WIAW: Vanilla Custard Oats

So far this week, work has been super busy and this means my days have seemed to fly by right before my eyes.  The weather has been chilly, but sunny outside and just seeing the rays of light have me craving spring time already!  Until then though, I will just be enjoying my winter decorations as long as I still have them up and until the season’s truly start to change.  Here is the wreath I made after the Christmas decorations were put away and after the first of the year.  It will make me sad when it comes down, but I will just have to make and hang a spring wreath instead!

By the time I have been getting home, making dinner, and cleaning, there is nothing I have wanted to do more than cuddle up on the couch and watch a couple of my favorite shows, The Bachelor and Pretty Little Liars.  The Bachelor on Monday was the best episode so far this season, at least I think, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to finally not have to deal with Tierra every week!  I was sad to watch Lesley go home, but I think it was pretty obvious that her and Sean’s relationship just wasn’t on the same level as his and the other girls.  I like all four of the women who are left and can’t wait to watch next week and see how he narrows it down.  I think as of right now AshLee is my number one pick, but I also really like Lindsay a lot more than I thought I would from the first episode.  However, Des and Catherine seem like great picks too, so I think now that Tierra is gone it’s hard for Sean to go down a bad path!

Are any of you watching The Bachelor?  Who is your favorite to win?

Another thing I have been doing in my down time is trying to finish reading Safe Haven on my iPad.  I am a little more than half way through and I really can’t wait to see the movie, but not until I complete the book.  The plot is getting really good right now and my heart literally races at certain points during the story.  I like Katie’s character a lot and love that Nicholas Sparks created her to be quite the brave and strong woman.  I am looking forward to seeing how it ends, and I really hope the movie lives up to the hype and to the book’s expectations.

Have you read Save Haven?  Are you hoping to see the movie?  What is your favorite Nicholas Sparks book?

 

Here we are though, Wednesday once again, but this time I have no entire day of eats to share with you.  However, I’ve still been eating some delicious meals and treats that I did remember to snap a couple pictures of the food highlights that really stood out in my mind.   Here is this week’s WIAW (Thanks Jenn!):

 There isn’t a single veggie to be found on today’s post unfortunately, but there are plenty of other yummy treats.  Just because there are no pictures though doesn’t mean I haven’t been eating my veggies!  A lot of kale, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and broccoli have made their way into my menu this past week, just not into photos.

I found this recipe on Pinterest for Jamie Eason’s Cinnamon Swirl Protein Bread and decided to make a batch to snack on while at work.  I cut the batch into eight slices, and have been eating them this week as an afternoon snack, or sweet treat after lunch.  When the bread first came out of the oven on Sunday, I had a piece served hot and drizzled with peanut butter.  I would highly recommend trying it! 

This was the perfect way to get that cinnamon roll craving fulfilled without hitting up the local Cinnabon, (although I have known to love splitting a delicious and huge Cinnabon with my mom!).  Save that treat for a special day out, and enjoy this recipe any day of the week.

Ashley has been sharing her snacks lately on WIAW, and I keep noticing recipes from Gina showing up on her menus.  As silly as the name sounds, ‘Amazeballs’ make for the perfect little quick afternoon snack or as a little fuel before the gym, which has really come in handy at 5:00 a.m.  I followed this recipe for Chocolate Chip Protein Ballz, but used peanut butter instead of almond butter, honey instead of maple syrup, and no chocolate chips since I didn’t have any on hand at the time.  The recipe made four servings and I have been keeping my small batch in the refrigerator ever since.

 

I also wanted to share a recipe I have been absolutely loving lately!  Ashley has once again been inspiring me, but this time it was with her post about custard oats.  I had never heard of them until I spotted them on Courtney’s blog, and was actually (mistakenly!) pretty skeptical at first.  I couldn’t imagine adding an egg to my oats and steered clear for a little while.  However, I started to see the trend catching on and I had to admit that there are many recipes I was nervous of at first and now love, like kale chips, spaghetti squash, and green smoothies.  I first gave it a shot back in the fall by making a batch of pumpkin custard oats, and now it is pretty routine for me whisk an egg into every batch of oatmeal I make. 

This recipe has a secret ingredient that may not be deemed as a breakfast food, but it is perfect to have as a special treat and it makes a simple bowl of oats taste absolutely amazing!  Seriously, for either an indulgent breakfast or a healthier dessert option, I highly recommend giving this easy recipe a try.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 cups water (I know it seems like a lot of water, but the chia seeds really soak it all up)
• 1 tablespoon sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
• 1 egg
• Peanut Butter (optional)

Directions

Over medium heat, bring oats, chia seeds, and water to a boil.  Remove from heat and whisk in pudding mix and egg.  Pour oatmeal into a bowl and top with peanut butter.

 

Questions for you:

• Answer the questions above about The Bachelor or Safe Haven.  I want to hear your thoughts!
• Are you a fan of custard oats?  What is your favorite way to make a bowl of oatmeal?
• What meals have you heard of that at first you didn’t think you’d like, but after trying it, you now love it?
• What’s the best thing you’ve ate this week?