Tag Archives: coconut

Coconut-Lime Oatmeal with Apples

The best thing ever happened when I was at the supermarket the other day: organic Red Delicious apples were on SALE. Granted, it was still $1.99/lb, but that’s still much better than 2.99/lb!

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My soul always dies a little bit during the summer months when apples are out of season. Why can’t all produce be in season all the time? 🙂

Okay, I don’t really mean that. There is something exciting about fruits and veggies coming in and out of season. It also adds a sentimental value; squash and pumpkins and apples make me dream of autumn leaves and crisp, cool breezes; sweet corn and zucchini remind me of hot summer cookouts; asparagus and rhubarb and strawberries make me grin with the thought of spring and the promise of warmer days. (more…)


Pina Colada Oatmeal

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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Coconut Cream Pie Oatmeal

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? (more…)


Mocha Oatmeal (with Variations)

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. (more…)


Mango Raspberry Oatmeal

Dude. Teaching is hard.

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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…

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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. . .

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Loaded Banana Oatmeal

Do you ever have trouble deciding which kind of oatmeal to make in the morning because you kind of just want everything??

If so, this one’s for YOU. It’s like an Everything Bagel, without the garlic.

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Normally, when we hear the word “loaded,” we think of heart attacks like loaded chili or loaded baked potatoes, which usually feature bacon, sour cream, and junk food like “Funyuns.” No, thanks.

THIS loaded concoction can be as healthy (or unhealthy) as you like. For a healthier route, look for toppings like fresh fruit, dried fruit, peanut butter, puffed rice, any type of yogurt, nuts, raw chia or hemp seed, banana butter, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, granola, or more sliced banana. You could also add maple syrup or honey on top.

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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.

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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.

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Almond Joy Oatmeal

I truly did have great ambitions for the blog this week. I had a couple new ideas for breakfast oatmeal, a lengthy list of savory oatmeal possibilities, and even a couple baked goods in mind. But then I went ahead and got myself a kidney stone.

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Yes, Wednesday morning, I awoke bright and early with a kidney stone slicing its way to my bladder. How pleasant! I practically sang and danced all the way to the emergency room. Never in my life have I been filled with such joy and endless optimism!Yeah right. In truth, it was easily the most painful experience I’ve ever been through. Luckily for me, it was only one small stone, and it passed pretty quickly. I’ll count my lucky stars this time.

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Strawberry Banana Oatmeal

This morning, I had full intentions of making my Chocolate Strawberry Oatmeal. As I started heating up the almond milk on the stove, however, I had a sudden change of heart. I wanted something different. Something without chocolate. I’ve done the chocolate thing too much lately.

How have I not tried the strawberry-banana combo yet with oatmeal? It’s so obvious; it has to be one of the most classic flavor combinations out there!

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