Well Hi There!
How are you now? It's all good over here. Look, I guess I just didn't have a lot to say lately. Well ok that's probably not true but I got a little busy, and well, things got in the way of the old blogeroni. I'm sure it was devastating for dozens, if not SINGLES of people, right?
Anyhoodles, after breakfast this morning, well, I guess I felt a blog post coming on-so here we are. Today's post was inspired BY breakfast, a satisfying serving of Chocolate Protein Oatmeal. Seemed like a few people were intrigued, so I thought I'd share my 'recipe'. Blink & you'll miss it, it's that short & simple.
But first, let's talk about oatmeal. Are you eating the instant stuff? You know the kind- comes in those cute little brown envelopes in a box, usually made by a company that starts with 'Q'? Apple & Cinnamon, or Brown Sugar, or whatever? Here's a tip; go to the store, where the Cereal Aisle is, and there's this red box of cereal with a toucan on the front and multicoloured circles. Buy it, bring it home, and fill your boots with it; it has just about the same nutritional value as Instant Oatmeal, and your kids will think you're WAY cooler when you come home with it....that's the deal with instant, mkay? GarBAGGGGGiiioooo(that's me with my fancy Italian accent on the end of 'garbage')
Don't get me wrong, that stuff takes great, kind of like candy. But there aren't too many other ways it is able to redeem itself. And quick oats are only marginally better. You need Old Fashioned Oats or better yet, Steel Cut oats. Yes, they take a little longer to prepare, but that's part of it; they take longer for your body to break down, also known as a 'slow digesting' form of carbohydrate and have a lower glycemic index. They have a decent amount of fibre and help fill you up. I added some protein to them so I'd feel more satisfied & fuller for LONGER. Because nothing says 'lame breakfast' like feeling hungry 10 minutes after you ate it. Plus, if you are exercising, particularly with a resistance component (weights) on a regular basis, you need to feed your muscles protein to see results. There's no two ways around that.
Chocolate Protein Breakfast Oats:
- 1/4 cup Steel Cut Oats
-1/2 cup water
-1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder (look for one that is naturally sweetened, as opposed to with Sucralose)
-Splash of Chocolate Almond Milk (I'm LOVING Silk True Almond Dark Chocolate right now)
Directions:
1. Cook oats according to label's directions. Steel Cut Oats usually take about a 1/2 hr, maybe a tiny bit less.
2. When oats are cooked, place in a bowl, add a scoop of protein powder, and a little splash of the almond (or other) milk to dissolve the powder. Eat up!
3. If you wanted to add anything else at this point to fancy it up, that's up to you; cacao nibs, cinammon, banana, chia seeds or some ground flax....but what you see above is the basic recipe.
Note: You all know I'm not a nutritionist at all. Just a hungry girl with a lot of opinions about how I like to eat. So with that said I'm not really in a position to recommend a specific protein powder. I've tried all sorts; Vegan, Vegetarian, Whey. These days I'm back on Whey. Sorry, but the unsweetened sprouted brown rice Vegan powder tasted like the end of the world when the cockroaches inherit it, so I gave it up. The one I take now literally tastes like a chocolate milkshake, is natural, made locally, and sweetened with Stevia, so I'm all over it. Check out the supplement section of your grocery store or try a supplement store (like GNC) and ask the staff for their recommendations, and some samples.
Don't get me wrong, I still love to fill up on a big glass of Green Juice most days. But as the weather gets colder, sometimes it's nice to have something a little heartier first thing in the morning. This will be my go-to choice on the days I feel like I need a bigger breakfast.
I hope you give it a try and let me know if you have any ways to make it better, or what you thought about it!
Take care, talk at you next time!
xoMelissa
