Elvis Oatmeal Smoothie + Getting Fit #8

Yesterday on Facebook, I shared the post for Peach Pie Oatmeal Smoothie. As of today, that recipe is exactly one year old. I have not posted a single oatmeal smoothie recipe since! I'm not a huge smoothie person--although I'm not sure why. I've just never been one to crave a smoothie.

However, someone commented on the Peach Pie recipe, "Ever thought of coming up with more oatmeal smoothie recipes? This one was delicious :)"

Reading that comment gave me the motivation to finally make this recipe!

This is the eighth segment of my Getting Fit series. This series features my friend Crystal, a rockstar figure skater and fellow oatmeal lover. You can her blog, Confessions of Crystal, and check out her Instagram,@crystalchilcott.

TOA: Hello! I hope you are fine and dandy and your training for the collegiate championships is going well!

Stewed Fig and Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Happy Tuesday! Happy last week of school for me! Happy birthday to my older brother, Christopher!

There are so many reasons to be happy this week. One of the reasons includes starting every morning with this oatmeal. The inspiration actually came from my dislike of the appearance of fresh figs. Why are they so unattractive? Thus, I thought to myself: maybe if I stew them or make a compote, I can enjoy the flavor of figs without the ugly appearance.

Well, it turns out that stewed figs are, in fact, uglier than a regular ol' fresh fig. Bummer.

Baklava Oatmeal

I've had baklava once. Just once.

I was eating lunch with a beloved professor of mine on a visit back to my college town. She had ordered a slice of baklava, and she offered me a bite. I remembered detecting such incredible flavors: the honey, cinnamon, and pistachio. I never had it again, and after going vegan, I didn't think I ever would.

This is far from a flaky phyllo slice of heaven, but the flavors are there. Don't skimp on the cinnamon; trust me, you need the whole teaspoon! As for the banana? It's completely optional. The honey sweetens it enough on its own; the banana just adds nutrition and texture.

Lemon, Thyme, and Honey Oatmeal

The more I experiment with savory oatmeal, the more I accept that I prefer recipes that are "half savory." The Greek Oatmeal and Pizza Porridge recipes are both great...but I'd much rather have the sweet, velvety texture of Butternut Squash Oatmeal or the perfect flavor pairing of Sweet Potato and Soyrizo Oatmeal.

I suppose that's why I've somewhat recently been inspired by dessert recipes that feature herbs, like this sorbet recipe. It allows me to combine my love of fruity oatmeal with flavors that are associated with more savory dishes.

Coconut, Honey, and Fig Oatmeal

Last Monday marked my first day of school at NYC. Thanks to my lovely 40-minute commute, this entails me waking up at 4:45 for the next ten months. Thankfully, I love my job. I feel like you have to love your job in order to drag yourself from underneath your electric blanket at 4:45 (yeah, I sleep with an electric blanket in August; don’t judge me!).

Luckily for me and my exhausted self, I’ve enjoyed some fantastic porridges every morning. Feeling particularly ambitious on Monday afternoon, I whipped up FOUR different oatmeal recipes. Yeah. Four. My roommates kept filtering in and out of the apartment, shooting me odd looks as I ran around the kitchen, pulling out seemingly unrelated ingredients and dirtying every bowl and spoon and fork in the cupboards.

Peanut Butter Banana Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Earlier this week, I finally received a functional stove. The gas for our kitchen appliances had not been turned on before we moved in, so everyone in the entire building has been eating cold salads, wraps, and sandwiches...or just getting food delivered...for the past two weeks.

Luckily, I have a slow-cooker.

This recipe can be made on the stove or in a slow-cooker. In fact, any steel-cut oat recipe should, in theory, work fine in a slow-cooker. However, I must state my preferences: I despise oatmeal made in slow-cookers. I find the results to be unpleasantly chewy and contain an unwanted aftertaste. I much prefer to make it on the stove. Still, I included both options in the instructions because I know someone people enjoy that method.

Elvis's Oatmeal

When my roommate told me that NYC was still without power below 26th Street, a few places ran through my head. What did Union Square look like? Was Trader Joe's alright? Did Beyond Sushi weather the storm?

And what about PEANUT BUTTER AND CO.??!!

If you haven't heard of Peanut Butter and Co., it's a tiny little shop on Sullivan Avenue (off Bleeker St.) that specializes in peanut butter sandwiches. I'm serious: check out their menu. It's one of my absolutely favorite places in the city. Not only do I love gourmet peanut butter sandwiches, but the staff there is positively delightful, and the decor is retro and fun.

Honey Nut Oatmeal with Apples

If you're allergic to peanuts, look away now... :)

The idea behind this recipe began a while ago, but I'll take you back even further: I highly admire several food activists fighting Big Food these days. One of my idols right now is Andy Bellatti, a registered dietitian from Seattle. He's one of the best tweeters, constantly posting clever, educational, and witty updates. He's also friendly and helpful, and he always answers any questions I ask him.

One of these questions popped up about a month and a half ago. I saw that bizarre PB2 product at the store; it's basically a jar of dried peanut butter, in the form of powder. I rolled my eyes the first time I saw it, but then I couldn't stop thinking about it later. Think of the possibilities! And what would it be like in my oatmeal? Wouldn't it be like using cocoa powder instead of chocolate syrup (not to suggest chocolate syrup is in any way nutritionally similar to peanut butter!)?