Lately, I've been trying to make breakfast more of an event. I'm fully aware that once we have a second little one around this may not be possible, but a girl can dream, right? I've been getting up a little earlier than usual, spending time waking up, and then deciding what to make. This keeps me from just tossing anything and everything into a bowl and covering it with milk. Oatmeal is often the first thing that comes to my mind because I can dress it up to fit that day. Yesterday, for example, we woke up to cloudy, cold, rainy skies. Comfort food was all I think of and this time of year that means something pumpkin spiced. This pumpkin spice oatmeal was absolute perfection.
The pumpkin puree I posted the other day just melts into the oatmeal and creates a luxuriously creamy texture that is hard to resist. I sweetened things up with a little maple syrup and added that wonderful, warm cinnamon-spice flavor with a couple teaspoons of pumpkin spice seasoning. Topped with crunchy, protein-packed toasted walnuts, this made a super satisfying breakfast that could honestly pass as dessert. So awesome.
The 5 minutes of complete quiet that happened while I ate this bowl of perfection were sweet, too. And exactly what I needed in the midst of a couple really tricky days. Sometimes being a mom is hard. Not everyone tells you that but I'm guessing its not an easy thing to describe. At least the hard days sometimes begin with a delicious, healthy breakfast so you don't have a complete nervous breakdown, right?
Who knows? The way this week is going this just might end up being my dinner tonight. And that's totally fine with me.
Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 1/3 cup toasted walnut halves
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt, then the oats, and stir. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and maple syrup. Cook until heated through.
- Transfer to two serving bowls, top with the toasted walnuts, and serve as soon as humanly possible.