It's April 1st, and Spring has sprung. Bloomington's trees are exploding, college students are coming out of hibernation, and allergies are in full blast. I've been feeling sudden urges to get out of my room and take my online classes elsewhere to experience campus for the first time in a while. Mornings are chilly here, but the sun usually warms up my college town by noon. As I sit in my beloved business school building, sipping on my sugar-free caramel latte, I reminisce on this Winter and the adventures that await us this Spring.
In my sorority house in which I live, we are fortunate enough to have kitchen staff to make us three meals a day most days of the week. Chef Cody and Jessie have been with us for long enough to understand the picky eaters in the house and adjust to the dairy-frees, the gluten-frees, the vegans, and the I-don't-eat-much-aside-from-lettuce gals. I've taken advantage of having our chefs, becoming friends with them to make mealtimes that much more exciting. Cody and Jessie have crushed the breakfast game recently. And although this blog update is about what I haven't been eating at school and instead of an update of my breakfasts back at home, keep an eye out for a feature on sorority house eats coming soon.
It's no secret that I love oatmeal most times of the year. I say most because on a 90 degree summer day, I'll usually prefer something that's not right off the stove. But oatmeal is my way of warming my insides while adding some sugar and spice, too. Every bowl of oatmeal is different, making every breakfast experience unique. I love mixing fruits with spices, crunch with the texture of smooth, hearty oats. Today, I spill the secrets of my oatmeal craze.
Start with your base: oats. I've been inspired by @oatmeal_stories on Instagram; Magda takes oatmeal to a whole new level. From her, I've learned how to mix my Quaker Oats old-fashioned oats with almond milk, throwing some chia seeds for extra filling, and with some maple syrup and/or vanilla for extra flavor. This is on the stove, by the way - we don't do microwavable oatmeal here. The stove allows the milk to be soaked up by everything else, and all flavors blend into a perfect mush. Once in a while, I'll throw blueberries to get them all explode-y from the heat. There's an art to oatmeal, but you also have creative freedom.
While your oatmeal is simmering on the stove, prepare your toppings. Wash a handful of blueberries, slice a banana, spoon out the nut butter - I go for unsalted crunchy almond butter. As I mentioned before, each new oatmeal is unique and a chance to try out new combinations. On the special day when raspberries are on sale, I'll throw a few onto my oatmeal, too. On the days where I need an extra boost of protein, I'll put a spoonful and a half of my nut butter. Again, freedom to explore with your oats.
Explore with your base and toppings. Sometimes I opt to smash my banana into my oats onto the stove instead of having slices on top. That goes for my raspberries, too. Sometimes I'll be craving sweeter oatmeal, so I'll sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, but might also sprinkle some into my base, too.
Whether I'm sleeping in till late morning or I have a busy morning, I tend to eat breakfast around noon. I find that my oatmeal usually holds me over until a quick mid-afternoon snack break before dinner. The all-natural ingredients fill me up and keep me going as I know exactly what's going in my body. Not to hate on microwavable packets, but you never know what manufacturers sneak in those.
As the seasons change and oatmeal trends go in and out with the seasonality of fruits, I like to explore and play around in the kitchen. During chilly autumn months, I'll chop up a Honeycrisp apple and throw it on the stove with a dash of cinnamon and honey to make sweet, glazed apples to throw on top of my oatmeal. They add a crunch that differs so greatly from blueberries and certainly hold me over for a while. However, because apples aren't really juicy when cooked, my oatmeal bowl can tend to get too thick. Because of this, I'll purposely make my oatmeal milkier to balance out the texture. Other fun toppings include a honey drizzle, chia seeds, pomegranate seeds, and a spoonful of Nutella.
I'm at my best when I'm making a great bowl of oatmeal for myself (and any friend or sibling nearby), but being at school means I don't have access to a kitchen of my own. But when I move into an apartment in the future, wherever I end up, my oats are coming with me. I'll always attempt to eat healthy, natural foods; all it starts with is a great breakfast to get my day started!
Until next time!
See below for other fun oat creations!
Yummy post. I look forward to sampling new creations together.