Peach Almond Oatmeal with Pomegranates

Mmkay. Time to be vulnerable.

I've been somber lately. Maybe even a little hopeless.

My apartment does not offer great lighting. My window faces almost directly south, meaning the sun never fully shines inside, despite our big windows. I cannot take pictures outside without walking straight onto the bustling sidewalks of New York and lookin' like a fool. I try taking pictures near my bedroom window during the brightest time of the day, but they still turn out grainy and discolored.

I have a pretty great camera (the top-rated point-and-shoot on the market), but it functions best in natural lighting. It's not ready for indoor, dimly-lit food photography. Having just signed a lease on my first how-the-heck-does-it-possibly-cost-this-much NYC apartment, I can't even fathom buying a fancy camera at this point.

Pomegranate Nut Butter Oatmeal

I love pomegranates. I love nut butter. The two were bound to meet.

You can use any nut butter for this recipe, and I can imagine that almond butter or PB&Co.'s Dark Chocolate Dreams would be fantastic here. If you're super fancy, you could even go so far as using pistachio butter (look at you!).

Me? I used crunchy peanut butter. Shocked? You shouldn't be.

Banana Pomegranate Oatmeal

Sometimes I work so hard trying to think of interesting flavor combinations that I miss the most obvious ones. I'm constantly trying to dream up great ideas for pomegranates, and when I thought of bananas, I felt a little silly. How could I have missed that? Banana + any other fruit = happiness.

Some of you have already noticed my love affair of bananas. I seriously cannot hide it. I'm in love with the flavor (I didn't use to be!), I appreciate how it makes my body feel, and I adore the texture it adds to oatmeal. Complain all you want, banana-haters, but I'll continue to pump out recipes with bananas. :)

Chocolate Pomegranate Oatmeal

I remember being underwhelmed the first time I tried pomegranate. I expected it to taste exotic and burst with flavorful juices, like a Fruit Gusher. I couldn't deny my disappointment the first time I bit into one and crunched into the inner seed.

As with coconut, cranberries, and kiwifruit, I eventually came around to love everything about pomegranates, including the qualities I originally loathed. I love that little crunch now. I love the subtle indescribable flavor. I love the feel of the misshapen little jewels on my tongue before they burst.

...and if I'm being honest, I still love the look of them more than anything else. I mean...look at them! They're beautiful!

Pomegranate Muesli

I am all about the muesli lately. It all happened when I discovered that pomegranate seeds make the best friggin' muesli ever. Why?! Because they can make the bulk of your muesli instead of nuts and dried fruit, which are wonderful and nutrient-dense, but they're also crazy filling and calorie-heavy. Of course I include them in my muesli, but it's not ideal to have an entire half cup of nuts and dried fruit in my morning cereal. That's a lot. I mean, one serving of nuts is only 1/4 cup, and 1/4 cup of dried fruit is a ton of sugar. So using pomegranates? Brilliant.

Pomegranates are crunchy like a nut or seed, but sweet like dried fruit. They have the added bonus of being absolutely beautiful to look at.

Autumn Muesli

I don't know what it is about muesli lately, but I am all about it. I think it's because I've been setting my electric blanket too high at night, and when I wake up in the morning, all I want is cold muesli.

This muesli essentially just celebrates autumn. Okay, so maybe pumpkin didn't make it in (don't worry, that's coming!), BUT there are pepitas, which are pumpkin seeds, so...I guess that counts! I also used dried apples, raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, and pecan pieces. DIVINE.

My first bites were certainly pleasant, but I felt that something was missing. It was almost too light and bright and sunshiny. It needed more autumn. I took a risk and added a dash of cinnamon, and wow, it made all the difference!

Pomegranate Apple Oatmeal

I'm in love. No, not with a boy (that will never happen, guys). No, not with oatmeal (I mean, I am in love with oatmeal, but that's not what I'm talking about right now.

I'm in love with New York City. This shares no relevance with this recipe, except maybe for the fact that I bought the groceries for, cooked, and photographed this recipe in New York City.

I never imagined myself in NYC. Denver, sure. Minneapolis, sure. Maybe even Chicago, if I felt particularly adventurous. Yet here I am, smack-dab in an authentic New York City experience—slumming it in a scummy Brooklyn neighborhood, surviving a 35-minute commute to work at 5:30 am, eating more bagels than necessary, fighting off the smells of Chinatown much too frequently for my liking, and spending way too much money at phenomenal eateries.

Fruit Salad Oatmeal

I must admit that I enjoy being a vegetarian. In the beginning, I struggled with feeling misplaced or left out, but once it fused into part of my identity, I embraced all of its challenges. Limited options on menus means I'll be less overwhelmed (I'm very indecisive) and more likely to try something new (like eggplant!). Potlucks become a scavenger hunt and careful investigation to discover the meatless dishes on a long table of bacon and ground beef. Thanksgiving and Easter turn into challenging games I like to call "How to Make a Meal Out of Side Dishes."

Potlucks, especially in Small Town, South Dakota, generally offer less than three vegetarian options (one of which is a basket of dinner rolls). The scalloped potatoes will always include diced ham. The quiche will always have bacon.

But there will always be fruit. Sometimes these fruits are in their raw form: a giant bowl of cubed watermelon or clusters of purple grapes. Other times, they're mixed together in one bowl: berries and melons and grapes! Sometimes, they're mixed together in a tasting "dressing," like honey mint or lemon poppy seed or coconut lime.

Pomegranate & Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

Got some extra cash to throw around? Buy a pomegranate!

The other day, I saw a fantastic recipe on Pinterest and Finding Vegan for Cocoa Nib and Pomegranate Overnight Oatmeal. I was immediately intrigued, but I knew I wouldn't be making it anytime soon; my typical budget does not allow for pricey pomegranates!