Weekday vs. weekend breakfast

Apple peanut butter oatmeal

I have no dinner items this week worth blogging, so I thought I’d focus on breakfast. I’m fairly regimented as far as breakfast goes. Minus the occasional fruit smoothie, I have a standard weekday breakfast and a standard weekend breakfast. Weekend breakfast is a slightly undercooked whole grain English muffin with a generous layer of nutella. Ahhhhh, nutella. I had nutella for this first time in my last this past fall and it was a love at first bite situation. Ironically enough, I bought nutella when Brett and I were first trying out “real oatmeal” for the first time. Brett was getting into mountain biking, and kept reading that oatmeal is the perfect pre-ride breakfast. So we decided to try it out. Brett was having a difficult time choking it down until we tried with the Peanut Butter Company’s dark chocolate dreams peanut butter. If you’ve never had this…try it! It has less fat and calories that the peanut butter we normally buy (Teddy’s all natural chunky) and fairly low sugar.

At any rate the chocolate peanut butter/oatmeal combo worked for Brett…until the day that Hannaford stopped carrying it. With options running out, I decided we would try nutella. Even though this chocolate hazelnut spread bills itself as “part of a healthy breakfast”, it’s obviously not the best thing for you. But it’s so incredibly delightful. So, when Hannaford started carrying dark chocolate dreams again, we decided to switch back. Three weeks later I decided I just couldn’t live in a house without nutella any longer – and it’s been a staple in our pantry ever since.

Because it’s not crazy healthy, I only let myself have it on weekends (or snow days, holidays, or any other reason I decide on the spot). I would have featured a picture of it right here, but one, it’s not the weekend and two, there’s no time for pausing to find a camera when there is a fresh English muffin with nutella sitting on the counter…”someone” (cough, cough, Brett) would eat it!

So back to the weekday breakfast.

Where this recipe came from

In our experiments with Brett’s perfect oatmeal, I found a combo that I absolutely love! The best part is that (on most days) I can go until 10:30/11 without a snack. For me that’s good! Here's a pic of the kind we buy...it's definitely healthier than the "white" Quaker kind and I actually like the texture better.

Making the recipe

I realize that anything involving a pan and the stove top might seem like a stretch for a weekday breakfast. Let me assure you that when Brett travels (which is most days lately), I’m getting myself and two young kids up, dressed, fed, ready for the day and out the door by 7:25. I’m not complaining, because I know most people have hectic mornings, but if I have time to make this oatmeal –then you can too (seriously, it’s not like I’m interrupting coffee time out on the veranda or something). This whole thing literally comes together in 5 minutes!

The results

Obviously, I think this is good if I eat it everyday! Adela loves it too…She’ll happily sidle up and share a bowl with me. Bodie? Not so much…you say oatmeal to him and he runs in the opposite direction.

The recipe

1 cup water

½ cup rolled oats (not the instant ones)

½ apple, peeled and large-chopped

1 heaping tbsp peanut butter

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Sprinkle of coconut

Heat water in small saucepan on high until boiling. Add oatmeal, apple, peanut butter and cinnamon.

Lower heat to med, med-high, stirring. Cook until desired consistency about 3-5 minutes. Top with coconut and serve.

**Special shout out to two of our favorite families that had baby boys today!! Congrats to Amy, Ray and Mya on baby Ryan and Amanda, Trevor and Everett on baby Charlie. So excited for you both...and I can't wait to get my hands on those babies!!