The never-ending oat combos!

Hi friends!
Here's a question for you:
Firstly, I'm going to make a generalisation (*gasp*) about the majority of my readers being either blog writers themselves, healthy living blog writers, avid blog readers and probably avid healthy living blog readers. If not- you have surprised me- well done ;)

I'm also going to make the generalisation that the majority of you have or even regularly cook oats and share my love for them (if not, that's cool, I'm sure there's another healthy living blogger stereotype you fit :)

Anywho, my question!
Before you guys found your love of creating delicious bowls of oats with all kinds of add-ins and flavours, did you ever think oatmeal was just plain boring old sachets of mush that you had to either cover in sugar or honey? I know I did.

I had no idea about rolled oats and steel cut oats and oat bran and cooking them on a stove tops and adding berries/ bananas/ apples/ pumpkin/ chocolate/ vanilla etc. I would simply pour in a measly serving size sachet (yes! Alliteration :)) add some milk, cook it in the microwave (more often than not causing a messy microwave explosion) and top with honey.

Then I began reading blogs.
The world changed forever!
At first it was adding a sliced banana to the oats after cooking.
Then it was mashing a banana in a bowl and microwaving it after I microwaved the oats and then mixing them together.
Then microwaving together.
Then- magic! Stove top oats and all the never-ending possibilities!

Some early oat bowls:

Yep.

I was scrolling through my pictures from the previous week and was astounded at the vast array of flavours in my oats I enjoy over a week- how the times have changed!

First of all I made some overnight pumpkin oats in an almost-empty-jar of mixed nut butter- which was awesome! (with a side of berry fro-yo - forzen berries + greek yoghurt, whazzed)

Into the jar went 1/2 cup rolled oats + 1/2 cup steamed, mashed and cooled pumpkin + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + dash of nut meg + sprinkle of chia seeds + 1 cup almond milk, all stirred up together and left in the fridge overnight:

Up next I was feeling something warmer, comforting and CHOCOLATE!

Enter chocolate protein steel cut oats!

Into a saucepan went 1/2-3/4 cup steel cut oats + 1 scoop choc protein powder (I use this one) + a few big dashes of cinnamon + 1 sliced banana + 1 cup almond milk + 1 cup water- heated on medium heat for 20 mins and let to sit for another 10 mins to cool.

With some cashew butter hidden on the bottom, half the oats poured in, a little more PB in the middle, rest of the oats and topped with a tad more peanut butter- so good!

Then I was feeling something a little fresher, a little fruity, a little tangy!

Some mixed berry cheesecake oats!

This was 1 cup rolled oats + 1 sliced banana + 1 handful mixed frozen berries + 1 cup almond milk + 1/2 cup water, heated on medium heat for around 10 mins until all the liquid was absorbed and then let sit to cool for another 10 mins before stirring in a couple of scoops of greek yoghurt.

Into a bowl (you know there was some extra nut butter hidden throughout it) and topped with some mixed nut butter

That was just from one week of breakfasts!

I love experimenting with my oats and the possibilities really are never-ending (I haven't quite become brave enough to try savoury oats, or to add egg whites to my oats- apparently it makes the texture better) and I can't wait to experiment further and enjoy some awesome bowls (or mugs, or cups) of oats!

Your turn:
Did you ever have quick oat sachets?
What did your first bowls of oats look like? Mine were not photo-worthy that's for sure!

Current favourite flavour combo in your oats?

That's it from me today folks! Anyone else got a sudden hankering for oats? Just me? Ahh well there's a cure for that one! ;) Have a fabulous day and I'll be back tomorrow! Bye friends! :D

Thinking Out Loud- laziness, 3km runs and hilarious-ness

Hidy-ho friends! Happy Thursday! Happy in the sense that it's almost Friday! Whoot :)

Thursday's are also that little bit better when you have a day dedicated to Thinking Out Loud and thanks to the wonderful Amanda at Running with Spoons, she has an entire link-up to speaking the random musings of our minds- just what I need!

So without further ado I give you the random-ness of my brain from the past-week and all the important global issues that have been concerning it... ;)

Lettuce begin!

1. I am an extremely un-lazy person. Like I hate the feeling of being lazy. If I find myself with nothing to do, I will change that. Stat.
Finished all my homework? Prep my lunch for tomorrow. Prepped my lunch for tomorrow? Clean my room. Cleaned my room? Organise my week (ie. clothes ready, bag packed, everything in it's place so I'm not left running around like a mad thing trying to find something) Organised my week? I'm sure there's more study to do!

And then there are the few things I let myself be lazy about. Procrastinate about for days before I do anything about them. I don't even know why- maybe my brain needs something to not focus on?
Anywho, it usually involves veggie scraps and taking them to the compost bin outside. Yep, that's probably a total of 30 steps.. and yet:

Let's just say it builds up :)

2. As a result of my un-laziness, I do typically find myself rather busy and my brain filled with a million and one things while I multi-task like I'm an octopus with 8 legs... but I'm not, so this generally leads to my brain getting slightly fried.

As a result, some of my meals are rather... un-creative?

Exhibit A:

 Roasted veg (sweet potatoes, potato, parsnip and swede) snow peas, peas and popcorn. Done.

 Well, I managed to include popcorn, so I do know my brain is still functioning!

3.  I am also relatively un-lazy when it comes to exercising... but the thing that is really crazy and shocked me the most was how tired and puffed out I got when I tried to increase my pace a little... running a 3km!! I know changing ones pace is a tough thing to do that takes time and patience- but boy was I wheezing by the end of that 8-minute run!

This is my strategy for tomorrows 3km race to try-out for cross country ^^ hope everyone sprints at first and then gets really tired and then my slow pace will happily jog it's way passed them :)

4. On the topic of running, my mum sent me a picture of this running shirt... I don't know how to take this:

I guess it kind of is the story of my life :)
However for all those Disney die-hards out there- this is the shirt I really want:

5. And finally- just for lols, check out this article outlining 23 soul-destroying pictures of food and drink. I needed a giggle and this definitely delivered ;)

Aaaaand that's all the stuff floating around in my mind this week!

What about you:

Would you consider yourself an extremely lazy, or extremely un-lazy person? Or just in the middle?

Ever multi-task a little too much with bad repercussions?

Changing pace- super hard, right?? Right!?!

Be sure to head on over to Spoons to see what everyone else is thinking about on this delightful Thursday. Also have a great day/ afternoon/ evening and as always- eat something delicious!! Bye friends! :D

WIAW #54 A little strange... but definitely good!

Hello, hello! How's everyone's week been going so far? I hope it hasn't been too busy/ stressful (unless of course you thrive off a busy and stressful lifestyle... which I don't generally- although busy keeps me motivated... stressful keeps me collapsing in a heap on the ground!)

This week has been pretty ok. It was a long weekend for us here in AUS and so another short week of school! A positive for some... however when your teachers give you assessments the following week and you end up only seeing them twice this week, well it gets pretty stressful!

But I'm not here to talk about stress today! Oh no, we'll leave that fun post for another day ;). Instead let's talk about something 10,0000x more fun- FOOD!

Thanks as always to Peas and Crayons for this awesome link-up where we can make new friends and gain some meal inspiration!!

Hopping to it:

Breakfast: 7:00 am
These are some eats from the weekend, which started off with a short 6 km run on the treadmill. I have mixed feelings about the treadmill... see if I don't have anything to read or look at it is unquestionably one of the most boring things one can do in life- run on a treadmill not going anyhwere.
Thta's why I always have something to read- hello bloglovin!!
In short, I really do enjoy running on the treadmill because I get to catch up on all the blog posts I've missed ;)

I also very much enjoy eating breakfast afterwards. Especially oats!!

A big mug of delicious cinnamon banana steel cut oats with lots of peanut butter riddled thorughout!! When I sya lots, I mean lots ;)

Sufficiently satisfied... and happy

Lunch: 12:30 pm
After brekky I did a pile of homework, grocery shopping, driving practice, and stopped off at my grandparents as a result of driving practice- so by lunch, I was STARVING! With little time to come up with something that made sense....

Instead I went with something that sounded good- a torn up egg omelet with the best veggie sausages, steamed broccoli, brussels sprouts, peas, corn, spinach and salsa:

It did the trick!!

Snack: 4:00 pm
By 4 the tummy grumblings were back and I excitedly tried a fruit I've only ever tried once before and hated because I picked a really sour one!)

A persimmon! And this one was deliciously sweet and yummy!

Enjoyed with a mug of soy milk :)

Happy Steph
Dinner: 6:45 pm
Dinner was also extremely delicious (even though it may not look it :) with a big bowl of pesto veggie pasta to satisfy those pesto cravings:

Some quinoa penne pasta with steamed beetroot, pumpkin, swede, parsnip and carrot with some sauteed mushrooms and eggplant and some drained mixed beans, all stirred lovingly together with PESTO!!

Hit. The. Spot.

Aaaaaand that's what I ate on Saturday!

Your turn:
Do you like running on the treadmill?
Do you sometimes just throw random foods together because you know it will taste good but is kind of weird?
Favourite way to use pesto? I have yet to use it in a toasted sandwich, but I hear it is very good!

Hungry for more? Check out what everyone else is nom-ing on over at Peas and Crayons! Until next time...
Bye! :D

Slip an extra veggie in!

If you know me you would know:

• That I love positivity, being positive and positive people
• Admire bravery and individuality
• Love to exceed expectations

If you don't know me all that well, but read my blog quite regularly you would know:

• I love to slip a veggie in wherever possible!

Especially now when I'm back at school and meal prep is rushed and lunches are packed and I don't have the luxury to slow roast a big tray of veg and nutritious foods for meals... I love to slip a veggie in whenever, wherever and however I can!

I find that if I don't do this, I suffer! My stomach suffers. My brain suffers. I need the veg!

Here's how I do it!
In a rush with breakfast as you have to make lunch at the same time to pack for later and also get ready for your day and the billion other things mornings entail?

Green smoothie full of greens!

 Literally there was about 2 massive handfuls of kale and spinach in this one smoothie- yet I couldn't even taste it!
1 frozen banana (quite large) + 1/2 frozen mango + 1 massive handful kale + 1 massive handful spinach + 3 big spoons greek yoghurt + 1/2 cup water- whazzed until nice and smooth.

Sipped alongside 2 wholemeal crumpets slathered in crunchy peanut butter:

Nom.
Fresh chopped veggies can take up a lot of room in a container and yet leave you unsatisfied because of their low kilojoules, so to add maximum amount of veggies to my lunch and enhance the flavour I chop the veg up, add to a fry pan with some olive oil and sautee on high heat for a few mins until softened (and also shrunk in size):

This was chopped broccoli, brussels sprouts, capsicum, tomato, snow peas, zucchini and red cabbage, followed by some cooked brown rice and spinach for 1 minute at the end:

So tasty!

And full of so many good veggies!

Sometimes I do crave the crisp fresh veg (which is also so important to include in our diets!) and so make awesome salads by adding in some extra flavour in the form of falafels/ bean balls/ tofu etc.

Chopped carrot, cucumber, tomato, snow peas, red cabbage and baked eggplant falafel.

Love these vegetarian falafel!

All the pretty colours!

And sometimes when it gets to dinner time and I've been crunchy my way tirelessly through crisp crunchy fruit and veg, my mouth just needs baby food something softer, easier to digest and still super yummy!

Enter a veggie mash bowl!

Steam root veggies (pumpkin, parsnip, swede, beetroot), mash root veggies, add cooked rice, spinach, frozen corn and oven-roasted chest nuts!

Pre-mixed:

This rice was rice plus- one of my favourites! It has brown rice, buckwheat, wild rice, quinoa, seeds and probably some other stuff I've missed.

All mixed together and topped with some hommus:

This is my kind of comfort food :)

There you have it! That's a typical day of eating for me, where I try and squish in as many veggies as possible into each of my meals, leaving me energised, focused and full of essential nutrients! Happy Steph!

What about you?
How do you sneak in a few extra veggies?
Do you find you feel a difference when you lack on the veg front?
Ever make food because it's simply easier to eat?

That's all for today folks! Have a great day, enjoy something delicious, tell a loved one you love them and then just smile! Bye for now! :D