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.

Zucchini-Nut Bread Oatmeal

I do actually make up the majority of my recipes. I slide out of bed, zombie-walk to the kitchen, and experiment. Trust me: when you make something every day, it's hard not to become somewhat of a master at it.

But sometimes I just like to try other bloggers' ideas. Why not, right? Like I said about my Gingerbread Oatmeal: there's no point in reinventing the wheel!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Oatmeal

As I've said before, coffee was never a big part of my life. It wasn't until I started ignorantly dieting several years ago that my interest in the drink really blossomed (What? No calories??). I would drink the stuff black during my brief stint as an office assistant the summer after my freshmen year of college. Brewing and drinking coffee (and cleaning up the machine afterward) gave me a break from my eight hours of scanning and shredding. 

As a result, when I returned to school in the fall for my sophomore year, I was completely clueless about the nutrition of specialty coffee drinks. I had a few extra minutes before my Western Civilization class, so I stopped at Java City, the Starbucks-like company on our campus. I was in the mood for something sweeter (so not black coffee), but I had no idea what anything on the menu went (mocha? latte?? americano??!?). I did, however, see a large poster promoting the in-season Pumpkin Spice Javalanche (blended drink). Feeling adventurous, I ordered one of those.

Blood Orange, Cranberry, and Pistachio Oatmeal

Have you ever been in a moment so perfect--when everything you appreciate most in life is happening all at once--that you are rendered speechless and can only look around in awe?

These moments seem to pop up when I least expect them. For example, last night I barely knew the people I was hanging out with (the exception being the girl that invited me). However, halfway through the night as we were sitting around laughing and having stimulating, intellectual conversation (a rare find at my age), I could do nothing but smile and take a mental photograph of that moment.

Yes, intellectual conversation is all it takes to make me happy. :) I am an English major, after all.

Loaded Banana Oatmeal

Do you ever have trouble deciding which kind of oatmeal to make in the morning because you kind of just want everything??

If so, this one's for YOU. It's like an Everything Bagel, without the garlic.

Normally, when we hear the word "loaded," we think of heart attacks like loaded chili or loaded baked potatoes, which usually feature bacon, sour cream, and junk food like "Funyuns." No, thanks.

THIS loaded concoction can be as healthy (or unhealthy) as you like. For a healthier route, look for toppings like fresh fruit, dried fruit, peanut butter, puffed rice, any type of yogurt, nuts, raw chia or hemp seed, banana butter, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, granola, or more sliced banana. You could also add maple syrup or honey on top.

Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal

I think my internal calendar is confused...

Lately, I've been going through a pumpkin phase. It's not very summer-ish of me, but I can't stop making oatmeal with pumpkin! I just find something so warm, cozy, and comforting about pumpkin. It reminds me of cool autumn days, light sweaters, football games, and trees ablaze with orange and red leaves. Favorite season? Yep.

Oatmeal "Green Monster" Smoothie

Have you ever woken up sweating, and the thermometer already reads 77 degrees, even though it's still early in the morning?

Those are the mornings when oatmeal is not so appetizing. I eat porridge year-round, but some days, the thought of a bowl of hot cereal steaming up into my already-hot face is a little...nauseating. On those days, it's good to have a back up--like a "Green Monster" smoothie.

But I didn't want my oats to feel left out, so I threw them in as well. :)

Orange Almond Poppy Seed Oatmeal

Eating is personal...especially if you follow a particular diet like I do. The ingredients I choose and the meals I create feel like an extension of myself. I would even go so far as to say that my kitchen is almost like my diary; when friends come over and step into my kitchen--or worse, see inside my refrigerator--I feel exposed and self-conscious. Will they judge me for drinking almond milk? Or for buying organic spinach? And then there's the flax and chia seed in the cupboards...

Does anyone else feel this way? Or is that just me?

Anyway, the point is, my kitchen is my comfort zone. I never realize how truly "at home" I feel in that space until I have to cook in someone else's kitchen. For example, my whole world is flipped upside down when I visit my parents. I spend my mornings in a panic: where's the almond milk?! Where's the natural peanut butter??? Where's my EARTH BALANCE?!! Oh, the horror!

But that didn't stop me from making this beauty. Unfortunately, I had to make it using water. Gag. I don't understand how people can make oatmeal with water. It just makes such a sad bowl of porridge...

I overcame that, though. No flax...no coconut oil...no almond milk...no problem! I'm a teacher; I'm trained in creativity and flexibility. Even without my most beloved ingredients, I managed to whip up this bright and lively creation. Sha-blam!

Cajun-Spiced Oatmeal with Red Pepper, Black Beans, and Spinach

My mouth is on fire from this one!

To tell the truth, I don't know much about Cajun cuisine. It's not exactly a cuisine that Midwesterners ever experience, sadly (we fear cayenne pepper), and it's not the most vegetarian-friendly cuisine, either. However, I recently discovered Cajun seasoning, and I love it. I made these awesome crunchy Cajun tofu sticks once, and they were so great...