creamy spiced oatmeal, in no time

i know that mornings can be hectic- trying to get yourself, your children and your partner out the door so that everyone can make it to school or work can seem nearly impossible. a sit down breakfast tends to fall by the wayside- enter pop tarts or frozen breakfast burritos or breakfast sandwiches, full of preservatives and sodium. the sodium!

put that pop tart down and step away!

i picked this cookbook up on thursday, and this is already the second time i have made this recipe. there is zero chopping, prepping or, really, any work involved at all.

you put some milk and water in a pot over medium heat, add the spices, then the oatmeal and cook for about 8 minutes until your oatmeal is creamy and spiced and tender. i made a double batch a few minutes ago while i had 10 minutes to spare, and now we have breakfast for a couple mornings this week. i added 3 cardamom pods and left out the all spice berries.

quick, easy, healthy and delicious.

check out lucinda scala quinn's blog, mad hungry .

creamy spiced oatmeal via mad hungry cookbook

1 cup milk (soy, almond, or rice milk can be substituted)
1/2 cup water

1whole cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
1 cup rolled oats, preferably organic
1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey (optional). i used about 2 tsps organic cane sugar
1/2 cup toasted almonds (optional)

in a medium saucepan, heat the milk and water with the spices and bay leaf over medium heat. reduce the heat to low and steep for 2 minutes. add the oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are tender, between 5 and 15 minutes.

let cool, discard the spices, put it in tupperware and find a spot for it in the fridge. reheat in the microwave the next morning, adding a splash of milk or water if it is too thick.