Chocolate Chia in the Morning

Nick and I went for a run this morning. Man, is it getting cold out. My car was completely iced over. Upon coming home, I decided I wanted something warm. I've mainly been having boring cereal for breakfast (Special K Protein Plus, to be specific), but I had a little extra time today, so I made something that took a little more effort.

Chocolate Chia Oat Bran

Honestly, this can only be described as love in a bowl. I have tried oat bran, and I have tried chia pudding, separately. This brought them together, with a nice dollop of chocolate soynut butter, and totally made my day.

For those of you who like recipes:

What You Need:

1/2 cup oat bran

2 cups water

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 Tbsp maple syrup or agave

1 Tbsp chocolate nut butter (you could use regular, but you've already got so much chocolate goodness, why stop?)

pinch of salt

What You'll Do:

On a stovetop, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil and add oat bran and salt. Cook until the bottom becomes dry, then add the rest of the water, the chia, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes. Stir in sweetener, top with nut butter, and enjoy.

Serves 1 Big Bowl of Oats

Nutrition Information: 443.1 Calories; 17.1g Total Fat; 7.8g Saturated Fat; o.omg Cholesterol; 67.0g Carbohydrates; 21.3g Fiber; 19.7g Protein

I know I waffle when it comes to calculating calories, but I really love doing it. Look at all that fiber!! Also, this is a lot of food, and it might be even better with 1/3 cup of oat bran, and some frozen cherries added. Experiment!

I also suggest adding some stevia, for those of you who are not allergic to it, which I think I am. I have been getting fairly bad hives for the past few months, and I couldn't pin down what it was from. I actually went to a doctor, who put me on prednisone, and it got worse. At first I thought it was just the Vitamin Water 10, but I have now also cut it out of my morning tea, and have stopped using my protein powder that has stevia in it, and the hives have practically stopped. There's a chance it may not be the cause, but I would bet on it. This makes me sad, I am a big stevia fan, and I had used it for over a year before I started drinking the Vitamin Water in September, and the allergy started.

Sorry for the lack of postage lately. Work has got me fairly busy, and I have time to blog, but not really time to cook. I doubt you want to see what I had for dinner last night (hint: Soyatoo, Chocolate Soynut Butter, and Rice Crackers. NOT together, I'm not completely crazy). I'll try and get in here as often as possible!

I hope everyone is having a great post-Thanksgiving week! Have you started decorating for Christmas yet?

Oh, and our little bug is growing, he's about 5 lbs now. He is a little monster sometimes and a little angel others. He came to work with me a few days ago, and we dressed him up in angel wings. The pictures are on my phone, I'll try and get them on here. This was him on Saturday though, with Nick.

*Sigh* He is cute. I just wish he'd stop biting my ankles!

Fiesta Oats

Pesonally, I think this is delicious, but my husband thinks its gross and a complete disgrace to oatmeal.

I love it. I think its fun, its colorful, its got veggies and whole grains. How could you go wrong. Well, decide for yourself, but I present you with one of my most favorite meals, that I probably have at least 3 times a week:

Fiesta Oats!

The consistently ugly pictures are what has kept me from posting about this...bear with me.

The ingredients are as simple as you'd think:

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup salsa

1/3 cup frozen corn.

Its the method though, that makes it perfect:

First, cook the broccoli (I just use the "frozen veg" option on my microwave)

Add the oatmeal, salsa, and water, stir until combined.

Cook at 50% power for 5 minutes.

(You should cover with a paper towel or something, it splatters)

Remove, stir in corn, cook an additional 30 seconds on 100% power.

Then, enjoy!

Keep in mind that it just finished being in the microwave for well over 5 minutes. That sucker is HOT. Sometimes I use oven mitts, but since I never eat in close proximity to my microwave, I always put the bowl onto a hot plate for transport

Today, I am eating in front of my computer, love Mac's Photo Booth.

I highly suggest you try it, the salsa makes the oats even more creamy, plus it gives them a little bit of a kick. Some pep. Something totally yummy and awesome. Oh, plus it is versatile; I've usually have it for breakfast but it is now also my default for lunch or dinner. I have added some black beans for a more substantial meal, Trader Joe's soy nuggets or tofu scramble for an extra boost of protein, and yesterday when I was out of frozen broccoli, I used frozen peppers and onions instead (for something I like to call, Fajita Oats). Any of those things get added in with the corn.

So there you have it. Weird but amazing and satisfying. Yummy way to start the day!