WHY STOP THERE OATMEAL BOWL from Korina Moss

The other day I was out and about and hankering for something for lunch. As I was scanning my phone for food places nearby where I could grab something quick but without too much sodium (quite a feat!), there were two places that caught my interest--Playa Bowls and Nautical Bowls. They're basically the same type of take-out restaurants that serve fruit bowls and smoothies with added choices of oatmeal and granola included. I've had a delicious Aloha smoothie from Playa before with pineapple, mango, banana and coconut milk. I wanted something more filling, so I looked into their oatmeal bowls, where they allow you to build your own bowl. On their ordering website, I began building my bowl with three added ingredients. It came out to $13, and I started thinking $13 for oatmeal? I can do this at home. And so I did, and since I was home, I added a lot more ingredients. Hence, the "Why stop there?" in the title of this recipe! Here's my own hearty oatmeal bowl creation that's good for breakast, lunch, or dinner. As usual with my recipes, you can substitute, remove, or add ingredients per your preference. I like nuts, granola, and dried fruit for added texture.

Ingredients:

Oats

Fresh fruit - I used strawberries and a banana, but I love blueberries in this too. 

Dried fruit - I used raisins but dried cranberries are also good. (Or both!)

Nuts - I used walnuts but sliced almonds are also good.

Granola - I used Kelly's 4-Plus, which is more of an oat cereal.

Almond butter - you could substitute peanut butter or Nutella

Cinnamon - You can also use brown sugar or honey if you like it sweeter, but I don't find it necessary

Directions:

You may have noticed that I didn't put amounts on the ingredients list. It's really your preference as to how much of any topping you want on it. When all the ingredients are together, it ends up being a lot, so for one bowl, you don't need too much of any one ingredient. 

1. Make oatmeal according to directions. 

2. Slice your fresh fruit. I only used 2 or 3 strawberries and a quarter of the banana.

3. Put 1 serving of prepared oatmeal in bowl

4. Add cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts.

5. You could stop there. But why? Add your sliced fruit.

6. You could stop there. But why? Add granola.

7. You could stop there. But why? Add 1 tablespoon of almond butter.

8. Mix all ingredients together. Top with a sprinkling of more granola. Enjoy! 

Readers: Why stop there? What ingredients would be in your perfect oatmeal bowl?

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop cozy mystery series set in the Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner of the Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead and the Agatha Award finalist for Best Contemporary Novel, Case of the Bleus. Listed as one of USA Today’s Best Cozy Mystery series, her books have also been featured in PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, and Writer’s Digest. 

Korina’s latest book, Fondue or Die, is one of the current nominees for the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. The awards will be announced at the Malice Domestic fan convention on April 26th. If you’d like to attend, more information may be found here. 

Her next book, Bait and Swiss, is available on April 29th. To find out more about the Cheese Shop Mystery series and subscribe to her FREE monthly newsletter, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram. 

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Korina is also a freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy and traditional mysteries. Using her experience writing her award-winning series for a Big 5 publisher, she has the inside track on what editors, agents, and readers are looking for in a mystery.  Whether you're a new writer hoping to be traditionally or independently published, or you're an established writer wanting some guidance with a manuscript, she can help you strengthen your book. You can find more information and client testimonials on her website and contact her at korinamossauthor@gmail.com.