Pina Colada Oatmeal

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Lauren Smith

WHY did it take me so long to try this combination? The pineapple-coconut duo is one of my favorite flavor combos. It’s even better than strawberry-banana! Or–dare I say it–chocolate and peanut butter?

Nah, scratch that last one. Nothing’s better than chocolate and peanut butter.

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I really, really loved this oatmeal; it’s so flavorful and refreshing. Pineapple, as I’m learning, works beautifully in oatmeal. Some fruits lose their flavor after undergoing the slightest bit of cooking on the stove, or the flavor mysteriously disappears when combined with the oatmeal. (If anyone can explain this phenomenon to me, that’s be greatly appreciated.) On the other hand, pineapple not only retains its flavor, but seemingly gains more of it! You won’t need added sugar, and you won’t need special spices or extracts. A little coconut milk (or if nothing else, shredded coconut) is all it takes to elevate the pineapple.

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You can use either fresh or frozen pineapple. If you have fresh pineapple, feel free to add more as a topping at the very end!
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TIP: Zucchini

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Lauren Smith
Why would you add zucchini to oatmeal, you ask? The same reason people add it to brownies: for an extra serving of veggies.

This trick works best for “simple” recipes that lack other fruits and veggies. For example, it would really do wonders in plain Peanut Butter Oatmeal, Jam Oatmeal, or Choconut Oatmeal. These recipes are all lacking in produce, but they don’t need additional sweeteners (unlike Almond Joy or Thin Mints Oatmeal, which need a banana for sweetening). The one in the picture is an upcoming recipe that still needs tweaking, but I can tell you that the main ingredient was pumpkin butter. There was no fruit, and it didn’t need to be sweetened with a banana because pumpkin butter is already sweet. Thus, it’s a perfect candidate for zucchini!

I also want to point out that the zucchini will also leave streaks of green in your porridge, so it might affect the presentation of your oatmeal if you’re trying to impress someone else with your oatmeal skills. However, you could probably avoid that by skinning the zucchini first.

To bulk up your oatmeal with zucchini, simply use a fine grater (I use a cheese grater) to shred it up right into the saucepan. It’s best to add it immediately after adding the oats, so it has time to cook and get soft. Approximately 1/3 of a medium-sized zucchini is the perfect amount.

Alternatively, you could just make Zucchini Bread Oatmeal. 🙂

    **You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!
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    Coconut Cream Pie Oatmeal

    Posted on July 17, 2012 by Lauren Smith

    I’m on a strict no-dairy diet this week. And maybe the next. And perhaps the next. I generally avoid dairy anyway, but it’s a little more of a struggle when I’m at home with my parents. Mid-last week, my teenage acne returned. My face looked absolutely dreadful! I’m going to point the finger at the return of dairy into my diet over the past two weeks.

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    Now that I’m back “home,” I’m eager to return to my dairy-free lifestyle. If I say so myself, this oatmeal is the PERFECT way to enjoy this diet. It’s the ultimate celebration of everything coconut. And wow, was it delicious! As I assembled it, I worried endlessly. Would it be sweet enough? Would the “Greek yogurt” give it an unpleasant taste? Continue reading →

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    Nutty ‘Nana Berry Oatmeal

    Posted on July 16, 2012 by Lauren Smith

    I’ve been selfish with this one. Really selfish.

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    I’ve been making this for months. Really. Months. And it’s not that I was “perfecting the recipe” or anything like that. No, not at all. In reality, I just never had the opportunity to photograph it! I was either too lazy, it was raining, I didn’t have any good dishes to use for a picture, or I was in a hurry. Continue reading →

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    Dirty Chai Oatmeal

    Posted on July 15, 2012 by Lauren Smith

    I wish coffee shops would stop bastardizing chai.

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    You know what I mean. You know exactly what I mean. The standard coffee shop version of chai tea comes in powdered form and is full of sugar. It gives me absolutely no control over ingredients. With other drink selections, I can request soy milk or only one pump of flavor. With chai tea, I’m stuck with the powdered sugarfest. Continue reading →

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    Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

    Posted on July 14, 2012 by Lauren Smith

    This wasn’t the recipe I intended to post today, but I’d say it makes a pretty good back-up, don’t you think?

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    I was poking around my sister’s kitchen when I discovered the most glorious thing: a jar of pumpkin butter. Half of me was overjoyed, yet the other half of me was peeved. I knew exactly when and where she got that jar. . . because I bought one, too. We were at a glorious souvenir shop in Estes Park, Colorado. It was a little over a YEAR ago. I finished mine within a couple of months.

    . . . Hers is still nearly full.

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    I was appalled! However, I opened it up, stirred it a little, and sniffed it. It seemed perfectly fine still, despite being over a year old. It needed some love, though (after being ignored for so long), so I made the recipe that I used to make last summer when I had my own jar. . . but I made it even better by adding some chocolate chips. 🙂

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    The awesome thing about pumpkin butter is that it’s already seasoned and very flavorful. It tastes like pumpkin pie in a jar! That makes it a great candidate for “5 ingredients or less” recipes. However, if you can’t get a hand on any pumpkin butter, you could recreate it by using pumpkin pie filling OR regular pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie spices.

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    Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

    Prep Time: 2 minutes

    Cook Time: 5 minutes

    Yield: serves 1

    What you'll need:

    • 1 cup milk of choice, or water
    • 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
    • 2 tbsp. pumpkin butter
    • pinch of salt
    • handful of chocolate chips

    How to make it:

    1. Bring milk (I use 1/2 c original almond milk and 1/2 c water water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. I also add a spoonful of milled flax at the same time as my oats.
    2. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add the pumpkin butter and salt. Stir.
    3. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, raisins, sunflower seeds), do so now.
    4. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice and chocolate chips. I also topped with sliced banana.
    https://www.theoatmealartist.com/pumpkin-and-chocolate-chip-oatmeal/
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    Mocha Oatmeal (with Variations)

    Posted on July 13, 2012 by Lauren Smith

    Wednesday morning, I had great plans for a Peppermint Mocha Oatmeal. I planned it while falling asleep the night before, and I woke up eager to try it out.

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    My dreams came crashing down when I opened my mother’s bottle of mint extract, only to get an awful whiff of spearmint. SPEARMINT!! Ugh. It was a combination of spearmint and peppermint. Unacceptable!

    I was not about to have spearmint mocha–gross. Instead, I just went with a simple mocha oatmeal, along with a little bit of vanilla extract to enhance the chocolate flavor. Continue reading →

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    Blueberry Cashew Oatmeal

    Posted on July 10, 2012 by Lauren Smith

    My mother is pretty wonderful. She knew I was coming to spend about two weeks at her and my father’s house, so she stocked up on food that she knew I would like: apples, bell peppers, honeydew, cantaloupe, whole wheat bread, watermelon, almond milk, organic spring mix (!!), and several varieties of nuts.

    Blueberry Cashew Oatmeal

    One of those nuts was cashews. What a treat! They are actually my mother’s favorite nuts, so I’m not surprised she picked them. 😉 I personally prefer almonds and pecans, so it’s not often that I have cashews. I’m not switching my allegiance yet, but I will say it was nice having something different. Continue reading →

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    Banana-Berry and White Chocolate Oatmeal

    Posted on July 7, 2012 by Lauren Smith

    Have you ever looked at the ingredients list for white chocolate?

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    Like most of my recipes, this particular one was sitting in my mind for a while. I didn’t want to actually buy white chocolate chips, though; it’s not an ingredient I would use a lot, and I knew my mom had a bag. Thus, my plan was to wait until I was visiting my parents to try this out. So that’s what I did. Continue reading →

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    Fudgy Banana and Peanut Butter Oatmeal

    Posted on July 7, 2012 by Lauren Smith
    **This post has been updated since its original post in July 2012**

    Which oatmeal do I run home to after a tough day at work? Which oatmeal is good enough to be my breakfast on my 23rd birthday? Which oatmeal do I turn to when my produce drawer is looking empty? Which oatmeal contains the best flavor trio (chocolate, banana, and peanut butter) EVER?

    This recipe was originally included as an option in my Variations on Peanut Butter Oatmeal post, but a porridge this good deserves special treatment. We’re talking about my favorite recipe, you guys.

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    After all…it’s pretty much heaven in a bowl. Sweet and creamy bananas…salty peanut butter….fudgy chocolate…ahhhh. But it’s so simple, too! I always have cocoa powder. I always have peanut butter. I always have bananas. If I don’t have a fresh banana available, I have some frozen bananas sliced up in the freezer, waiting for me at my convenience. This recipe is as dependable and cheap as it is delicious. Continue reading →

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