Sick of eating cereal and Ramen for lunch and dinner? Want to spend less money eating out and finally start cooking for yourself? Put down that frozen pizza, because HC’s Health Editor, Sammie Levin, is here to share her daily eats so you can get ideas for healthy, satisfying meals that are easy enough for any time-strapped collegiette to make. After you read Collegiette Eats, your taste buds, wallet and waistline will thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving! Also known as the best food day of the year. The second I finish the Thanksgiving feast, I start counting down the days til next year’s meal. I love all the combinations of flavors and textures that complement each other so well. I also can’t complain getting a break from making my own food and coming back home to my mom cooking for me – never gets old.
In honor of Thanksgiving, I have two easy, healthy pumpkin recipes to share. I’m pretty sure collegiettes are wired to be obsessed with pumpkin based on how much buzz there is when the PSL makes its return to Starbucks. The good news is, there’s another way besides a latte that you can get your pumpkin fix in the morning: oatmeal.
If you read some of my other posts, you’ll learn that I love oatmeal. I love it even more when pumpkin is in the mix. While canned pumpkin is classically associated with dessert, it’s a great ingredient to add to your breakfast because not only is pumpkin low-cal, it’s also loaded with vitamins (especially vitamin A) and fiber, which will keep you full throughout the morning.
Earlier this month I played around with adding canned pumpkin to my oatmeal, and I came up with this recipe. I’ve made a few times and might have to keep making it even once Thanksgiving season is over. The pumpkin makes the oats super thick and creamy; exactly what you need on a cold morning. It may not look pretty, but don’t judge an oatmeal by its cover (or my poor photography skills using my shattered iPhone).
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 packet stevia
- 1 tablespoon nut butter as topping (optional)
Directions:
- Mix oats and almond milk in bowl; microwave for two minutes
- Stir in pumpkin; microwave for another minute
- Stir in flaxseed, pumpkin pie spice and stevia
- Top with nut butter if desired (I used almond butter)
If you want to take your pumpkin oatmeal to the next level, you can make these baked pumpkin oatmeal cups from the blog Eating Bird Food. I made these the other day and they were delicious. You can have them as breakfast, a snack or dessert.
I made mine with raisins instead of chocolate chips, skipped the walnuts and topped them with some almond butter and pumpkin butter. My pumpkin butter was store-bought, but you can also make your own. The baked cups can be kept in the fridge for a week, so make a batch when you have time for easy snacking throughout the week.
Time to go prepare for the feast ahead. Have a happy, pumpkin-filled day and make sure to read our tips on how to stay healthy at Thanksgiving!