AB&J Oatmeal

In my opinion, there is nothing better than a delicious breakfast to set you up for a great day. A few Sundays ago, I was up early (which I am now, always)... My workout wasn't until 11:30, so I hit Trader Joe's (before the regular Sunday crowd) as soon as it opened. The weather was beautiful; sun shining, 70 degrees already. I drove to the store with the windows down, good music blasting, and a peaches and cream smoothie in hand. Life was good.

After loading up my cart with my favorite items, I went home to get started on meal prep. I knew I needed a little more in my stomach than my smoothie, so I tried to think about what I was in the mood for. It's tough for me to plan out my weekend breakfasts, because I am usually either sweet or savory. If I have a savory meal planned when I want sweet, I'll divert. So most of the time, I just keep my most frequent ingredients on hand and I choose on the spot.

I had a zucchini I needed to use, and I'd been on a PB&J kick. I put my thinking cap on and came up with the perfect combo. Almond Butter & Jelly Oatmeal. For the two weeks leading up to this delicious bowl, I had been wanting AB&J everything. But let's talk about the almond butter for a second. I was cooking a Run Fast Eat Slow recipe one day, and it called for almond butter. I checked the pantry which is normally always stocked well with nut butters, only to find I was completely out of plain almond AND peanut butter. I had to go to the grocery store anyway, so I added it to the list. When I got to the store, the shelf that said "Creamy Almond Butter" was completely empty. A ghost town. Panic struck as I realized I was going to have to go with the chunky kind; knowing I've always been a creamy peanut butter girl. I wasn't happy about it, but it would have to do.

Little did I know that when I got home and sampled the almond butter, it would be life changing. I'm not sure I will ever go back to the creamy kind! It was the best consistency with that quick little crunch, and just like that I was hooked. Life. Changing. Back to the AB&J Oatmeal though: the almond butter is what made this dish in my opinion. It has a great consistency by itself, but once it absorbed some of the heat from the fresh-off-the-stove oatmeal and I swirled it with the blueberry, it was undeniable. This bowl was SO fresh and delicious, and it is loaded with a WHOLE (yes I said WHOLE) zucchini. My trick when I'm trying to cut back on the carbs is to incorporate the shredded vegetable. I only used 1/3 cup of oats, and used the zucchini as a nutrient packed filler to compensate. You can barely tell that you're eating shredded zucchini and it pairs so well with the sweetness of the fruit, jam, and almond butter!

You gotta try this one ASAP!

gluten free // vegetarian

ingredients:

1 whole zucchini, grated and patted dry with a paper towel
1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats
1 tbsp chia seeds
splash of vanilla extract
1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp Trader Joe's CHUNKY almond butter (this is KEY)
1 tbsp Stonewall Kitchen Wild Maine Blueberry Jam
fresh berries for topping

Directions: heat oats and zucchini together with the coconut milk in a small saucepan on medium heat. Keep an eye on it and stir frequently; until it starts to just come to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and stir in chia seeds and vanilla extract. Stir to combine and transfer to a bowl. Top immediately with the almond butter and blueberry jam; it will get super melty. Add the berries. I stirred mine all together before eating so I got a bit of AB&J in every bite!