Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I’m sure so many of you indulge in pumpkin pie around the holidays. I mean, it is the season!

And while some love pumpkin pie, some love a good pumpkin spice latte. Well, this girl loves a darn good bowl of oatmeal as it comes to November and December.

Okay- I love oats all the time- just, bear with me for the sake of the cheesy opening to my recipe!

Anywho, I’ve been bored lately, and so I’ve started really working on creating new things I can munch on in my dorm room which is super fabulous because I’ve truly missed cooking and have felt extremely detached from a part of me that I really enjoy. So I woke up this morning, and remembered the organic pumpkin that was on sale at target I bought on Friday! I also received pie spice from my friend’s mom on Saturday, and knew oats were on the way.

This breakfast literally kept me full for hours on end, powered my workout, and celebrated fall all in one bowl! Now that’s what I call a good start to a Tuesday morning!

I also named this skeleton Fredrick for October, and since I have to put him away…. he needed a small appearance!

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prep: 5 minutes

cook: 2 minutes (in microwave!)

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 C. raw rolled oats
• 1 tbsp. chia seed
• 1/3 scoop vanilla protein (Sunwarrior)
• 3 tbsp. organic pumpkin puree  (Simply Balanced)
• 1/2 C. unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp. pie spice (Penzy’s)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 C. water
• Small banana*
• 2 tbsp. granola (Lovegrown Foods)*
• 1 tbsp. almond butter, raw (Woodstock Foods)*

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1. Add to a bowl your raw oats, chia seed, pumpkin and protein. Stir the ingredients until mixed. (if you are using a stove, this should be a pot over medium heat!)
2. Now add in your water and about half of your almond milk. The other half will be used to top the oats.
3. Stir this around until creamy and smooth. You may need to add a touch more water.
4. Start adding your spices, and stir these into the mix.
5. If you are using a microwave, cook for two minutes. The stove top requires a longer time frame, and should cook until the oats have absorbed all the liquids.
6. Add another sprinkle of cinnamon and top those suckers with all them toppings and your left over almond milk!
7. SMASHHHHHH!!!!!

*Toppings are not necessary but are HIGHLY recommended. I mean, what’s a bowl of oats without some killer toppings???

Foodie Essentials: College Edition

It’s August.

I kid you not, this is August and on Monday, I leave for college. Summer flew by quickly, and here the big change is coming in only a couple days. And what am I doing these few moments before I leave for my adventure?

Last minute shopping because I love procrastination!

I’ve been thinking a TON about what I’m going to be bringing for college and as a foodie, one of my biggest things is where I’ll be storing my essentials for meals on campus. Sure, I’ll be using the dining hall; but we all know you can’t survive off of that! In this post, I’ll be sharing some of the fun finds and key pieces I shopped for to bring with me for my dorm room.

 

Snackities

Hummus

I am ADDICTED, i repeat ADDICTED to hummus. Hope foods hummus has just recently been a part of my rotation, so I couldn’t help but grab a HUGEEEE container of it at Costco with my mom. Pray it fits in the mini fridge!

Bean Snacks

These little roasted beans are a serious must for a salty craving that is chocked full of healthy proteins and carbs. As a vegetarian, I wanted to make sure I had a snack I could rely on in-between class changes that would fuel me the right way, and it so happened that these were also at Costco! I often make my own roasted beans at home, but since I won’t have an oven, these are great.

Bars

Bars are something I stay sort of away from just because you never know what the ingredients can come out to be. But, as life moves fast, you also need fast snacks! I love lara bars, kind bars, perfect bars, etc. as they have ingredients I can understand and trust. They’re more for emergency, but we all have emergencies, right?!

Dates

If I didn’t have dates to dip in nut butter or create energy bites, then I would die.

*other snacks I’m bringing include: brown rice cakes, plantain chips and popcorn kernels!

NUTS AND SEEDS

Chia Seeds

Chias are perfect for snacking too, especially when made into a simple pudding so these will have to be a staple at all times. I’m always throwing them into my oatmeal, sometimes adding to my toasts. They add a healthy fat and protein in a quick pinch!

Raw Nuts

I think my go-to snack is almost always a good serving of raw nuts just because there’s never added sugar in them and they really help to keep you full when you won’t be eating again for quite sometime. My favorites include pistachios and almonds, and this one pack has pecans thrown in there, too!

Almond Butter

So this is a hugeeeee and delicious jar of almond butter that will hopefully last me awhile! I’m obsessed with nut butter. It’s good on everything.

*also bringing my tahini, homemade nut butters and hemp seeds!

Grains:

Quinoa

I’m in love with quinoa, and Ancient Harvest has some of the best blends so a huge bag is necessary for the microwave cookin’!

Brown Rice

I got this small pack of brown rice at a fest that I went to, so it’s pictured but I do have more short grain brown rice I’m bringing with also to be cooked in the microwave! Super great for those macro bowls to fill up on cheap, yet nutritious food!
*other grains include Ezekiel bread, Engine 2 wraps, raw oats, bean pasta and coconut flour!

Random extras:

1. Containers and a lunch bag: How else would you carry your stuff around campus?! I got a ton of rubbermaids, cute collapsable salad bowls, and regular containers for storage.
2. Tea Towels: Gotta have cute towels when you’re instagramin’ some weird looking meals, am I right?
3. Cute bowls and plates: ^^^^^^
4. Almond milk: Duh.
5. Cutting board and knife
6. Can opener: Hello, I only eat beans like 8 days a week.
7. Sriracha and nutritional yeast: goes on everythannnnnng.

 

There’s so many other essentials I’m sure I’ll be packing, but for now, here ya go! Let me know what types of essentials you use daily and would bring where ever you could!