Pumpkin Oatmeal

     I love Pumpkin...hence half of the title of this blog! A month or so ago when I began to crave all things pumpkin I headed to the store to stock up on the canned stuff. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any at any of my usual grocery stores...including Trader Joe's. My grandmother had the same problem and shared with me that she had heard we were going to have a canned pumpkin shortage because of a poor growing season last year... oh no! Alas, the pumpkin finally arrived in stores and I have been able to get my fill on nearly a daily basis.

     One of my favorite blogs to follow of late is "Kath Eats Real Food". The reason I like the blog is because it presents healthy ways to eat including new foods that I don't normally cook with. One of her breakfast staples is oatmeal and Mr. E. and I have heartily embraced breakfast oats because of this blog. Not only are they delicious and healthy, but this is really the only way Mr. E. would eat breakfast during the week because I can make individual batches and put them in a jar for him to grab on his way out the door. If you are interested in Kath's blog it can be found at http://www.katheats.com/

     The cold oats we have been rocking this week were made in one big batch so we wouldn't have to make breakfast each morning. We are super busy in the morning so anything that saves us time before Noon is great! So... I made a big batch of steel cut oats (these are the creamiest and healthiest oats you can buy... unfortunately they take about 30 minutes to cook which is why it is best to make a big batch at once). To make 6 servings you will need 1 cup of oats and 4 cups of liquid (I used 3 cups of lite vanilla soy milk and 1 cup of water. We love the flavor of the vanilla soy milk), and cinnamon. Bring the milk/water and a generous dash of cinnamon to a boil and then add the oats. Boil for 5 minutes until creamy and then reduce heat to a simmer and continue to simmer for 25 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. After the oats are finished, let cool and then add half a jar of canned pumpkin. When we are ready to eat them, I mash up a banana in a jar, add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the oats, a spoonful of apple butter and sometimes a spoonful of ground flaxseed meal if I remember and then mix it all together. Top that off with a spoonful of either almond butter or peanut butter for added protein. Top off the jar with your lid and it is breakfast on the go! Yum--you will really look forward to breakfast with this treat.