Happy Thursday! This being the weekly day-of-random, I thought it would be a good time to share an article I recently wrote for Tabelog about non-boring oatmeal ideas. It’s probably obvious from my posts that oatmeal is a breakfast staple in my apartment, and I love coming up with new ways to enjoy it.pumpkin oatmeal with PB

I’m sure I’ve freaked out breakfast-averse ex-boyfriends with my concoctions, but I never expect anyone to try them unless they want to. I actually got really turned off by a potential date recently who asked me to name the weirdest food I would “make” him try. I read into everything too much, so my Sagittarius/”bachelor sign” brain read “Looks like someone likes a good power struggle.” Even though I knew I was being ridiculous, I couldn’t get it out of my head, and let communication go dark on my end.

The way I look at it, breakfast is the ultimate “you do you” meal. We all wake up with different energy levels and appetites, and setting yourself up for your best version of a day is key. For me, that tends to mean a workout and some weird-is-good oatmeal.

My current favorites:

*Savory Oatmeal—great vehicle for leftover veggies and goat cheese and tahini. Here’s a basic recipe I wrote for The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics’ Stone Soup blog.

zucchini oats with poached egg

*Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

zucchini bread oatmeal

*Chocolate Oatmeal—I have a recipe coming your way soon, but the way I’ve been doing it is with a little pumpkin cooked in. It’s similar to this recipe, but no cranberries.

chocolate pumpkin oats

I’ve got a post coming your way about how to add egg whites to oatmeal, in case that’s something you’ve been curious about.
Are you an oatmeal fan? What’s your favorite way to eat it?  

This post has been part of another Running with Spoons Thinking Out Loud link party, where randomness is the name of the game. Thanks to Amanda for hosting.