All I wanted... {Breakfast}

...was a pancake...

...but things didn't go as planned this morning...

Don't get me wrong... The above pear-wheatberry oatmeal was just as delicious as it looks! But I was just so excited to make that 2-minute microwave pancake... I had all the dry ingredients already mixed last night... But my pancake kind of... exploded in the microwave...

...oops?

And so, on today's morning checklist:

No pancake - check
A microwave with pancake batter all over - check

...it's okay though! It's not like I had no other option... There is always a bowl of oatmeal that can be whipped up in seconds. And it surely was! :)

Creamy Pear-Wheatberry Instant Oatmeal:

• 1/2 cup instant oats


• 1 tsp chia seeds


• 1/3 cup hot water


• 1 tsp Chocolate PB2


• 2 tbsp Strawberry Chobani


• a little bit of cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract


• Stirred vigorously until "whipped," and topped with pear slices and wheatberries

Take that, explodable pancake!!!

:) Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Breakfast of a brown-eyed girl

...any guesses what this brown-eyed girl might be having for breakfast this morning?



Chocolate oatmeal. Yes, I had chocolate for breakfast and it was wonderful! I was inspired by a post I stumbled upon yesterday written by one of my fave bloggers, Pastry Affair. Being me and unable to ever follow a recipe, of course I made some modifications. But the end product was exactly what I was looking for... [It was chocolaty... what else could I want?!]





Chocolate oatmeal:

• 1/4 c. instant oats


• 1 tsp. cocoa powder


• 1 tsp. brown sugar


• 1 tsp. chia seeds


• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


• pinch of salt


• 1/2 small banana, thinly sliced

• Add 1/2 c. boiling water and stir together until creamy!

• I topped my oatmeal with Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax Granola, sprinkle of hemp seeds, and a spoonful of creamy almond butter.

[I love all the micro details of my oatmeals... the oat flakes, the gel-like chia seeds, the green hemp seeds, the banana chunks, the creamy almond butter with specks of almond skin, the flex seeds in the crunchy granola. Each component makes the whole product.]



...do you ever feel like you need that something at the end of a meal to actually feel not too full but "just right"? For me, it usually comes in the form of a sweet treat with tea. But for breakfast, it's usually a piece of fruit... or banana with almond butter!

Yes, I literally just needed a little piece of a banana with a spoonful of almond butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon to feel complete and ready to take the day!

So off on my chocolate-banana-almond butter-high-at-7am I go to class!

Have a wonderful Tuesday! Treat yourself to a wonderful breakfast this morning. Whether or not it comes in chocolate form. You deserve a treat first thing in the morning :) And, no, you don't have to have brown eyes to do so!

♥ V.

P.S. Have you entered the Food Should Taste Good giveaway yet? What are you waiting for?!

A white breakfast

I may not have had a White Christmas, but I surely had a white breakfast today!!! It looks like my snow dance and wearing PJs inside out worked. We got almost half a foot of snow... As crazy as it might sound to some of you, I actually really miss Russian winters... The snow and the air were different there... The snow was dry... powdery... The air was so crispy and fresh... Much has changed since my childhood though because of the increasing air pollution and overpopulation. It's not long before the beautiful white snow turns into wet brown gook and gets splattered all over your boots and clothes... And somehow, I still miss it. I miss bundling up in a gazillion layers. I miss my rosy cheeks...

After waking up at 6am to drive my mom to work, I decided to crawl back into bed for extra snooze time. Little did I know that I would be snoozing for another 4 hours!! :) It felt wonderful and my body needed it.
I was also ecstatic to wake to not one but three ripe bananas!!! I had to have banana whipped oatmeal again!



I vigorously stirred together (and kept stirring) until the texture became more creamy:

• 1/4 c. Instant oats


• 1 tsp. Chia seeds


• 1/2 c. Boiling water


• A pinch of salt and sugar


• Some cinnamon to taste (I love lots of cinnamon in my oatmeal!)


• 1/2 Small banana, sliced


• 1 tsp. Chocolate PB2

Topped with KIND Healthy Grains Oats & Honey Clusters with Toasted Coconut (triple yummm & triply recommended!).


I was contemplating having that beautiful green apple, but my heart was set on the remaining 1/2 banana... So I took a piece of whole wheat pita bread, topped with a spoonful of almond butter and banana slices, and sprinkled with more cinnamon and hemp seeds. I love hemp seeds - they make a great addition to oatmeal, salads, and baked goods! The flavor reminds me of pine nuts!


Now that's what I call a superfood breakfast! Complete protein, whole grains, and lots of omega-3 fatty acids!

With a happy tummy, it's now one to shovel all that snow!
Have a great Saturday!
xoxo. Veronica