Tag Archives: 5 ingredients or less

Fuzzy Navel Oatmeal

Ahem. I better be careful posting all these cocktail oatmeal recipes, or people will get the wrong idea about me!

fuzzy-navel-oatmeal-008

But to be honest, the orange-peach combo is truly divine. Truly. And the oatmeal version is even better–no hangover included!
(more…)


Mango Raspberry Oatmeal

Dude. Teaching is hard.

raspberry-mango-oatmeal-004

I’m sure all jobs are difficult. That’s why they’re called jobs, and they’re for adults, and we spend our first twenty years of life preparing for them. But the learning curve for teaching is just intense. You’d think after observing teachers for my entire life up to this point, I’d be a master at it, but it seems the opposite is true. After being a student my whole life, teaching just seems foreign and terrifying.

But I’m taking it one day at a time. Yesterday morning, I was stressing out about…everything, and I came upon this tweet:


Coconut Mango Oatmeal

I used to call myself a locavore, which is the new trendy term that means one sources all of his or her food from local farmers and all that jazz. I still strongly believe in the moment. However…

coconut-mango-oatmeal-005

Being a locavore in South Dakota is nearly impossible. It would mean eating virtually nothing nine months out of the year. It would mean having very little variety in my diet. It would mean never having a mango, pineapple, banana, peach, orange, grapefruit, kiwi, avocado, grapes, or any other fruit that only grows in the tropics/subtropics.

Sorry, but that’s not the life I want to live. Seriously: if I let myself survive solely off local agriculture right now, I’d only be able to eat asparagus and rhubarb. We don’t even have strawberries yet.

And this is prime growing season. Imagine my options in the winter. . .

(more…)


Raspberry Lemonade Oatmeal

I will never, ever, ever think that frozen fruit compares to fresh fruit, especially when it comes to oatmeal. However, I like to always keep some on hand because you never know when it will come in handy.

Like today, for instance. I’m actually jetting off to visit a friend across the country for the week (post-graduation present to myself), so the last thing I should do right now is go to the grocery store and stock up on produce. Instead, I’m trying to finish up all the food that I have (or freeze it) so that I don’t come back to moldy bread and rotten berries.

lemon-raspberry-oatmeal-1-

I always, always, have sliced bananas stocked in the freezer, but sometimes I keep a supply of blueberries or raspberries in there as well (but never strawberries. Frozen strawberries are the worst). Today, with no other fresh fruit available to me, I was able to grab that bag of raspberries and make a delicious (and deliciously pink) bowl of oatmeal.

(more…)


Variations on PB Oatmeal

Considering my love for peanut butter, it’s no surprise that it frequently finds its way into my oatmeal! I was editing my 3 Basic Oatmeal Recipes post this morning, and I was baffled at how to display all the possibilities for peanut butter oatmeal without it being cluttered and confusing. Finally, I realized it deserved its own page. Think of all the variations I’ve created!

Here is a list of possible variations for my basic peanut butter oatmeal:

Chunky vs. Creamy:

The most obvious variation is to experiment with both chunky and creamy nut butters. I normally buy creamy PB, but chunky PB is exceptional in oatmeal! Give it a shot!

Peanut Butter & Banana:

Add a mashed banana (or half of one) after adding the oats, OR add banana butter when serving.

PB&J:

Stir in jam or jelly while the oatmeal is cooking OR drizzle/whirl it into the top of the oatmeal when serving. You could also make it with banana or apple.

 PB2:

Whisk in 2 tbsp of PB2 before your liquid begins to boil for an extra flavor boost.

 Honey-Nut:

Drizzle honey generously when serving. You could also add apples!

 Not Peanut Butter:

Try using almond, cashew, or any other nut butter in place of the peanut butter.

 Chocolate Peanut Butter:

Use a chocolate PB (like this one, or even something like Nutella), OR add 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder in place of the cinnamon.


Fruity Tea-Steeped Oatmeal with Kiwi

I’m extremely picky about my teas. If it’s weak and boring, get it out of my sight. However, if it’s too strong and the flavors are super intense, I’m not a fan of that, either.

tea-steeped-oatmeal-with-kiwi-003

This makes purchasing new teas extremely risky. They come in packs of twenty, so if I end up not liking it–too bad! I still have nineteen more. Luckily, I’ve developed ways to use up the teas I don’t like.
(more…)


Choconut Oatmeal

One of my favorite things about adopting a more healthful diet is that it taught me to try new foods. My diet used to consist of various combinations of potatoes, ground beef, corn, and Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Chicken, with occasional doses of Cheetos, Lucky Charms, and Toaster Strudels. Anything beyond that, I hated. If it didn’t taste exactly like something my mom made, I would turn my nose up.

choconut-oatmeal-006

Opening my mind to all foods has really helped me embrace all flavors and textures. Many foods that I hated five years ago have now become some of my favorites.

One food in particular has really captivated me lately: coconut. I had always hated it. I hated german chocolate cake because of the coconut. I hated Samoas because of the coconut. I hated coconut cream pie because of the coconut.

(more…)


Dark Chocolate Banana Oatmeal

This recipe is insanely easy. I especially recommend it if you’re new to the fabulous world of homemade porridge! The sweet richness of the Dark Chocolate almond milk gives this bowl of oats an intense, chocolaty flavor that is certain to win anyone over. This nondairy milk is heavenly, but I rarely let myself buy it because it’s what I call a “frivolous purchase.” However, when I do buy it, I always make sure to have bananas on hand so I can make this delightful breakfast.

chocolate-banana-oatmeal-2-
(more…)


Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

There are so many beautiful things about oatmeal that make it perfect for poor college students like me. First of all, it’s insanely cheap. One large container of Quaker oats, which contains around thirty(!!) servings, costs around $3. That’s $3 for a month’s worth of breakfasts! Second of all, you don’t need fancy or expensive ingredients to make it special. A few pantry staples can whip up a fantastic bowl of porridge.

apple-cinnamon-oatmeal-2-

My Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal is the perfect example of this, which is probably why it’s a standard in my oatmeal repertoire. I originally posted this in my list of basic oatmeal recipes on my other blog. However, I refer to it so frequently that I felt it deserved it’s own post, so voila:

(more…)


Basic Oatmeal How-To (3 Simple Recipes)

I really love oatmeal. It’s not just something I eat in the winter time, and it’s not something I eat once a month. I have it at least four times a week, all year round.

009

I had oatmeal for the first time two years ago, during my sophomore year of college. I knew I needed more soluble fiber in my diet to get my digestion issues under control, but I also wanted a low-cal option to help me lose my freshmen you-don’t-even-want-to-know-how-much.

(more…)