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Oatmeal Enthusiast: Meet Victoria!
I have actually known Victoria for a while now. I met her when she lived in New York for a while, and she recently did a guest post for Sweet Potato and Date Oatmeal. Considering how beautiful her oatmeal is, it’s about time she gets the well-deserved opportunity to be October’s Oatmeal Enthusiast! Yay!
Hello everyone !!
My name is Victoria (@healthymonkey_ on Instagram), I’m 19 and I’m thrilled to be your oatmeal enthusiast this month! I’d like to thank Lauren, because not only has she asked me to write this post during my favorite time of the year (yep, cold weather fan right here), but she’s been an inspiration for my daily bowl of oats for the past two years!
So here’s a little more about me, I recently moved from France to Canada where I am now studying International Development, Anthropology (Omgg this is an amazing subject to study, I highly recommend!) and environment at McGill University. I’m absolutely loving it here; Montreal is such a nice city, and winter being my favorite season, I am beyond excited to finally put my rain boots back on and have snow on my doorstep in a few months’ time .
I also live with my cat, Dartagnan, the cutest little fur ball I’ve ever seen (yes I’m a proud crazy cat lady, but we all know they make, hands down, the best companions ever, so no shame whatsoever).
Anyway, I’m rambling here. We’re here for oatmeal, right?
So my love story with oatmeal started on my path to becoming a vegan and wanting to get healthier, well, just healthy given my past. This was two years ago and I’ve been totally addicted since. Lauren’s posts were the best thing that had ever happened to my breakfasts. It actually got me into cooking, baking and all that fun stuff.
The reason why I fell in love with oats is because of its versatility. You can literally make everything you want with it.
A funny thing I noticed while I was learning Spanish abroad, is how your breakfast can seem extremely unappealing when you explain it to people who’ve never tried it before (and particularly to those who usually eat processed stuff for breakfast, if any). When you start learning a new language, you usually begin with simple conversations like “What did you have for breakfast!?”. And so you try to explain. With basic words. In a foreign tongue. That makes for very confused and skeptical faces from the person you’re talking to, I’m telling you. To be fair, oats and water (or even plant-based milk), a banana and some cinnamon, doesn’t sound really appetizing, I’ll admit.
That’s the only problem with oatmeal, you can NEVER do justice to oatmeal, unless you have an Instagram worthy picture of it, then people start to believe it actually tastes good.
So here’s a week worth of oatmeal in Instagram worthy pictures so you can actually believe oatmeal is delicious. But I guess we’re all oatmeal lovers here so we don’t really need further proof of how incredible oatmeal is.
(Note that I used “oatmeal” 4 times in just two sentences. Can’t-Get-Enough.)
Warning : I’ve been extremely addicted to peanut butter lately.
Monday : Banana-cacao oatmeal
This was a post-workout breakfast, I wanted something quick but still delicious so this did the trick, basic banana oatmeal with a cacao twist! Cooked in half water/half almond milk, some cinnamon because even with cacao I can’t help myself, a mashed (over-overripe haha) banana and I added raw cacao powder at the end of the cooking process! It was a rainy and gloomy day so picture’s not that good but I promise the oatmeal was ! And I may or may not have thrown some PB in…
Tuesday : Apple Pie Oatmeal
I had made homemade applesauce just a few days before so apple pie oats seemed a good idea for a chilly morning just before school. This is one of my favorite recipes ever, I got it from Angela Liddon, the amazing cook behind the Oh She Glows blog and cookbook (cookbook you should definitely buy btw!). This recipe features diced apple, applesauce, almond milk, spices and chia seeds which give it an incredible texture. I really recommend!
Wednesday : Banana-Cinnamon Oatmeal
This is pretty basic I know, but sometimes all you want is cool toppings, right? Cinnamon and banana oatmeal is still the bomb.com don’t get me wrong, but I was feeling like peanut butter in my oatmeal, and strawberries, and banana, chia seeds too, but that was more for the aesthetic haha #thethingsyoudoforInstagram Anyway, this didn’t disappoint, and curiously, cinnamon and PB is super good!
Thursday : Stewed Date and Apple oatmeal
Okay so you’ve got to try this! I’m serious. This oatmeal was born out of despair (don’t ask me why because now that I think about it, I actually had amazing ingredients). I had just arrived in Montreal, and my dad and I were in an Airbnb apartment. Breakfast time arrived and the only ingredients I had were dates, apples, dark chocolate and peanut butter. You’d think those couldn’t go together in the same bowl (…or, maybe yes…) but I tried anyway just for the sake of experiment. And boy! I’m glad I did! So, you stew a diced apple and date pieces in a saucepan until it’s kind of mushy and smells amazing, and in the meantime you cook your oats (add some more date pieces there!). When this is all done, pour oatmeal in a bowl, and top with the stewed apple/date mix, peanut butter and dark chocolate! And voilà ! Delicious.
Friday : Banana oatmeal with maple-nut sauce
Again here, it was mostly about the toppings. The most important one being the maple-nut sauce. I discovered it here on The Oatmeal Artist, I usually put it on my pancakes, and also usually do it properly by making the peanut butter melt in a sauce pan but I was feeling very lazy so that part went a little out the window. I love this sauce though! Maple syrup + peanut butter is a match made in heaven ! But don’t be lazy like me and make it on the stove top it’s worth the extra dish to clean!
Saturday : Grated apple oatmeal with berry coulis
This was actually lunch, but I mean, oatmeal is so good I could have it three times a day so who cares. For this one, I was inspired by Deliciously Ella. She had posted that same day a recipe with berry coulis on top of oatmeal so I thought I’d give it a shot. I must admit I’m actually not a fan of berries in oatmeal because it gives it an acidic taste but this was good, can’t compete with a creamy oatmeal though, but that’s just my taste.
Sunday : SWEET POTATO FUDGE OATMEAL
All time favorite. Hands down. I just HAD to end the week with this. It’s insane how good this oatmeal is and I will never thank Lauren enough for creating the recipe.
Let me emphasize this again. BEST. OATMEAL. EVER.
Learn more information about the Oatmeal Enthusiast series and how you could be featured by reading more here.
8 Simple Tricks to Spruce Up Pre-Flavored Oatmeal
Several pictures below originally appeared in my post 10 Tips for Eating Oatmeal While Traveling.
I think we’ve all been in that spot before: maybe you’re stuck with the limited options of a hotel continental breakfast, you’re a guest trying to make your daily porridge in a home without plain oats, a well-intentioned friend has given you a box of Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal, you’re “making it work” in a campus dining hall, or perhaps you’re simply trying to use up an old supply of oatmeal from before your transition to homemade porridge.
At one time or another, we’ve all held a packet of Apple Spice or Peaches ’N’ Cream or Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal and thought, “How can I possibly enjoy this?”
Maybe I’m being too presumptuous. Some of you may still like those famous flavored packets. However, judging by the sentiments repeatedly expressed by my Oatmeal Enthusiasts, many of you share my dissatisfaction of the old packets. Once you go homemade, the pre-flavored stuff just doesn’t do it anymore.
Certainly, it may not reach the same level of enjoyment as your usual Sweet Potato Fudge Oatmeal or Peach Cherry Almond Oatmeal at home, but you can hack a flavored packet to make it more tasty!
Here are some tricks to make a flavored packet more enjoyable to your new, sophisticated palette. 😉
Sweet Potato and Date Oatmeal [Guest Post]
[The following post and recipe was submitted by reader Victoria.]
Hi everyone!
My name is Victoria, I’m French and currently taking a gap year, first in NY (where I met Lauren [picture below!]) and now in Barcelona, before starting university at McGill in September in Montreal. I am also the girl behind the food here —> @healthymonkey_ ! (more…)
Lentil PB Fudge Overnight Oats [Guest Post]
[The following post and recipe was submitted by reader Helen.]
Oatmeal is the only thing which gets me out of bed in the morning. In the cold winter months, (we have 12 here in Scotland), a big bowl of porridge is the perfect antidote to the dreary weather outside. My only issue with oatmeal is that despite keeping me feeling full for much longer than cereal, I normally still get hungry around 11am unless I bulk it up with something. Normally I use sweet potato, as it thickens up overnight oats and for chocolatey porridges makes them taste rich and fudgy. However, recently I have including a new addition… Lentils!
Like sweet potatoes, the lentils make your overnight oats thick and fudgy. They are also massively sustaining, containing three times the fibre and six times the protein of sweet potatoes! The best thing about the lentils is that they completely blend in with the other ingredients in the oatmeal in same way that the sweet potatoes do. You’d never know they were there!
Oatmeal Enthusiasts: Meet Erica!
It was easy to choose Erica (@missoatstagram) as my Oatmeal Enthusiast this week. Take a look at her gorgeous photos!
Hi fellow oatmeal lovers!
My name is Erica, and I’m a 19 year old college student studying dance, finding my way in NYC, and of course eating a daily bowl of oats! (When not roaming the streets of the big city, I can be found on Instagram @missoatstagram).
Growing up, my mom has always been an incredible and avid baker and cook (following in the footsteps of her Italian mother and grandmother), and I guess the gene was passed down to me as well. I especially love baking, and find it incredibly soothing. In high school (and even now when I go home for breaks), I can always remember asking my mom “what can I bake?” Don’t get me wrong, baked goods are wonderful, but at some point your mom cuts you off because the flour supply is constantly low and there’s only so many baked goods a family can eat. Well, with a desire to bake, but a limit on how much I could, I found this blog. You mean I can make a single served baked oatmeal for breakfast? I was sold, and from there my casual, every once in a while oatmeal breakfast turned into a daily ritual and well, obsession.
Although I was originally drawn here for the baked oats, I slowly started trying other recipes on the blog, and have since discovered the beauty of stove-top oats. I may still have baked (and overnight) oats on occasion, but I have since transitioned to the beauty of a big bowl of warm stove-top oats each morning. My “base” is typically the same with 1/2 c old fashioned oats, 1/2 c water, 1/2 c almond milk, 1 T chia seeds, and from there I get creative.
Oatmeal is “me time.” In this insanely busy and tiring college life filled with lots of dance, academics, a social life, and all the craziness NYC has to offer, I find the whole process incredibly calming from stirring the oats to sitting down with a big bowl of deliciousness. I think my roommates are now used to my morning oatmeal cooking, but for a while they were intrigued and perplexed I would spend so much time in the morning preparing oatmeal.
This could seem like an exaggeration, but oatmeal, most importantly, is currently saving me. I’d prefer not to go in depth with my personal difficulties, but I will admit I have also been struggling and am in the process of overcoming many mental hurdles I have temporarily covered by over-controlling my intake and exercise. But I’d rather focus on the positives here, and how oatmeal is really a key component in my recovery. Skip oatmeal? NEVER. Oatmeal (and all the wonderful things you can do to it) has been so helpful in re-teaching myself how to properly nourish my body.
So thank you to oatmeal to giving me the fuel to dance and do what I love. Thank you to oatmeal for calming me when I’m stressed. And thank you Lauren for choosing me as this months Oatmeal enthusiast!
Day 1: Pumpkin Pie Oats
I am often confused when it turns fall and everyone suddenly becomes obsessed with pumpkin. Pumpkin should be enjoyed all year round! Not only is pumpkin delicious, the creamy consistency you get when pumpkin puree is added to oats is too good! I was also lucky enough to find some pumpkin morsels hidden in the pantry from October, so added them on top along with greek yogurt, almond butter, banana, and dried fig (too many yummy toppings to chose from!)
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Nutty Pumpkin Berry Oatmeal, + Other Hacks for Banana Haters
Dear Banana Haters,This post is for you. Although it may seem like we play for opposite teams (I’m all like, “BRING ON THE ‘NANAS,” and you’re all, “UGH, I GAG!”), we’re not all that different.
You see, as much as I love (and NEED) my daily banana(s), I also know what it’s like to loathe an ingredient. Even before my transition to a herbivore lifestyle, I have never appreciated the taste of sour cream. I think it’s pretty vile, in fact. If my favorite blog kept making oatmeal topped with sour cream, I would be pretty ticked.
Therefore, I have a solution. You have probably noticed by now that most of my favorite recipes contain banana. Not wanting you to miss out, I have compiled a list of hacks for all you banana haters…including one new recipe (pictured below–scroll to the bottom of this post for the recipe)!
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POSTED IN: berries, nuts, peanut butter, pumpkin, sweet potato, tips and tricks, winter squash
POSTED IN: berries, nuts, peanut butter, pumpkin, sweet potato, tips and tricks, winter squash
Oatmeal Enthusiasts: Meet Laura!
Like most of my Enthusiasts, I discovered Laura on Instagram. What initially drew me to her account was the adorable heart-shaped bowl she used for most of her oatmeal pictures. It made her pictures truly stick out whenever I searched the #oatmealartist hash tag!
You can’t imagine how excited I was when Lauren asked me to be the next Oatmeal Enthusiast. Thousands of ideas for porridge appeared in my mind. I could not wait to start experimenting and eating!
But first I’ll introduce myself a little 😉
My name is Laura, and I’m 16 years old. Some of you may know me from my instagram account @laura__kiss. I live in Switzerland, but I lived my first 2 years in Scotland. I still go to school and I’ll start at the university in about 1 and a half years. In the last 2 years I struggled with anorexia; I’m not ashamed to say that I had an eating disorder because it made me the person I am today. With my account I got inspired and hope to inspire others to recover.
I have to admit that I don’t like bananas or peanut butter :O I’m not vegan or vegetarian but I avoid sugar. I’m sorry Lauren, but I add sweetener to my porridge. I have a huge sweet tooth and I haven’t found any other way to satisfy me …
That’s enough from me… now comes the oatmeal, or how I call it, porridge part.
In Switzerland, cooked oats are very unpopular, almost not existing. The only oats that are eaten here are mueslis. The first time I discovered porridge was about 2 years ago. I went shopping and in an English bookshop there was a food corner with tea, marmite, and porridge pots. I have a crush on British/ American food so I grabbed one of those and went straight home. I put the kettle on and added the boiling water. The first spoon full of the golden goodness was like heaven in my mouth! But those porridge pots were really expensive, about 5 Swiss franks / $5 for 40g oats!
I had to find another way to have porridge in my life. I found at the same shop those instant sachets and a 1 kg box of plain oats. Yep, I was a happy girl.
First I just had plain porridge then I became braver and tried various flavors like blueberries or chocolate. My love with porridge has gone way too far but in a good way, maybe a little obsessive 😉
I often wish I could eat breakfast all day long…
I was trying to choose which porridge I’d make for my post but I couldn’t decide. There were just too many delicious recipes and flavors. No way I could fit them all in just one week. But then I had a moment of enlightenment, maybe it was just madness, I thought why shouldn’t I go a little over the top and finally give in to my craving for porridge? There’s no reason I can’t have porridge 3 times a day! And that’s what I did! One week full of porridge!
Now I can tell you this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
I usually use steel cut oats because they give you a creamier porridge, but I appreciate biting on a whole oat. I often add egg whites to my porridge for some extra volume and protein.
Monday Breakfast: Mango Porridge
I always wondered how fresh mango and oats would work together. Now I know they are made for each other! If you like mango you’ll love mango porridge!
Monday Lunch: Blood Orange Porridge
When I saw this recipe on Lauren’s blog I knew I had to try it! All though I don’t like oranges that much I love the color of them! And I wasn’t disappointed!
Monday Dinner: Porridge Soufflé
At dinnertime I watched a cooking show and thought, if they can do a soufflé why shouldn’t I?! Porridge tastes completely different when you prepare it like that. Light, salty yet sweet. A bite of lightness.
Tuesday Breakfast: Toasted Porridge
I stumbled across this recipe and got curious how it would taste like. Toasting the oats before you cook them gives them a hearty and rough flavor. For this recipe I tried to give bananas a last chance but I just don’t like them …
Tuesday Lunch: Lime Meringue Porridge Tart
This doesn’t look healthy or like breakfast but it is! Lime Meringue tarts is one of my favorite deserts. Unfortunately they are full of sugar and not that healthy, so I had to find a replacement. Although I takes a lot of time to make this recipe but it is so worth it!
Tuesday Dinner: Tonka Brownie Baked Porridge
Basically this is Lauren’s Salted Brownie Baked Oatmeal but I substituted the salt for Tonka beans. Tonka beans have a strange taste, like chocolate, rum and cinnamon together. It gives a nice twist to plain chocolate.
Wednesday Breakfast: Sweet Pea Lemongrass Porridge
I made a few savory porridges, I did like them but sweet and savory is just unbeatable! I planned to make pea porridge but something was missing. I added some lemongrass and a few drops of sweetener and BAMM! Flavor explosion!
Wednesday Lunch: Lava Cake Porridge
Everybody loves lava cakes. The warm cake and the liquid filling that melts in your mouth. Dessert Heaven. Obviously I had to find a way to enjoy lava cake everyday!
Wednesday Dinner: Crunchy Salted Caramel Porridge
Who ever had the idea of adding salt to caramel deserves a Nobel Prize or something! I used caramel flavored tea and flax seeds for the crunch.
Thursday Breakfast: Cherry Porridge
I don’t like black forest cake, that’s the reason I hesitated to use cherries for my porridge. Big mistake! Without chocolate it doesn’t taste like black forest cake, it tastes like a summer night, fresh and warm.
Thursday Lunch: Apple Maple Porridge
For this recipe I used again tea to give flavor to my porridge. I wish I had some real maple syrup but it’s so hard to find and expensive here! It’s a shame! if you combine apple and maple here, you get automatically a Canada flavor, so you could also call this Canadian Porridge.
Thursday Dinner: Red Velvet Baked Porridge
This hasn’t much in common with breakfast porridge. Although I made it with the salted brownie baked recipe, I baked it in mini tart shells and stacked them with fresh strawberries and natural yoghurt. It tastes like a guilt free dessert. Everybody in my house got jealous and wanted to have a bite 😉 It’s not an everyday recipe but if you got the time DO IT!
Friday Breakfast: Sweet Potato Fudge Porridge
This is one of my favorite recipes from Lauren. As she said, the sweet potato gives so much to the porridge! This is porridge heaven!
Friday Lunch: White Chocolate Vanilla and Cranberry Porridge
I used real vanilla beans, white chocolate powder and fresh cranberry sauce to create this one. Cranberries and white chocolate is a great couple but the vanilla brings it all together and flavors melt together and create a whole new taste!
Friday Dinner: Lime Cheesecake Porridge
This is a variation of Lauren’s Blackberry and lime cheesecake oatmeal. First I wasn’t sure about how the cream cheese would work in the porridge. I wasn’t disappointed! The cream cheese gives the porridge a great twists, especially with Lime.
Saturday Breakfast: Vanilla Snowmeal
Snowmeal is oatmeal cooked with snow instead of water. That day I was in the mountains and everywhere was snow and then plopped the Idea of including snow into my porridge into my mind. This recipe isn’t the most flavorful but the most fun to make.
Saturday Lunch: Lemon and Thyme Porridge
Lauren I can’t thank you enough for this recipe! As I don’t like honey I just went with Lemon and Thyme. The warm herby flavor of the thyme goes perfectly with the fresh tanginess of the lemon. This is defiantly one of my favorite recipes.
Saturday Dinner: Very Berry Porridge
I know this isn’t that special but some times simple things are all I need, especially if you’re surrounded by a snowy landscape.
Sunday Breakfast: Pumpkin Pie Porridge
I know that it’s not really pumpkin season but I had a tin of pumpkin purée that begged me to use it today. Also I was really craving the hearty, nutty flavor of pumpkin. I’ve never had real pumpkin pie before but since I discovered Pumpkin Pie Porridge I don’t feel like I ever need to 😉
Sunday Lunch: White Chocolate and Orange Jam Porridge
Vanilla beans and white chocolate powder work well together, it gives the porridge a warm and cozy touch. By adding the orange jam, the whole porridge changed. It became an expensive tasting piece of heaven.
Sunday Dinner: POMegranate Porridge
This is my final porridge and I wanted to end this amazing experience with a POM!
I’m a lucky girl as my mom found the biggest pomegranate I’ve ever seen! It had the size of a melon! I also added a vanilla bean to give this fresh and fruity recipe a slight warm flavor. I can’t stop dreaming about this porridge; pomegranate seeds are just wonderful! They are so rich in flavor and give you a really nice texture and an amazing crunch!
I hope you enjoyed my guest post and thank you for reading – Laura
[Editor’s Note: If you’re interested in becoming my next Oatmeal Enthusiast, be sure to show your enthusiasm by tagging your oatmeal pictures with #oatmealartist on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! Thank you for all your love and support!]
**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account! You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!
Cocoa Candy Cane PB2
Looking for an ultra easy way to Christmas-ify your favorite oatmeal recipe? This topping needs half of a standard candy cane and can be whipped up in about two minutes!
White Chocolate Cranberry PB2
I’ve been making many PB2 recipes lately. One day I was sitting on the L Train platform at Bedford Avenue, waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
And then I thought of a PB2 flavor. I added it to The List. I thought of another. Added it The List. Thought of another. And another. And another.
By the time the train showed up, I had almost 20 PB2 ideas on my phone.
And this one’s the best.
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Salted Pretzel PB2
Assembling that peanut butter post last month really made me crave some fancy nut butters. But daaaaang, they’re so expensive! I’ve found some jars for nearly $20. No thanks. Especially not on my measly student loans.
I’ve recently started consoling myself by making my own fancy flavors. Technically, you can do this with any nut butter, especially a brand that stirs easily. However, PB2 is easy to work with because you can make it as thin or thick as you’d like, so it’s super easy to mix in other ingredients. Or, you can do what I like to do: use half-PB2 and half-traditional peanut butter. Boom. (more…)
