Tropical Oatmeal

This recipe is so obvious that it's almost embarrassing that I haven't posted it yet. I have so many tropical-themed recipes, but why not combine them all into one fabulous breakfast?

Mango, pineapple, and coconut were obvious choices, but my decision to include banana was a last-minute addition. I don't know about you, but I always forget bananas are a tropical fruit.

Salted Mango Coconut Oatmeal

I may crave peanut butter and bananas hardcore during the fall and winter months, but during the spring and summer, I definitely crave a different flavor. I've noticed that everyone's cravings change with the seasons*, and my oatmeal is no exception. These tropical, fruity, and citrusy porridge recipes I've been craving are lighter and more refreshing than my usual cozy bowls.

*But let's be honest, peanut butter is appropriate 365 days a year.

For this recipe, I was inspired by these popsicles. I never would have considered salting a tropical recipe like this, but these popsicles were so visually appealing that I wanted to grab one from the screen and try it out. However, I'm perpetually cold (just ask the students who sweat to death in my classroom), so I had no desire to make popsicles. Then I thought, why not try it as oatmeal? So I did.

Coconut Kiwi Oatmeal

Coconut butter is THE most luxurious ingredient in the entire world. More luxurious than pomegranates. More luxurious than pistachios. More luxurious than dark chocolate.

(Let me get one thing straight: coconut butter is NOT better than peanut butter. However, because coconut butter is a rarity for me, it is more exciting and special. But in the end...peanut butter FTW!)

Banana, Pineapple, and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

Whenever I considered trying out this recipe, I would look at the name and wonder, "Why in the world would I combine those three ingredients?" Then, I would remember that it's much like a banana split (sans strawberries, which you could obviously include!).

Banana and pineapple are great together. Banana and chocolate are delicious. Pineapple and chocolate are surprisingly tasty. Obviously the three of them together have to work, right?

Key Lime Pie Overnight Oatmeal

Question: how necessary are key limes for a key lime pie? Would anyone be offended if I used, say, your average lime? Because that's what I did, and I'm not apologizing for it.

Since my Strawberry Limeade Oatmeal turned out so well, I thought I'd stick with the lime theme and test this Key Lime Pie Oatmeal. It's citrusy, vibrant, and ever so creamy, thanks to the addition of coconut yogurt.

Lemon and Kiwi Oatmeal

I hope nobody is bored of my lemon recipes! This will be the last one for a while, I promise. And trust me, this one is a fabulous one to finish with. It's bright, fruity, and energizing! I made this for dinner on a beautifully sunny day (didn't need a jacket!), and I savored every golden spoonful while lounging on my wood floor next to an open window. Oh, spring! I love thee.

I resent the idea that oatmeal is only a "winter food." Boo on that! If you haven't noticed, I enjoy oatmeal year-round.  The heat doesn't bother me because I'm usually cold in the mornings, regardless of the season. Of course, I could always prepare refrigerator oats instead...but I rarely eat cold oatmeal anyway. As I've mentioned before, I always heat up my overnight oats before eating them. There is just something so comforting about warm porridge!

Lemon Coconut Oatmeal

(Hello from the Minneapolis - St. Paul Airport!)

I still can't believe I hated coconut my entire life. Now, I worship it! Coconut milk, coconut yogurt, coconut butter, coconut shreds...give me any or all and I'll be a happy lady!

Friday morning, I paired it with lemon. The wonderful thing about being at my parents' house is having access to all my mom's extracts. She decorates cakes, so her cupboard hosts nearly a dozen different flavors, from mint to cherry. Normally, I use lemon juice for my oatmeal, but for this recipe, I was able to experiment with lemon extract. OH MY GOSH, I loved the result. It has such a bright flavor, like lemon zest instead of just the juice. In fact, I liked it so much that I had it again this morning. Encore, encore!

Nectarine-Lime Oatmeal

Last week, I found myself in possession of a ginormous, juicy nectarine. I always thought I didn't like them (because they were like an inferior version of peaches), but this one proved me wrong. I mean, they essentially taste the same, but peaches don the fuzzy skin. Other than that, they're nearly twins!

So what would I do with the nectarine? Obviously, my first thought was to use it in oatmeal. I did some hardcore research and studied all sorts of flavor combinations. I saw a few sources listing nectarine/peaches and lime as a good combination, so I thought I'd try it out.

Single-Serving Muesli

Are you aware that muesli is just raw oats and a smorgasbord of random ingredients that could easily be assembled in thirty seconds? Are you aware that you could just grab whatever nuts, dried fruit, seeds, or what-have-yous and throw it in to your muesli? Are you aware that you need not purchase $6 boxes of mediocre muesli from the store?

I'm going to give you a moment; this revelation can be a little troubling. After all, if you're like me, you may have been depriving yourself of this wondrous breakfast because "it's too expensive" and it's a "luxury item." Now, you've realized you've been wrongfully missing out.

When I studied abroad in Ireland (thank you, world, for your kindness to me), I ate muesli for breakfast every single morning. The first morning, I chose porridge for obvious reasons. However, it was bland and runny and not my style. Then, I noticed that every place we stayed was serving Alpen Swiss Muesli. I had never heard of muesli before then, but I was immediately smitten. It was like a healthier version of granola, and it went beautifully with peaches and plain yogurt, which must be popular in Ireland because every single place we stayed at offered these items in their "buffet" lines.

Grapefruit Mint Oatmeal

Happy fifth day of Christmas! :) Oddly enough, this recipe feels a little more summery than a typical December post, but the weather here has been unseasonably warm, so it seems fitting. I even wore a skirt yesterday! What's the weather like in your area?

This oatmeal reminded me of a grapefruit mojito I had back in August. In all honesty, anything with fresh mint is delightful, and anything with grapefruit is magical, so the combination is perfect. This is actually a really simple recipe that you can throw together with less than five ingredients; however, I'd also recommend adding nondairy yogurt. That gives it the wonderfully creamy texture that most porridges offer.

Baked Banana Oatmeal & Variations

If I wanted to, I could create ten billion recipes of just baked oatmeal based on bananas. So many possibilities!

I liked that idea at first:  more posts, right? However, I didn't want to look like a cheater. Is it fair to share a recipe for baked banana oatmeal, and two days later, post a recipe for baked chai-spiced banana oatmeal?? Nope. So to be fair, I'm going to consolidate it all into one fantastic post packed with fun ideas!

Coconut Banana Baked Oatmeal

Today marks two months in New Jersey! It took a while, but I've definitely developed an affection for this interesting city. At first glance, yes, much of the area seems worn down and desolate. However, with a bit of optimism and a lot of exploring, I've found much to love about the area.

The hardest part about Newark, in my opinion, is that the restaurant scene is difficult to navigate. It boils down to two main problems: 1) Many of the restaurants are Spanish and Portugese places that serve nothing but meat and seafood, and 2) the restaurants that I really want to visit (coffee shops and cafes) are located in the business district, and are thus only open from 8-5. This is problematic when you consider I work from 7-6.

Overnight Coconut Oatmeal

Want to enjoy the easiest, laziest oatmeal ever?

Take mason jar. Fill with coconut milk, oats, and chia seeds. Place in fridge. Sleep. Wake up. Eat.

Or, if you're feeling fancy, wake up, add chocolate chips, shredded coconut, fruit, and/or anything. Eat.

Coconut Overnight Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: Overnight

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 2/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tsp liquid sweetener of choice (optional)
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a mason jar.
2. Cover with lid and shake vigorously.
3. Place in fridge for several hours or overnight.
4. Eat from jar, or transfer to a bowl. Heat up, or leave cold (it's like pudding!). 

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**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!

Coconut-Lime Oatmeal with Apples

The best thing ever happened when I was at the supermarket the other day: organic Red Delicious apples were on SALE. Granted, it was still $1.99/lb, but that's still much better than 2.99/lb!

My soul always dies a little bit during the summer months when apples are out of season. Why can't all produce be in season all the time? :)

Okay, I don't really mean that. There is something exciting about fruits and veggies coming in and out of season. It also adds a sentimental value; squash and pumpkins and apples make me dream of autumn leaves and crisp, cool breezes; sweet corn and zucchini remind me of hot summer cookouts; asparagus and rhubarb and strawberries make me grin with the thought of spring and the promise of warmer days.

Still...sometimes I just want an apple. An in-season, on-sale, organic apple. Sometimes I want fresh kale. Sometimes I want big, crisp, snappy asparagus. I don't want to wait!

But alas, I must. So it makes me smile when organic apples randomly go on sale in mid-July (even if it is Red Delicious, and not Braeburn, my usual choice). No, it's not shopping in-season. No, it's not shopping local. But I only bought two of them, and I enjoyed the crap out of them.

So what did I do with these apples? Well, I've been pumping out coconut recipes lately (haven't you noticed?). I don't buy coconut milk as often as others because it's not quite as versatile, so when I do have it, I feel immense pressure to try out all the coconut-themed recipe ideas on "The List." This was one of them. Now, to be honest, I think you could use the coconut-lime base for almost any fruit; one that comes to mind for me is blackberries. Nummy! I listed several other possibilities below; feel free to try out your own!

Coconut-Lime Oatmeal with Apples

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1 red apple
• juice of one lime (~2 tbsp)
• pinch of salt
• shredded coconut for topping

Instructions

1. Bring coconut milk to a boil, add 1/2 cup regular rolled oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you'd like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
2. Dice up apple into the oatmeal.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add lime juice and a pinch of salt.
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.

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*Instead of apples, you could use: blackberries, kiwi, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, or even honeydew!

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!

Pina Colada Oatmeal

WHY did it take me so long to try this combination? The pineapple-coconut duo is one of my favorite flavor combos. It's even better than strawberry-banana! Or--dare I say it--chocolate and peanut butter?

Nah, scratch that last one. Nothing's better than chocolate and peanut butter.

I really, really loved this oatmeal; it's so flavorful and refreshing. Pineapple, as I'm learning, works beautifully in oatmeal. Some fruits lose their flavor after undergoing the slightest bit of cooking on the stove, or the flavor mysteriously disappears when combined with the oatmeal. (If anyone can explain this phenomenon to me, that's be greatly appreciated.) On the other hand, pineapple not only retains its flavor, but seemingly gains more of it! You won't need added sugar, and you won't need special spices or extracts. A little coconut milk (or if nothing else, shredded coconut) is all it takes to elevate the pineapple.

You can use either fresh or frozen pineapple. If you have fresh pineapple, feel free to add more as a topping at the very end!

Mango Raspberry Oatmeal

Dude. Teaching is hard.

I'm sure all jobs are difficult. That's why they're called jobs, and they're for adults, and we spend our first twenty years of life preparing for them. But the learning curve for teaching is just intense. You'd think after observing teachers for my entire life up to this point, I'd be a master at it, but it seems the opposite is true. After being a student my whole life, teaching just seems foreign and terrifying.

But I'm taking it one day at a time. Yesterday morning, I was stressing out about...everything, and I came upon this tweet:

Coconut Mango Oatmeal

I used to call myself a locavore, which is the new trendy term that means one sources all of his or her food from local farmers and all that jazz. I still strongly believe in the moment. However...

Being a locavore in South Dakota is nearly impossible. It would mean eating virtually nothing nine months out of the year. It would mean having very little variety in my diet. It would mean never having a mango, pineapple, banana, peach, orange, grapefruit, kiwi, avocado, grapes, or any other fruit that only grows in the tropics/subtropics.

Sorry, but that's not the life I want to live. Seriously: if I let myself survive solely off local agriculture right now, I'd only be able to eat asparagus and rhubarb. We don't even have strawberries yet.

Fruity Tea-Steeped Oatmeal with Kiwi

I'm extremely picky about my teas. If it's weak and boring, get it out of my sight. However, if it's too strong and the flavors are super intense, I'm not a fan of that, either.

This makes purchasing new teas extremely risky. They come in packs of twenty, so if I end up not liking it--too bad! I still have nineteen more. Luckily, I've developed ways to use up the teas I don't like.

Almond Joy Oatmeal

I truly did have great ambitions for the blog this week. I had a couple new ideas for breakfast oatmeal, a lengthy list of savory oatmeal possibilities, and even a couple baked goods in mind. But then I went ahead and got myself a kidney stone.

Yes, Wednesday morning, I awoke bright and early with a kidney stone slicing its way to my bladder. How pleasant! I practically sang and danced all the way to the emergency room. Never in my life have I been filled with such joy and endless optimism!

Yeah right. In truth, it was easily the most painful experience I've ever been through. Luckily for me, it was only one small stone, and it passed pretty quickly. I'll count my lucky stars this time.

Grapefruit-Coconut Oatmeal

I first stumbled upon a recipe for grapefruit oatmeal on Pinterest (imagine that!), and I was initially skeptical. I have never used citrus in my oatmeal before, and I had a hard time imagining how those segments of bitter juice would mesh with an earthy bowl of porridge.

Well, I'm here to tell you that they mesh beautifully. Even more impressively, after I dropped the segments in and stirred, they broke into their tiny, individual pockets of juice, which resulted in every spoonful having an equal dose of grapefruit! In fact, this bowl of oatmeal has actually become one of my all-time favorites!