Nutty nanners n’oats

Ever feel like your energy level is just waning? That mid-morning lull or 3 o’clock crash at work can strike hard even the strongest of constitutions. What you need is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs bowl of oatmeal! Now not just any bowl of oats will do; it has to be brimming with peanut butter, almond milk, and bananas. With complex carbs to fuel your body, healthy fats to satiate your hunger, and fiber to keep your belly full for a good while, this bowl of oatmeal gives any imposter a run for its money.

Here’s how I make my favorite bowl of nutty nanners n’oats:

½ cup oats
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
1 medium banana, sliced

Combine oats and almond milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook the oats in the microwave according to package instructions. (If using quick-cooking oats, 2 minutes is sufficient; if using rolled oats, 3-4 minutes may be required.) When the oats have finished cooking, add in the peanut butter and stir. Then toss in the sliced bananas.

*You can even add more heft and fiber to the oatmeal by adding in ground flax seed. Add in 2 Tbps. ground flax seed to the oats and almond milk before cooking in the microwave. Note, the flax seed will give the oatmeal a different, almost sticky texture, so you may need to add more milk or water to thin out the oats if they become too thick. You want the oats to be loose enough to still stir in the peanut butter when they are finished cooking.*

 If you’re allergic to nuts, no worries! Soy milk and sunflower seed butter make wonderful substitutions! Simply swap out the almond milk for soy milk and the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter.