Black Forest Cake Oatmeal

This morning, a screeching fire alarm woke me up at 4:26 AM. I do not remember being woken up by it, nor do I remember my first thoughts. My first memory today was standing in the middle of my bedroom, thinking, "I should put pants on."

This morning, I walked down fifteen flights of stairs in a creepy, side stairwell. I sat in the apartment lobby in my pajamas while waiting for the flashing firetruck to give us the okay. I had no idea what my hair looked like, until I spotted that frizzy lion's mane in the reflection of a window I passed. 

This morning, I stood in a crowd of tired, angry residents slouching and moping in front of the elevators, which were frantically shuffling everyone back up to their apartments. One minute passed. Two minutes passed. People started leaning against walls. Three minutes passed. People sat down. Four minutes passed. We lost hope. We took a deep breath. We took the stairs, each step reminding me that it was 5 AM and our lives officially sucked.

This morning, I sat at the kitchen counter for five minutes, coughing and panting and chugging water, while I waited for my calves to stop burning and my heartbeat to slow down to normal speed.

Then I made breakfast, and remembered why oatmeal exists:  to saturate every pore of my being with comfort and understated luxury, even on the worst of mornings. Even when you've lost an hour of sleep, a bowl of well-made oatmeal can transport you back to your happy place. :)

I hope your day started better than mine. :) If not, have some oatmeal and make it better!

Black Forest Cake Oatmeal

Required Ingredients

1/2 cup regular rolled oats

1/2 cup coconut milk (from a carton, not a can)
1/2 cup water (or more coconut milk)

1/2 cup fresh, frozen, or dried cherries (pitted, obviously!)
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
pinch of salt
shredded coconut for topping

1. Bring coconut milk and water to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you'd like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.) 
2. Add cherries immediately.
3. Once more of the liquid has dissolved, add cocoa powder and salt. Stir.
4. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, dried fruit, nuts, sunflower seeds), do so now.
5. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of coconut milk and shredded coconut. You could also add a dollop of coconut yogurt, coconut whipped cream, and/or more cherries.

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  Thanks!