Have you tried carob oatmeal yet?!
Do itttttt! It’s divine! If you’re getting sick of oatmeal, add a teaspoon of ground carob to your oats and it will give your bowl of oats a whole new flavor!
Today, I made Carob-Cherry Oatmeal. Nom!
I’ve had a couple requests for how to cook oatmeal, so I’m going to break it down today. 
Carob-Cherry Oatmeal
For 2 people who like small oatmeal portions
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk or non-dairy milk
- 2 tsp carob powder (ground)
- 1 tbsp agave syrup (or to taste)
- 1 tsp chia seeds, optional
- 6 seeded and halved cherries
- sprinkle of sliced almonds, optional
Directions:
- Combine oats, water, milk, chia seeds, carob powder and agave in a small pot over medium low heat.
- Heat mixture till thickened to your preference, careful to not boil, stirring occasionally.
- Serve in bowls and add cherries on top with any additional toppings you want.
- Enjoy!
Lunch was super weak. I was planning to go to the grocery store first thing this morning, but instead of being off, I had to work! 
I scrounged around in the freezer to come up with this: a TJ’s soy “corn dog”, a corn muffin (re-baked from a frozen batch), and peas.
For a snack, I had a micro-baked sweet potato with a dab of real butter and a wee bit of brown sugar.
Then, it was time for ZUMBA! I was super tired in class today. I think it’s because I was stressed about work today and not doing a great job of hydrating. Doh! I downed a coconut water pretty fast near the beginning of class and was actually feeling more energized towards the end of the class than the beginning. Guess that stuff really works!
Hubby cooked dinner tonight – a little concoction of his own. Bulgogi over brown rice.
For dessert, we had cookies we got from our neighbor! Woohoo! Our first neighborly perk.
Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve had a day off with nothing major to do. I have a million things I could be doing, but I’m just not sure where to start! I feel like I’ve waited so long to have a free day of my very own. Normally, I feel like I rush from one to-do to another, barely accomplishing the must-dos (work, eat, sleep, Zumba, blog) in a day. Now that I have a free day, I’m so excited! I just have so many ideas I’ve wanted to execute and fun things I’ve wanted to do for so long that I want to do ALL of them! I am trying to get organized, though. I actually have a to-do list I’ve started and am hoping to share tomorrow.
In the meantime, here’s a funny little list that I put together about being busy all the time.
Top 5 Signs You’re Too Busy
- Your email inbox has more than 1000 unread emails (ok, maybe closer to 5000…yikes!)
- You’ve waited 2 years to buy a laptop so you don’t have to rely on your desktop and can work away from home. You got your laptop 2 weeks ago. You haven’t had the chance to even crack open the box.
- You find yourself blogging half asleep after midnight because it’s the only time you can do it.
- Your clean laundry sits in piles on your couch because you haven’t had time to fold it yet.
- Your significant other asks when they can see you again…and you live with them.
Reader question #1: What’s your sign you’re too busy?
Reader question #2: What do you like to do with your days off from work?
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my, that oatmeal looks delectable! And can I have the recipe for the bulgogi?! I love that stuff!
I asked hubby and he said he used a bulgogi sauce with steak, peppers, and onions. lol. I think he just sauteed the meat and veggies and then added the sauce. I thought he had made it from-scratch!
LOL, too funny! Now to track down some bulgogi sauce!!
oo i have never seen carob powder before!!! #1 sign im busy: when my room is a MESS
I have not tried carbo but I have added coco powder to my oats which is just as nice.
Number one sign for me is when I forget what day of the week it is. Which actually happens more than often.
Signs I am busy–not sitting down to relax until after 10:00pm. On my day off I would…start with coffee and breakfast, then exercise, then hit up the nail shop for a pedicure, and take a stroll along the shops uptown dining al fresco with ones I love. That’s the ideal, but it never works out, just too busy with other things or instead waste the day cleaning and lounging around the house. But being a teacher I do have off the next two weeks so it’s possible.
The porridge looks delish…my little boy looked at the photo and said “I need that!” lol. Looks like Im making it for breakfast tomorrow then
Signs I am busy – the loss of my sense of humour and appetite.
On my day off I try to take pleasure in everything I do…to music, read, long walk, meet with friends, wrestling competitions with my boy, generally potter.
So cute about your little boy saying he needed the oatmeal!
Wow, you are incredibly busy! Sounds like your holiday break will not come soon enough!
On my days off I like to clean, workout, and move slow and be lazy.
Too funny! Signs I am too busy…sadly they involve neglecting myself because I don’t want to neglect others. Like, not putting on lip balm or lipstick, moisturizing at night, – I do everything quickly to get things done instead of taking time to take care of myself. The only one that suffers is me.
Exactly! Same here…that’s why I never paint my nails, etc. I usually skip lotion….except for face lotion, because I have to use that every day.
Loved the “Top 5 Signs You’re Too Busy” list.
I know I’ve been too busy when my Google reader has over 100 unread blogs.
P.S. I’m a huge fan of “to-do” lists on days “off” as well. I waste way too much time without one!
awww, i’m so sorry you’re so busy
hope you get some time to relax this week! the top sign i’m too busy is when i don’t want to clean up the kitchen after dinner w/ my husband. we have a dishwasher, but don’t put the prep dishes in it, so he washes the dishes and i dry and we just talk about our days. it’s fun. 
i’m always sad when i’m too busy to do that.
Hi,
I recently found your blog through Healthy Tipping Point and I really like it. I have not stopped thinking about the chocolate chip dough balls. One of the major signs that I am too busy is that I go to bed with make-up on and not even worry about how bad that is! I did that twice last week.
I forgot to answer question #2. When I have free time, I like to drink coffee or wine and read blogs without feeling like I should be doing something else : ) I feel kind of guilty writing this. I feel like I should be more interesting and have more hobbies!
I really stuck my foot in my mouth in the comment above. I love reading blogs. I just meant that I would like to feel more interesting as a person. Sorry.
Hey Crystal! So glad you found TCL! Thanks so much for stopping by! You totally didn’t stick your foot in your mouth – I know what you meant.
Happy Holidays!
#4 is so true for me. Also, when I’ve run out of clean pots and pans to cook *anything* in the kitchen.
To answer question 2 is easy: dance and sew and play with my dog (though usually not all at the same time) .
That would be pretty amazing if you could do all that at once!
Yeah for neighborly treats! I love to give them and get them too! I got a package tonight from my new neighbors and just the thought is extremely nice.
Here’s what I gave to my neighbors:
http://thescenefromme.com/2010/12/11/friendly-holiday-goodie-gifts/
Happy Holidays!
Nice work on your neighbor gifts!
Does ground carob taste like carob chips? I wonder how well they melt!
Yes, carob powder has a taste like carob chips. You could probably use the chips instead, but I like using the powder to mix in and put the chips on top.