Creamy Coffee Oatmeal

• 180g of oatmeal flakes

• 180g of water

• 360g of almond milk

• 3 espresso cups of coffee

• Toppings : Nuts, chocolate chips, maple syrup, banana

I’m totally in a coffee phase lately, so why not make an ‘all in one’ breakfast combo with Coffee Oatmeal.
I love this recipe because it can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a few days, making breakfast easy, quick and healthy. I’m part of those people that have a hard time eating breakfast because my appetite isn’t great in the mornings, but if I don’t eat I’ll collapse by the time lunch rolls around (true story!).  So planning breakfast meals ahead of time helps me eat the right things and get the energy I need to start my day.
Last year I stopped drinking coffee for health reasons, not that I was a heavy drinker but I really wanted to eliminate all caffeine from my diet, improve my overall mood (coffee tends to make me jittery) and just break the addiction pattern it can have on me.
Well it’s safe to say that it made me unhappy to do so.  I have come to the conclusion that dieting and eating clean is great only if it has a positive effect on your mindset. If it makes you miserable then I just don’t see the point in making life harder than it already is.
That said, this statement is to be taken in a specific context, this of course doesn’t apply to intolerances, allergies, major weight and/or health issues etc… just making that clear. 😉

So when it comes to my nutritive plan, coffee doesn’t particularly affect my body like gluten does, but I do notice that it can add on to hormonal imbalances during the luteal phase of my cycle so I did a year without coffee to give it a try. Us women really should understand how food affects our cycles, because it can be greatly linked to how we feel on a daily basis, our struggle with PMS or simply how we can balance our weight… if you’re interested you can easily find charts online that guide you for balancing your diet during the different stages of your cycle. I highly recommend it, it was a life changer for me!

After a year without coffee, I said stop. I just realized that I was restricting my body too much, I was trying to control too many things to the point that it was frustrating me. It’s crazy how one cup of coffee a day, after lunch, with maybe a little square of dark chocolate would make me smile. So I chose to go back to my routine and “deal” with the jitters and negative effect it has on my cycles, just because it brought happiness to my life. It’s all about making the right choices for your body, and balancing out our dietary restrictions as to not create a sort of paranoia around food & how it can hurt our bodies.

This is one of those things, it’s not great for me, but it dosen’t do major damage so I decided to reintegrate it in my daily routine to give my mind and tastebuds endorphines that will lead to my well-being !
Guys, it’s the small things that bring us joy, by enjoying the small pleasures that life has to offer we embrace happiness in a genuine way. Instead of focusing on the unattainable or the fantasy world our minds create, we can choose to focus on the things right in front of us that give us happiness, and show gratefulness towards them.
Yes, I am saying that coffee makes me happy ! What small things make you happy ? Have you thought about it ?

So here it goes for this really creamy gluten free Oatmeal recipe, made with almond milk, but can also be made with coconut milk or cow’s milk, whatever floats your boat. Add whatever toppings you like, banana, nuts, whipped cream, maple syrup, dried fruit, fresh fruit, chocolate chips, peanut butter…
This recipe is vegan, gluten free and sugar free (according to the toppings you add). Oats are incredibly nutritious, full of fiber, an help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, what’s not to love ?

For more Gluten free recipes click here.