Pumpkin Oatmeal

Hello people!  The bad news is – it’s Monday!  The good news is – it’s only a 2 1/2 day work week!  I’m assuming Wednesday is a half day for most people. 
My weekend was quite busy.  Friday night was dinner with friends at a fabulous Indian restaurant in Manhattan called Dhaba.  A review on Dhaba is coming up this week.
Saturday was a fun family gathering to celebrate my sister’s in-laws’ 50th Anniversary at Deewan Banquet (which btw, I totally recommend for a smaller event – excellent appetizers & dinner).  My sister did an amazing job planning the event and paid close attention to the fine details.  I danced the night away until the last song and I was forced to stop – don’t you just hate that?


Sunday – I recovered from my hangover.  Ha!
So in light of Thanksgiving this week, I decided to work on a super healthy pumpkin oatmeal recipe which came out awesome.  I hope you’ll give this recipe a try with some leftover pumpkin this week.  Enjoy!

NUTRITION: Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A and Fiber.  Oats help reduce cholesterol and are a good source of protein and fiber.  Milk is an excellent source of Calcium and Protein.  Chia Seeds is a superfood and an excellent source of fiber, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and antioxidants.  


INGREDIENTS (if you don’t have ground cinnamon, nutmeg, & ginger powder, use 1/3 tsp of Pumpkin Spice instead):

• Low Fat 1% Milk – 1/2 cup
• Quaker Old-fashioned Oats – 1/3 cup
• Vanilla Extract – 1/2 tsp
• Ground Cinnamon – 1/4 tsp
• Nutmeg – small pinch
• Ginger Powder – small pinch
• Libby’s Pure Pumpkin – 3 tbsp
• Pure Maple Syrup – 1 tbsp (or less)
• Pecans – 4 to 5 (broken)
• Chia Seeds – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp

DIRECTIONS:
1. On low-medium heat, add milk and oats to a small pot.
2. Add vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger powder, or you can use pumpkin spice instead.
3. Stir.
4. Now add the pumpkin – I started with 2 tbsp and then added 1 more.  Stir.
5. Once the oatmeal starts bubbling, add the maple syrup.  Stir and turn off the stove once heated thru.
6. Pour the pumpkin oatmeal into a serving bowl.
7. Top with chia seeds and pecans.  It’s rich, creamy, and healthy!