
This one is one of my ABSOLUTE favorites!!! Whole rolled oats tossed with cinnamon, nutmeg and pie spices that is then soaked overnight with almond milk, Greek yogurt, sweet potato puree and both almond and vanilla extracts. All this goodness is then topped with crushed grahams, whipped cream and tiny marshmallows!
FRIDAY: BLUEBERRY BLISS BOWL
Oats cooked with fresh blueberries, lemon and ginger. I top it with more fresh blueberries, crunchy granola and a drizzle of warm honey.
SATURDAY: GINGERBREAD BOWL
Whole rolled oats allowed to soak overnight with almond milk, Greek yogurt, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground clove, nutmeg and vanilla extract. Finish with fresh cream, crushed ginger snaps and a cinnamon stick. (because its cute) 🙂
SUNDAY: ORANGE CRANBERRY CRUNCH BOWL
One of my favorite things about this bowl is that its color scheme is the epitome of fall. The oats are cooked with a blend of water and fresh orange juice and then topped with fresh oranges, crystallized ginger, dried cranberries and a graham crumble.
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