bedandbreakfastantwerp

Do you eat breakfast every day? Studies show that you should eat breakfast to jump start your day. It helps you perform better and regulates your mood among other things.

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals (my other two favorite meals are lunch and dinner, just in case you are wondering). Growing up, my parents made sure we ate a bowl of non-sugared cereal or peanut butter toast before school and we indulged in eggs and bacon only on the weekends. It was one of the rare times my dad would enter the kitchen to cook as he could whip together fried eggs with runny yolks like nobody’s business.

 

One thing we never ate much of growing up was oatmeal; we refused to eat it at the time. Funny how things change, as now I really like oatmeal and try to find new ways to incorporate it into my diet. I’ve even made oatmeal packets to stash at work in case of a meal emergency.

Over the weekend, I made a fantastic oatmeal dish using crunchy walnuts, plump raisins and rich molasses, and packaged it up for breakfast this week. It is so simple to throw together that you could easily make this on a work night and have a special meal in the morning. I use thick cut oats, so I had to add 1/2 cup water halfway through cooking.

 

Baked Aporridgy
from La Dolce Vegan by Sarah Kramer
(serves 2-4 depending on serving size)

1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
2 tsp molasses
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°. In a lightly oiled 8×8 baking pan, stir all ingredients together and bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring once while cooking, adding more water if needed to reach desired consistency.