Oatmeal Is Not Just For Breakfast

Hi All,

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

I want to talk about breakfast this week. Personally I am not a big breakfast person and I tend to eat more of the breakfast foods for brunch,  lunch, dinner or even a snack. That being said, one of my absolute favorites is porridge of any kind whether it be oatmeal, farina, cream of wheat or grits to name a few.  However, when I visited the Dominican Republic last year I had a fantastic porridge (I believe that is what the sign on the buffet said) which was made from oat flakes and called avena. I have never had such a creamy, smooth oatmeal in my life. When I came home, the search was on, I found it in the ethnic section of one of my local supermarkets. This is a wonderful, inexpensive way to feed a family. So this week, I am going to share my recipe with you! On the actual package it gives directions to make it as a cold drink or a hot dish. Many of the recipes I saw focused on using this to make beverages. In experimenting, I have discovered I liked it a bit thicker so I adjusted the amount of liquid. If you look up recipes you will also see that evaporated milk is sometimes used but I love it with coconut milk. You could also use any other of your favorite milks even a vanilla milk would work nicely.


My recipe is as follows

shown with serving suggestion

1 Can of Coconut Milk
6 Tablespoons of Avena Instant Oats

Folks it doesn't get any easier than this. Now if you prefer it even thicker add another tablespoon or two. The consistency of mine was similar to a farina. If you want to expand the recipe and don't have another can of coconut milk, you can add water and more flakes.

Stir the mixture as it is cooking and let it simmer until it starts to thicken.

You can make this dish as elaborate or as simple as you want. It is absolutely delicious with a bit of sugar or sweetener. Some ideas are brown sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup. You can add fruit of any kind, or some granola or nuts if you want a little texture and crunch. Raisins, apples and cinnamon are great together, you can even mix in a bit of apple sauce if you like. This dish is so easy and has so many possibilities. The toppings are endless and the best part is you can use what you have home. This is also fun for kids because they can chose what they want to add into their cereal.

Today I served mine with fresh strawberries and bananas, maple syrup, brown sugar and granola. Add none, all or any combination, you can't go wrong.

As you may all know by now, most of my recipes are very forgiving and give you the opportunity to experiment and make your own delicious creations. I would love for you all to share your variations, I am always looking for new things to try.

A thought to leave you with... Since words have great impact. I wanted to talk a liitle about the word "should". You can go to the negative with the word"should" as in should have, would have, could have and use it to second guess your choices, even view it as an opinion or criticism where someone tells you you should do something.but I choose to view it in a positive light. Should I have breakfast for dinner or Should I go to the movies or shopping. Life is all about choices, so choose those that make you happy.

I am still combing the thrift stores every week since they are always bringing in new stuff. If you are doing the same, I would love to see some of the treasures you found!

As always, please spread kindness wherever you go.

Remember to keep sharing those pictures on Facebook of animals that are lost or in need of a home. Every little bit that you do counts. With these freezing cold temperatures, if you see an animal left in the cold, do something about it and finally Adopt don't Shop. There are many great animals that are waiting to become part of a family maybe even yours!