Day 1: Not So Tough

I started the morning with my best recipe for oatmeal. The Kickstart plan suggested an Apple Oatmeal - a pretty basic recipe using apple juice as the sweetener and liquid. Maybe I'll try that at another time. For today I made this. You should try it, it's amazingly good and really doesn't take any longer than making "instant" oatmeal in a microwave. Ok, I admit that I do have all the ingredients at the ready so I can throw this together in seconds but it really doesn't take long at all to make.

My Best Oatmeal Recipe (1 serving)

4T oatmeal

8T water

1 Date (you can use a plain whole, pitted date, or one of those date rolls w/ the almond and coconut - that's what I prefer using)

6-8 dried tart cherries

1-2 tsp pine nuts

2 Brazil Nuts chopped

1 whole apple

Mix everything except the apple in a small pan (I "chop" the date and brazil nuts with kitchen shears right into the pot). Mix and cook on medium until the oatmeal reaches the consistency you like. Before eating, cut the apple into slices or chucks and serve on top of the oatmeal. I like the contrast of the tart, juicy, cold apple with the hot cereal.

I don't add salt but, of course, you can if you want to. Same goes for cinnamon.

***

After breakfast I went to the Kipona Festival in Harrisburg. I was really sweating this because I knew there would be dozens of food vendors there. (Read as, "lots of meat".) I did well, and had a Vegetarian Eggroll and Vegetable Lo Mein. I did splurge and take home a huge bag of Kettle Corn but, hey, that's vegan, right?

For dinner I grilled a veggie burger and ate out on the patio. It IS Labor Day, after all.

On the whole, day one was a success.