Try saying that ten times fast!
It is now Thursday mid-afternoon, halfway through November and I have been promising myself for the past two weeks that I would write another blog post soon. There’s at least ten half-conceptualized blog ideas floating between my phone notes, the folder in my laptop and tucked in the corner of my brain not consumed by school/extracurriculars/meetings/what I’m having for dinner tonight. They range in content from cheap places to eat on campus, to coping with change, to taking chances, to modifying self-perception. For whatever reason I just couldn’t bring myself to sit down and write, start to finish, a full post. It’s strange because I have no problem making studying, cooking, working out, volunteering and other commitments a priority. So why is it that I neglect the creative side of myself? But I guess that’s a whole other post in itself.
Anyways, I decided instead of tackling some of those big themes, I’d overcome my mini writer’s block by writing about something I know and love: breakfast. A couple of weeks ago in my LFS 100 Class, we had a presentation on whether or not people who eat breakfast are healthier and consume more nutrients than the breakfast skippers. The results of the study were semi-inconclusive as to how beneficial breakfast truly was- but I don’t care. I love breakfast and science can’t tell me to stop eating it!
My favourite breakfast is oatmeal. Back home I used to make extravagant oatmeal masterpieces with all the free time and resources I had. I even made a collage of some of the highlights because this is the kind of things people with no friends do during summer vacation, no big deal.
Now I’m devouring a more stripped down (but just as satisfying) version. It’s perfect to make at the start of the week and then have as a quick breakfast on the run before class.
Base Oatmeal Recipe- Makes 3 servings
Ingredients
1 c large flake oats
3 c water
2 eggs
1 small shredded zucchini
1.5 tbs chia seeds
Fruit
Cinnamon
Optional Toppings: chopped nuts, peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, fresh fruit, yogurt
Directions
Bring water and oats to boil in a medium saucepan on high heat then reduce to medium until most of the water has evaporated. Add eggs, stirring frequently until fully cooked. Add chopped fruit, cinnamon and zucchini and cook until the fruit is soft. Remove from heat, fold in chia seeds (if there is not much liquid left in the oats, add in some more water or milk as the chia seeds will absorb it). Divide into three containers (I prefer mason jars as it keeps it fresh longer), throw in some toppings, then enjoy throughout the week!
I forgot to take a pic of just the oatmeal so I thought I’d brush up on my amazing photo editing skills. Boom.
This recipe is great because it is really filling due to the high fibre oats and chia, plus it even has some vegetables in it (I swear you can’t taste the zucchini).
I also normally add ~2 scoops of protein powder per 3 serving batch because I eat it after my workouts, and it adds a little bit more sweetness. Another way to up the protein content is to add in plain greek yogurt after the oatmeal cools.
Oatmeal is super customizable so play around with different fruit and topping combos. Berries, apple, banana and mango all go great in oatmeal; I usually go with 2 pieces of fruit for the 3 serving batch, so 2 apples, or 2 bananas, or about 1.5 cup chopped fruit total. Or branch out and try carrot cake oatmeal with shredded carrots and chopped walnuts, or savoury oatmeal with spinach, mushrooms and peppers and some cottage cheese mixed in.
Personally, if I don’t eat breakfast I can’t even begin to focus on my studies because all I can think about is when I’m going to eat next. But who am I kidding, I do that anyways. This oatmeal helps to push my constant hunger to the background, allowing me to feel satisfied until lunch time and focus on my morning classes.
On an unrelated note, I inhaled the same air as Dan Mangan and my life is now complete. Stay cool chickpeas ✌
