I never planned on doing this myself. It was always intended to be for guest posts. But when my featured poster had to back out, I didn’t want to throw the assignment on anyone else last minute (it can be a somewhat extensive project to just take on out of nowhere). So here I am.
You can read all about me elsewhere on the site (and, like, on every post), so what else is there to say about me? 🙂 So here are five facts about me:
(1) I love hip hop. I may dress like a 50s housewife, but I can spit every word to a variety of J. Cole, Kendrick, and Drake songs.
(2) I am the youngest of three kids. My parents recently celebrated their 32nd anniversary.
(3) I hate garlic and onion. Obviously I still eat them because food tastes pretty flavorless without it, but I generally reduce the amount from the recipe to a fifth of what they call for. The concept of “40-cloves-of-garlic chicken” that I see on Pinterest all the time is abhorrent to me, and not just because of the chicken.
(4) I set an alarm for 5:30 am every day (even weekends) because I just love mornings.
(5) I was involved in just about everything in high school, which is common in small towns: volleyball, basketball (until 9th grade), softball (until 11th grade), wrestling cheerleading (until 11th grade), football cheerleading, theater, choir, band (alto saxophone), Business Professionals of America, knowledge bowl (9th grade only). I hated most of them except theater, choir, and BPA. 🙂
^^ baby high school Lauren
Now, here is what a week of oatmeal looks like for the Oatmeal Artist herself!
Wednesday: Banana Oatmeal with Almond Butter & Grape Jelly
It’s basically Banana PB&J Oatmeal, but with almond butter. My favorite is the salted crunchy AB from Trader Joe’s. This is a pretty standard choice for me, especially when I’m at my parents’ house (which I was for Christmas).
Thursday: Brownie Batter Oatmeal + toppings
Brownie Batter Oatmeal is another classic. (I would have loved to have Cardamom Fudge but my mom doesn’t have cardamom. 🙁 ) Blackberries were on sale! I also enjoyed the wide range of baking ingredients my mom has on hand, like the walnuts and coconut.
Friday: Banana Oatmeal with Almond Butter and Blackberries
Today I babysat my nephew, Graham, so I made us a simple Banana Oatmeal and topped his with blackberries and bananas (he loves berries), and I added almond butter to mine. I was afraid to give nut butter to a toddler. Nut allergies scare me. 😛
Saturday (Christmas Eve!) – Almond Joy Oatmeal
Since I have almond butter, the original Almond Joy Oatmeal seemed like a natural choice. Plus, my mom has sweetened shredded coconut. I definitely prefer the unsweetened kind (better texture, and it’s toastable), but it’s always a fun change to have it sweetened sometimes. Kind of like how regular Oreos are the best, but every now and then it’s fun to have a peanut butter Oreo. Stuff like that. 😉
Sunday (Christmas Day)
Despite my grand ideas for my Christmas Day oatmeal, I ended up being dreadfully sick and couldn’t even keep a single grape down (believe me, I tried). So no oatmeal was had. 🙁
Monday – Grape & Rosemary Oatmeal
This is a combination of Grape & Rosemary Oatmeal and Grape & Walnut Oatmeal, with a bonus of a little almond butter. I was still a little queasy Monday morning so that little teaspoon of richness was about all I could handle. I chose to make this because I rarely buy grapes (is it just me, or do they cost a billion dollars?), but my mom always has them on hand. We also had rosemary for our holiday baking, so I used the opportunity to make this recipe again.
Tuesday – Mocha Berry Blackout Oatmeal
It’s basically Berry Blackout Oatmeal with a Mocha Brownie Batter base. I used coffee extract instead of coffee granules for the first time, and I must say, I’m not a fan. It tastes a bit like a bad cold brew. I shall stick to the instant granules! The oatmeal is topped with dried cranberries, the last of my blackberries, and some chopped unsweetened baking chocolate (like the 100% cacao stuff). My mom will not be thrilled when she opens up that package and sees that sliver missing. ?
The next day, I had Rosemary Brownie Batter Oatmeal. I wish I could have taken a photo but I got up really early (to get back on my usual sleep schedule) and it was still pitch black out.
Would you like to be an Oatmeal Enthusiast in 2017?
Head to my Contact page and shoot me an email. I’d love to feature you!
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