I am not a morning person.
To be honest, I don’t really think morning people exist. I think there are normal “night” people and then there are aliens who have come to Earth to make us feel bad about our grogginess with their smug, peppy, morning talk. Because no real human could be excited about leaving their warm bed every morning to face the harsh light of day.
In fact, the only thing that motivates me to get out of bed and start the arduous process of making myself presentable for work in the morning is breakfast. Due to my limited motor skills before 8:30 AM, I usually resort to cereal and almond milk, or, as I did this morning, sticky, sweet oatmeal (I will address my torrid love affair with cereal another time).
In an effort to make today feel special, I added chocolate to the equation, and lo and behold, the following decadent but not unhealthy recipe was born!
Brownie Batter Oatmeal
Serves 1; 170-220 calories, depending on toppings; vegetarian; vegan option; dairy free option; gluten free
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa (I used Hershey’s special dark. Yum)
2-3 stevia packets, to taste
splash milk of your choice
scant tbsp mini chocolate chips (optional)
1-2 tbsp dried cranberries (optional)
1) Cook the oats, water, and salt together using the method of your choice, usually handily delineated on the back of your oatmeal container (I mix them together and microwave for 3 minutes because mornings are hard)
2) Mix your cocoa and almond milk together in a small cup or bowl to prevent cocoa lumps. Or you could skip this step and just throw them in the oatmeal with the other toppings. I did; cocoa lumps don’t scare me.
3) Add the rest of your toppings. Mix well. Adjust to taste.
4) Devour like the morning cave beast you are.
The Grumpy Girl Cooks 