COOKING: Pumpkin & Maple Oatmeal

You know when you're hungry in the morning, but also feeling lazy and you don't want to eat something that could also be categorized as a dessert, but you do want something kind of sweet? This pumpkin, almond and maple oatmeal nestles nicely in the center of that Venn diagram. So easy that this is barely a recipe, but also super warm and filling and with some redeeming nutritional qualities. What else can you really hope for before the sun comes up, anyway?

WHAT YOU NEED

Oatmeal  //  Pumpkin  //  Maple Syrup  //  Almonds

HOW TO MAKE IT

Cook your oatmeal in whatever way you want. Mine has instructions for boiling and whatnot, but when I'm in a rush (okay, I always do this) I just pour some steel cut oats in the bowl, add some water and microwave it for about a minute. I don't measure, I don't time - it's all very cavalier. You can just follow the instructions, though, if you can't handle this amount of rebellion.

Oatmeal doesn't photograph well.

Continuing on my renegade path, I drop an unmeasured amount of pumpkin on top of the oatmeal.

I guess canned pumpkin doesn't photograph well, either.

Swirl all that together.

Top with almonds and a drizzle of maple syrup and eat up, breakfast fans!

I love this because it's delicious, which is most important, but I also don't have to put much thought or effort into my meal and still get to eat something that seems vaguely gourmet. Plus, in the 66 seconds of microwave time (I can't be bothered to press two different number buttons), I blend a green smoothie and everything is mouth-ready in, like, three minutes. Seriously.

Unrelated: I bought this Halloween placemat at Target and have since become obsessed with him. I mean it. His name is Ghosty and I can't promise I'll be putting him away after the 31st. So dapper!

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes? What are you eating for breakfast these days? Do you disregard the conventional method instructions too?

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