Coconut Quinoa & Oatmeal

This post is part of The Recipe Redux. Each month a group of bloggers joins together to post on a central theme. This month, we are talking about easy to make recipes with seven ingredients or less. Make sure you check out the other recipes below!

This morning we were out of coffee, a circumstance that required immediate action.

It isn’t even that I have a major caffeine addiction.

I typically have about 1 1/2 big mugs before 7 am, and I’m done with caffeine for the day.

Maybe it is the ritual of it all.  I don’t know.

I just know that it was enough for me to drag my middle son out of bed, load the kids up and head to Starbucks.

Not a big deal under normal circumstances, but where we are at the beach right now, the closest Starbucks is 30 minutes away.

In retrospect, it would have been much easier just to go to the grocery store buy some coffee and come home and proceed as usual.

But then Christan would have been even more upset about being woken up because there wouldn’t have been the reward of the Starbuck’s trip in exchange.  (Just 10, that boy is already addicted to his sleep.  I can’t wait to see what the teenage years bring with him.)

Anyhow, by the time we made it to Starbuck’s, it was well beyond the time I normally have breakfast.

For a moment, I was tempted just to grab something quick as Starbuck’s.

I deserved it, after all.  It has been a rough couple of months.  I mentioned in my last post that I was starting to feel better.  What harm would a muffin do?

Possibly a lot.

As embarrassed as I am to admit it – because I know better – in the last six months I’ve let gluten slowly work its way back into my diet.

It was an isolated event at first.  Lunch out with my husband at a restaurant I’d never dream of taking the kids to.  And then when I was out with the kids, did I NEED that gluten free menu?

All that eventually led to me not wanting to cook separate meals for myself all the time and eventually the whole gluten free thing became a “sometimes gluten free”.

It is hard caring for a family of five and so many different demands with food.  In the last several weeks I’ve been painfully aware that I’ve let taking care of myself slide.    This is a recurring theme for me.

I know that I feel better without gluten.  My digestive system works better; my brain is clearer, and even my skin looks better.

Still, I’ve been eating it because frankly, it is easier.

I share this not to beat myself up – though I do that too.  It is just that I know many of you struggle too.  In the crazy-busyness that is being a mom, so often the simplest ways we can care for ourselves slide.

This morning I said no to the muffin, and came home and had a breakfast that was quite similar to the Coconut Oatmeal and Quinoa I’m sharing with you today.

I love everything about this breakfast recipe, and it is so simple to make.   Really, taking care of ourselves doesn’t have to be complicated.

Do you struggle with making self-care a priority?

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Coconut Oatmeal & Quinoa

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Oatmeal
• 1 ½ cups almond milk or milk of choice
• ½ cup cooked quinoa
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon walnuts chopped

Instructions

1. Combine oatmeal, milk and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add in quinoa, maple syrup and cranberries. Cook until the desired consistency. Top with walnuts and coconut and serve warm.

Recipe Notes

Servings 1, Calories 350, Fat 14.4g, Carbohydrates 48.5g, Protein 9.8g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 431mg, Fiber 8.1g, Sugars 12.7g