A Desert Filled Morning

For some strange reason I keep waking up at 6:30 in the morning, every morning, no matter what time I go to bed. Thankfully, I have transformed into a morning person over the past few months because otherwise, I would have ended up laying in bed all day, trying to fall back to sleep. 


After rolling around in bed for a few minutes, my stomach always starts to grumble, like a distressed black bear looking for her cubs. I wanted to go workout early in the morning, so all I wanted to eat was a quick snack to get my blood sugar levels back in check after a night of semi-restful sleep. I opted for a few strawberries, and a couple pieces of dark chocolate. Now I know what you're thinking, "Gee, isn't that more like desert than breakfast?" Yeah, I guess you're right, but dark chocolate and strawberries are healthy! There's no need to miss out on taste when looking for nutritional value, even in the morning. 


When I got back from the gym, the black bear had returned, and this time she was fighting off a pack of rabid wolves. I eat oatmeal every morning, but today I wanted to keep up with my decadent, desert-like decisions, so I chose to make what I'm going to call Banana Bread Oatmeal. 

Banana Bread Oatmeal

• 1/2 c. Old-fashioned rolled oats (instant is fine, I use Quaker)
• 1 c. Water
• 1/2 Banana, sliced
• 0.5 oz Chopped walnuts (unsalted)
• Dash of cinnamon

1. Follow instructions to cook oatmeal, I use the microwave. 

2. When oatmeal is done, add banana slices, walnuts, and cinnamon. Stir and enjoy!

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 2-3 minutes

Total: 5 minutes

Nutrition: (One bowl) Calories: 314, Total fat: 13g, Sat. fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 1mg, Total carbs: 47g, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 8g, Protein: 8g

So delicious, and so healthy. Oatmeal is a perfect way to start your morning, but to make sure you're not getting un-needed calories from sugar, buy a big container of old-fashioned rolled oats, or instant oats. The flavored, individually packaged oatmeal has way too much sugar when you could easily add fruit and cinnamon for sweetness. I never add sugar to my oatmeal, and I will admit that it take some getting use to, but it is important for your tastebuds to change when looking to lead a healthy lifestyle because as a nation, we have been injecting unnecessary sugars into our bodies for too long. But that's a whole other rant for a different post. 

This oatmeal truly tastes like a hearty, moist slice of banana bread that just popped out of the oven. The banana slices are sweet and tender, and the walnuts add a savory crunch to this super fast recipe.