Banana Blueberry Oatmeal

I woke up this morning craving something hearty to start my day.  I saw a lone banana sitting on the kitchen counter about to go bad and decided I would do some banana oatmeal for breakfast.  This is one of my go to breakfast options, especially when it's feeling cooler this time of year (although here in central Florida, we're still waiting for the cool weather to take hold and stick around for more than a day!)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 cup fat free milk - Feel free to use whatever milk you prefer here
• 1 oz. walnuts
• TIP: Nuts have oil and oil spoils.  Keep you nuts in the freezer to make them last longer
• Dash of cinnamon
• Dash of vanilla extract
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 tbsp. chocolate Shakeology

Preparation:

• Mix oats and cinnamon together in a bowl, then add the milk and stir.  Microwave according to how you like your oatmeal.  I like mine to come out slightly runny with a little milk left in the bowl.  About 1 minute and 15 seconds on my microwave.
• Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat.  Stir them around and keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn.  I toasted mine for about 5 minutes.
• When the oatmeal comes out of the microwave, stir in a dash of vanilla
• Chop the toasted walnuts
• Top your oatmeal with the banana slices, chopped walnuts and blueberries.  I used frozen ones today since we're done with fresh blueberry season.  
• TIP: My frozen blueberries are actually fresh ones I bought during the summer when they were bountiful and on sale.  I froze them and use them throughout the fall and winter months when blueberries are not available fresh.
• Just for fun and for some chocolate taste, I added about a tbsp. of Shakeology to my toppings this morning.

This is a great start to my morning and gives me the energy I need to tackle a Monday.  

Have a great week!