4-4-08 What Beautiful Date

Yawn!

Nope, I'm not just getting up, we've been up for hours, but it was a very late night as my super-hero "Closet-Man" worked into the wee hours. The newly-organized masterpiece will be ready for photos by tomorrow? Sunday?! =)





Today I'm only posting a Quick Nutritious Breakfast and Quick, Quick blog because the great news is, MY STATE EXAM IS TOMORROW!!!! YIPPEEE!!!!

This oatmeal was inspired by a Diane Mott Davidson mystery in which she shares a recipe for "skier oatmeal", which involves combining all ingredients and leaving in the refrigerator over night. I loved her recipe, but began experimenting with different combinations and frankly, Aunt Melissa has a hard time remembering what day it is sometimes, much less putting breakfast in the 'fridge the night before!

Aunt Melissa's Yummy Healthy Oatmeal

Required:
Old Fashioned Oats
Water

Optional:
Dried Fruit
Milk (Any milkfat content, even powdered will do)
Coconut
Chopped nuts (Our favorites are walnut and/or pecan, but any nut will do)
Vanilla (I usually add this when I'm not going to sweeten. It gives a sweetness without the calories)
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon (Be very careful. a TINY amount will do and can easily overpower)
Butter or a Canola-based spread

• Measure the prescribed amount of oatmeal into an appropriately large saucepan.
  
• Add any combination of the Optional ingredients above and even come up with your own. (We usually like at least one fruit and one type of nut along with coconut. Knock yourself out, you'll feel very creative and smug later.)
  
• Add the milk/water combination (this varies according to how much milk happens to be in the house (heh, heh), most of the time I use 1/2 and 1/2.
  
• Cook according to package directions (frankly, I cook it LESS than the prescribed time because I don't like mush.
• Because I know how much butter and sweetener is preferred at our house, I add these to the pan and mix prior to placing in serving dishes. It's a little less messy than watching morning-clumsy sleepy people slop milk and butter around on placemats, counter, floor, yes strange things happen around here.)
  
• About the optional ingredients... I should add one caveat. Take my word for it, Peanut Butter doesn't work. Boy, was that ever a strange breakfast morning!
• Sit back and feel satisfied knowing about the extra calcium, fiber and cholesterol-fighting going on inside your tummy right now!

Enough craziness. It's study time again. Who knew there were so many types of Life Insurance, clauses and distribution methods?!?

=)

Pictures of closet available soon...

Happy Friday everyone!

Aunt Melissa


p.s. Prayers and positive thoughts in regard to State Exam tomorrow, much appreciated!