Turmeric... In My Oats??

Hi there everyone!
Happy whatever day of the week it is because I have no idea because life is just a little too hectic right now!

Breathe, Steph, breathe.

Phew.

Ok, we're good.

It's actually not that bad, it's just whenever I stop and think about how much school is chucking on us year 12's I get a bit overwhelmed, but when your in there, doing all the stuff; it's completely manageable. Just means I no longer have a social life/ weekend. We all have to make sacrifices!

Sigh.

Anywho, that's NOT what I want to talk about today (seems to be the only conversation one can have at school at the minute; which is where I spend the majority of my time!). Nope- today I want to discuss food. Can ya believe it!?

More specifically, a recent food trend that seems to have taken over the foodie/ healthy-living community. I first saw this trend pop up with people posting pictures of bright orange lattes and smoothies and whilst my initial thoughts were along the line of some kind of fruit-based product (mango, oranges) and then onto the typical; carrot/ pumpkin/ sweet potato concoctions, I was quite shocked when I read the description of these gorgeous creations to find out the secret ingredient was in fact TURMERIC.

Now this is definitely a spice I have not had much experience with, possibly just the odd dash into a random curry dish for add of colour, or a quick smell and then screwing up the face as I tried to work out which flavour to add to my meal.

I knew it held lots of amazing natural healing properties and anti-inflammatory benefits because my mum used to take natural pills with added turmeric to help with her joints etc. but it wasn't until I saw this new trend rising to the surface that i truly learned how utterly incredible this spice is! (Already a huge advocate for cinnamon, so I guess it was time to broaden my horizons!)

The coolest piece of info I think I came across was indeed the potency of turmeric and yet the utter safety of consumption. That's not something you hear very often in the generally accepted medicine aisle at the shops.

'In numerous studies, curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to be comparable to the potent drugs hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin. Unlike the drugs, which are associated with significant toxic effects (ulcer formation, decreased white blood cell count, intestinal bleeding), curcumin produces no toxicity'

-Source: The World's Healthiest Foods

*Curcumin being the yellow/ orange pigment that gives turmeric it's distinctive colour

So if that wasn't enough to pique my interest than the bright yellow pictures of everyday foods spiked with the incredible spice most definitely did!

And thus, my Monday morning bowl of banana turmeric oats came to fruition:

Like all my experimentations in the kitchen, this one resulted in me just adding random quantities of ingredients to my oatmeal pot and hoping that it will all turn out splendidly delicious in the end!

At first when I added a few dashes of turmeric to my 1 cup rolled oats, 1 sliced banana, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 cup unsweetened almond and water it did not go orange at all (duh Steph, it was still cold and not dissolved in!) so I added more still during the cooking process and when I came back after a few minutes of bubbling away...

I was met with a pot of bright flour yellow, bubbling oats!

I was a little apprehensive because I could smell the turmeric quite well and I wasn't really after a savoury bowl of oats (hence banana and cinnamon etc.) so when I let the mixture cool and then added in a spoon of greek yoghurt, transferred the oats to my mug (spread with homemade almond butter and crunchy peanut butter) and took my first taste-test from the leftover scrapes in the pot... I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't overpowering at all!

Nope, instead it just added this delightfully subtle and warming hint of spice that made you question, hmm what's that secret ingredient spicing up my oats??

And with all those other nutritional benefits coming along for the ride I was not complaining as i dug into my delicious warm, gooey, sweet, spiced mug of deliciousness! :)

It's another one of those sneaky health things that is just so easy to incorporate into day-to-day life (like adding frozen zucchini to smoothies) that just goes by unnoticed but not unappreciated!

Seriously a truly perfect start to the day (especially on a cold winter's morning!) And offering up the happiest of yellow colours to start your day bright and sunshine-y!!

Your turn:
Are you a turmeric fan?
Favourite way to use turmeric? Super keen for more awesome ideas if you have any- someone told me to add some to my next mango smoothie- definitely going to try!
Craziest thing you've ever added to your bowl of oats? I've pretty much done it all; pumpkin, zucchini, greek yoghurt, banana, berries, cherries, persimmons, apple... turmeric!!

I hope you all have an extremely fun and enjoyable day, do something you love, tell those you love that you love them, eat something surprising and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D