Reflections on 30 Days of Oatmeal

First of all, I have a confession. I didn't eat oatmeal every day for 30 days. I ate oatmeal almost twice a day from 1/31/17 to 2/16/17 to prepare for this blog series. With that being said, here are some reflections on the challenge:

1) It's hard to come up with new recipes! No wonder The Oatmeal Artist only posts once or twice a week. I have to admit that some of the recipes posted weren't my favorite, but that's okay. At the end of the day, "it's just food," not the be-all, end-all of life.

2) Blogging is work! I enjoy it, but every day is too much. Expect fewer posts in the future.

3) It is possible to get too much of a good thing. Some nights, I didn't want to eat oatmeal for a second time. Most nights I did, so as to finish creating 30 recipes, but some nights, I gave myself a break. It's good to learn to listen to one's body.

4) Rolled oats are good, but quick oats are convenient. I like the rich, chewy texture of rolled oats, but I often don't have the extra 5-10 minutes it takes to cook them. Enter quick oats, which I used for this entire challenge. They cook in as few as 5 minutes and still have the same excellent flavor and nutrition as rolled oats. If my choice is no oatmeal or quick oats, I'll choose quick.

5) Adding extra water makes extra creamy oats. I read this tip on someone's Instagram post (I've forgotten whose!) and it's great. After the oats thicken, I add 1/4 to 1/2 c more water and simmer a little longer and it makes extra voluminous and yummy oats. Try it!

6) Tried but true recipes are where it's at. I was so happy to sit down to a plain bowl of chocolate oats after I finished this challenge. I liked experimenting, but it got tiring after awhile. "Everyone should have a house meal" and this is my house breakfast: 1/2 c quick oats, 1 c water, 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 t cinnamon, and 1 T dark cocoa powder.

For those of you who followed along with this challenge, which recipes did you try?

Which were your favorite?

Let me know in the comments section below.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Pumpkin Apple with Maple Peanut Butter Drizzle

Hooray! I've reached my final day of oatmeal, and I wanted to celebrate with a special bowl of porridge. Enter pumpkin apple oats with a maple peanut butter drizzle.

The Oatmeal Artist has done pumpkin apple before, but what makes this bowl special is the maple peanut butter over the smooth, spicy, and warm porridge. See all that melted peanut butter gooeyness on top of the oats? Yum!

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
2 T pumpkin puree
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1 apple, diced
1 T peanut butter
1 t maple syrup
1 t coconut oil

Directions:

1. Combine diced apple, oats, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
3. Transfer oats to a bowl.
4. In a separate pan, melt peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Drizzle over oats and enjoy!

30 Days of Oatmeal: Tart Ginger Strawberry

To be honest, I was aiming for a strawberry gingerbread flavor for this oatmeal. Traditionally, gingerbread contains molasses as a sweetener. I omitted it and ended up with a porridge stronger in the ginger flavor.

You know what, though? I actually liked the tart flavor. And this simple porridge lends itself to all kinds of potential toppings: almond butter, coconut, crushed ginger snaps, etc. Have fun with this one!

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
1/2 c frozen strawberries, thawed

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine oats and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in spices, and then fold in strawberries.
3. When strawberries are warm, transfer oats to a bowl and add toppings as desired.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Pumpkin Pie and Gingered Applesauce

The Oatmeal Artist has made quite a few swirl recipes, so I decided to try my hand at developing a swirl bowl for myself. In my bowl, I combined pumpkin pie and gingered applesauce.

Let me tell you, I am a fan! Creamy pumpkin custard plus warm, sweet gingered apple? Mmm! This may be a fall-ish recipe, but I argue that you can enjoy it anytime.

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1/4 c pumpkin puree
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 c applesauce
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t vanilla

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine oats and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, separate oats into two pans. Into one pan, add the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Into the other pan, add the applesauce, ginger, and vanilla.
3. Stir oats until all ingredients are mixed and warm.
4. Transfer oats to a bowl, making sure to keep sides separated. (I used a silicone spatula for this purpose.)
5. Swirl the flavors together and enjoy!

30 Days of Oatmeal: Throw It All In!

Ever have a little bit of this and that lying around? For this recipe, throw it all in!

Here, I added almonds, coconut, and raisins. And of course, I sweetened the base with cinnamon. I soaked all the ingredients in water the night before to yield softer, more supple add-ins. (Almonds, coconut, and raisins become especially hard after lying around the cupboards for awhile. Use your judgment about whether or not to soak your ingredients.)

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1 t cinnamon
1 T raisins
1 T dried, shredded coconut (I use Trader Joe's.)
2 T almonds

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low.
2. When oats reach desired consistency (add more water if necessary), transfer to a bowl.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Cinnamon Ginger Oat Milk

I first read about oat milk on The Oatmeal Artist's blog. I didn't try it until I received the cookbook Oatrageous Oatmeals this Christmas, however. It's pretty simple and pretty yummy if you like the flavor of oats.



The ingredients are simple: rolled oats and milk. Only here, I added cinnamon and ginger for their health benefits. Cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar, while ginger calms the stomach. This is a good drink to pair with breakfast (though it doesn't have much protein, so if you need that, make sure to add in another food.)

Ingredients:

1/4 c rolled oats
1 1/4 c water, divided
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t vanilla

Directions:

1. In a glass blender, soak 1/4 c rolled oats and 1 c filtered water for at least 30 minutes.
2. Blend water and oats and strain through a sieve.
3. Transfer oat puree in sieve back to blender with 1/4 c water and blend again.
4. Strain liquid in blender and add to oat milk.
5. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together the oat milk, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir continually until milk riches a boil and thickens slightly.
6. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
7. Transfer to a mug and enjoy.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Chocolate Pumpkin Trifle

You may have noticed that I like pumpkin. You may have also noticed that I post very few overnight oats recipes. I'm cold natured, so I prefer hot oats. But in the interest of variety, here's an overnight recipe for you.

I was inspired in this recipe by pumpkin pie protein oats from Amy's Healthy Baking and the chocolate pumpkin cornbread layer cake by Marla Meridith. And let me tell you, this recipe has it all: fudgy chocolate, custardy pumpkin, and sweet apple. These oats make a great on-the-go breakfast or snack!

Ingredients:

6 T quick cooking oats, divided
1/2 c pumpkin, divided
1/4 c applesauce
1/4 t vanilla
1 t cocoa powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine 2 T oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/4 t cinnamon, and 1 t cocoa powder. Layer in bottom of a mason jar.
2. Wash out the bowl and combine 2 T oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, and 1/4 t pumpkin pie spice. Add to jar.
3. Wash out bowl and combine 2 T oats, 1/4 c applesauce, and 1/4 t vanilla. Add to jar.
4. Refrigerate oats overnight and enjoy in the morning.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Lemon Vanilla Cinnamon

Think of the sweetness of a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day, the thirst-quenching tang of lemon melded with the smooth syrup of sugar. I've replicated that here, using no sugar, and only four ingredients.

Try apples (my choice here), berries, nut butter, or yogurt as toppings. The sky's the limit.

Ingredients:

1/2 c rolled oats
1 c water
1 t cinnamon
2 T lemon juice
1 t vanilla
Topping(s) of your choice

Directions:

1. Combine  water and oats in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to  medium low.

2. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla.

3. Transfer oats to a bowl and add your choice of toppings.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Vegan Red Bean

It's time for a savory oatmeal recipe! This one is reminiscent of vegan red beans and rice. (Shameless plug: I'm a big fan of the Budget Bytes recipe blog. Beth Moncel's recipes are savory, scrumptious, and low cost.)

Anyway, back to the oats. In this recipe, I incorporated the creaminess of oats with the traditional spices of red beans. (I used pinto beans in lieu of red beans, however, as that is all we had in the house.) I added salsa to emulate the onion and peppers usually added to red beans.

Try this recipe and tell me what you think!

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1/4 t garlic
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t smoked paprika
Dash cayenne
1/2 c pinto beans (or red beans if you have them)
2 T medium salsa

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring oats and water in a boil. Lower to a simmer.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in the spices. Then add the salsa.
3. Fold in the beans and allow them to warm.
4. Transfer the oatmeal to a bowl and enjoy!

30 Days of Oatmeal: Orange Peanut Butter Blossom Oatmeal

I found some orange extract in the back of Mom's cupboard. I wanted to use it, but didn't want to miss out on my nightly dose of chocolate. (I often eat oatmeal as a nighttime snack before bed.) I remembered the chocolate oranges I had growing up, and this recipe was born.

I didn't know how peanut butter would play into this recipe, but I wanted it, so I added it. It really blended the flavors and made the orange and cocoa flavors stand out. Without the topping, the porridge was just bland.

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
4 t dark cocoa powder
1/2 t orange extract
2 T natural peanut butter

Directions:

1. Bring oats and water to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
2. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the cocoa, and orange extract.
3. Transfer oatmeal to a bowl and top with peanut butter. Swirl the peanut butter into the oatmeal for the best effect.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Thai Apple Oats

Those who know me well know I love Thai food, especially Thai noodles. The savory, spicy, sweet sauce made from rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and a few other ingredients is one of my favorites. Drawing on the Thai condiments in my cupboard, I developed this recipe.

Warm apples sautéed in sesame oil, chopped peanuts, and if you're brave, a little rice vinegar in the oat base. Are you ready?

Ingredients:

1/2 t sesame oil
1 apple, chopped (I used gala)
1/2 c quick cooking oatmeal
1 c water
1/2 t cinnamon
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 c unroasted peanuts, chopped
Sea salt for topping

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, warm the sesame oil. Add the apples and sauté over medium heat until slightly brown.
2. In another pan, combine the oatmeal and water and bring to a boil.
3. Lower heat to low and simmer until oats reach desired consistency.
4. Stir cinnamon and rice vinegar into oats and transfer to a bowl.
5. Top oats with a scant layer of sea salt, the chopped peanuts, and the sautéed apples.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Gingerbread Peach

Just like with the tart strawberry ginger oats, I went sweetener free with this recipe. The canned peaches had some of their own sugar, and that evened out the flavors.

I tasted the cloves most strongly in this recipe, but I liked their warm spice with the warmth of the porridge. I'd definitely make this very simple recipe again!

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
1/2 c canned peaches

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine oats and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in spices, and then fold in peaches.
3. When strawberries are warm, transfer oats to a bowl and add toppings as desired.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Chocolate Bowl Cake with Pumpkin Oatmeal Custard Topping

Hungry for a healthy dessert? Or a decadent breakfast? Don’t want to turn on the oven, but want something cakey? Try this chocolate bowl cake with pumpkin oat custard topping!

I discovered mug cakes via Chocolate Covered Katie and Happy Herbivore. Then I stumbled upon the collection of mug cakes at Kirbie's Cravings. I tried her skinny pumpkin mug cake and was absolutely hooked.

I’ve found, however, that mug cakes work just as well in bowls as they do in mugs. And I find bowls more convenient.

For this recipe, I combined the wonders of the chocolate mug cake with pumpkin custard.

I prefer to soak the whole cake with milk to make it extra sweet and squishy (and to cool down the cake so that I can eat it more quickly), but if you like dense cakes and have patience to wait for the cake to cool, feel free to skip this step.

Ingredients:

For the cake-

¼ c whole wheat flour

¼ t baking powder

Dash of salt

1 t cinnamon

1 T cocoa powder

2 T pumpkin puree

¼ c milk

1 t liquid sweetener (agave, honey, maple syrup, or molasses)

For the pumpkin oat custard topping-

2 T quick cooking oats

¼ t pumpkin pie spice

1 t brown sugar

2 T pumpkin puree

Directions:

1. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.

2. Stir in the pumpkin puree, milk, and sweetener until thoroughly mixed. (Add extra liquid if necessary.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the oats, pie spice, and brown sugar.

4. Add the pumpkin puree to the oat mixture and stir until combined.

5. Top chocolate cake mixture with oat custard and microwave for three minutes on high.

6. Pour milk over cake to soak it, and enjoy!

30 Days of Oatmeal: Curried Peanut Butter and Jelly + Afghan 48

I have a confession: I didn't eat peanut butter until age 20. And I only ate it then out of duress. I was missing far too many meals at the college cafeteria and needed a portable meal. Peanut butter sandwiches became my thing.

In this recipe, I incorporated many of my favorite oatmeal techniques: cooking oats with applesauce, mixing spices into peanut butter, and leaving my topping on top, rather than swirling them in.

I'd say this recipe was pretty successful. I liked the earthy spice of the curried peanut butter with the sweet oats and strawberry topping. I used 1 teaspoon of vanilla in my peanut butter mixture, but found it too strong, so I reduced it here.

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1/4 c applesauce
1 T strawberry jam
1 T peanut butter
1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t vanilla

Directions:

1. In a small bowl or cup, mix peanut butter, curry powder, and vanilla until combined. Set aside.
2. Combine oats and water in a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
3. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in the applesauce. Bring all ingredients to warm.
4. Pour oats into a bowl and top with the curried peanut butter and the strawberry jam.


--

And now for a different subject: Crochet. 

I finished this afghan on Thursday. 

It took me about two and a half months to finish, but I'm happy with that time given my last afghan completion time of nine months.

I'm still having trouble with my hand. The injection of botox helped the clenching and the pain, but took away my grip strength. After the injection, I found myself unable to open a door, gas up my car, or even hold a half gallon milk carton. (I found this out when the carton fell from my hand clear to the tile kitchen floor. Thankfully, it didn't burst.) I could hardly braid my hair or grasp anything at all. My pinky stayed permanently extended. The only way to put it down was to force it down with my other hand. Thankfully, through it all, I could crochet (hence the finishing of this blanket).

The botox has started to wear off and I find my grip strength and ability to make a fist returning, but my hand clenching a bit again. I still have trouble typing. I walk and jog with my hand in a fist to keep the hand from flopping. I'm not healed, so I see the doctor again next month.

I don't know if the issue with my hand is really dystonia, or if it is something else. (My hand oddly twitches at times.) For now, though, I count the blessing of another afghan's completion and pray for strength for future days. To God be the glory.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Chocolate Vanilla Peach

Let's just admit it: I like chocolate oatmeal, in almost all forms. This recipe adds a little something different: peaches.

And the peaches just happened to fall into the shape of a heart when I added them. The heat of the oats warmed the peaches, and I found the medley a scrumptious combination.

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1 T cocoa powder
1 t vanilla
1/2 c canned peaches

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring oats and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in cocoa powder and vanilla.
3. Transfer porridge to a bowl and top with peaches.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Cinnamon Blueberry

The Oatmeal Artist introduced me to the loveliness of peanut butter and blueberries with her Nutty 'Nana Berry Oatmeal. For this recipe, however, I didn't have or want the banana. I wanted something that tasted a little more like a muffin. Enter the cinnamon.

I'm not normally a huge fan of blueberries, but creamy sweet and spicy porridge with pops of berry and swirls of rich peanut butter? Count me in! This might be a new entrant to the regular breakfast oatmeal rotation.

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c fresh blueberries
1 T (or more!) natural peanut butter for topping

Directions:

1. Bring the oats and water to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
2. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the cinnamon and add the blueberries.
3. Once the blueberries are warm, transfer the oatmeal to a bowl and top with peanut butter.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Pizza Parfait

 Are you a fan of cold leftover pizza for breakfast? Some are. Some aren’t. I’d probably put myself in the later category.

The Oatmeal Artist has a great pizza porridge recipe, but I wanted to go a bit different. I wanted a quick, on-the-go, savory version. So I went parfait style.

This recipe tastes exactly like a piece of cold cheese pizza, a good piece of cheese pizza-the kind that comes from a pizzeria, not a pizza chain. The spices I added tasted right for me, but feel free to adjust them to your own personal taste.

Ingredients:

½ c quick cooking oats, divided

½ c tomato sauce*, divided

½ c plain yogurt (I used Mountain High Dairy’s whole milk yoghurt**)

¼ t dried basil

¼ t dried oregano

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Sea salt

Directions:

1. Mix together ¼ c oats, ¼ c tomato sauce, and ¼ t oregano. Layer in the bottom of a one cup jar.

2. Add a layer of ¼ c yogurt, topped with a sprinkle of garlic powder and sea salt.

3. Mix together ¼ c oats, ¼ c tomato sauce, and ¼ t basil. Layer in jar.

4. Add another layer of ¼ c yogurt, topped with a sprinkle of onion powder and sea salt.

5. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least eight hours.

*I used home-canned tomato sauce, which can be runnier than store-bought. Adjust liquid amounts as needed.

**Use whole milk yogurt for best flavor. Low-fat or fat-free yogurt will be runnier and have less flavor.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Wassail Oats

Are you familiar with the classic Christmas quaff, wassail? It's a mulled cider drink filled with all kinds of warming spices including cinnamon and cloves. Today, I've recreated it in oatmeal form.

Maybe not the prettiest bowl of oats ever, but yummy for sure!

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick oats
1/2 c cranberry grape juice*
1/2 water
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1 T (or more!) natural peanut butter for topping.

Directions:

1. Bring the oats, juice, and water to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
2. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the cinnamon and cloves.
3. Pour the porridge into a bowl and top with the peanut butter.


*Substitute apple cider, apple juice, or straight cranberry juice for a slightly different take on this recipe.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Cinnamon Vanilla + Oreo Butter

The Oatmeal Artist is a huge proponent of using PB2 to make oatmeal toppings. I've never purchased PB2, however, and I don't plan to do so. PB2 takes all the good stuff out, like fat and protein. Fat and protein are the reasons I started eating peanut butter in the first place!

Anyway, I digress. I went with a simple cinnamon vanilla base for this porridge so as to accentuate the peanut butter topping.

I didn't expect the cocoa peanut butter to taste like Oreo, but man, did it? This little bit of chocolate on top of my porridge made my night!

Ingredients for the porridge:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla

Ingredients for the Oreo butter:

2 T natural peanut butter
2 t dark cocoa powder
1 t vanilla
Enough water to make the mixture spreadable (about 1 T)

Directions:

1. Bring the oats and water to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
2. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the cinnamon and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the Oreo butter ingredients until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour the cinnamon vanilla porridge into a bowl and top with the Oreo butter.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Microwave Chocolate Oatmeal Bake

Ever want something fudgy and sweet, but need something healthy that won't spike your blood sugar? Don't want to turn on the oven, but have a microwave? This is the mug cake, or special breakfast for you!

To make this recipe extra decadent, top with a square of chocolate or some semisweet chocolate chips. I chose a square of Ghirardelli's Mango Sunset.

Ready for the recipe?

Ingredients:

(Adapted from Kim's Cravings)

1/3 c instant oatmeal

1 T dark cocoa powder

1 T ground flax seed

1/3 c applesauce

1/4 c water

Optional toppings:

Chocolate square or chocolate chips

Milk

Directions:

1. Grease the inside of a small cup. (I used coconut oil. You can omit this step, but it will make the oatmeal bake hard to remove.)

2. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in the cup.

3. Microwave 3-5 minutes on high.*

4. Top with optional chocolate and a splash of milk.

*Note, this bake will remain fudgy due to the vegan ingredients.



30 Days of Oatmeal: Pumpkin Chili Cheese

Maybe I should have called this recipe risotto. I didn't taste the chili as much as I tasted the oregano, and with the addition of pumpkin, oh, was it creamy and rich.

Add gooey melted cheese, and this is a satisfying savory breakfast (or perhaps dinner!).

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/4 t chili powder
1/4 cumin
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 c shredded cheese

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine oats and water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, add pumpkin puree and spices. Stir to mix.
3. When oats are warmed, transfer to a bowl and top with the shredded cheese.