extra time

I had extra time this morning because I got off work to go to the memorial service for my grandpa. Extra time. Lucky me x_x

But it did make for something new for my oats:

Apple n cinnamon oats. I love the idea of the apple-cinnamon oatmeal packets, but they are too sweet for me (and instant oatmeal is generally gluey). So I sauteed some apples in the oat pan til they’d browned and softened a bit, then sprinkled on some cinnamon, then added my usual oats, water, and milk and cooked on medium til done.

The final result, topped with pb (we have crunchy at the moment, kind of a fun twist):

  

The verdict? Pretty good. It actually probably could’ve used just a LITTLE bit of sugar, because I’m used to banana oats and bananas are a bit naturally sweeter than apples. Still, it’s worth repeating (but definitely only on mornings when I have extra time—it took awhile)

I didn’t really have “lunch” today, just general bereavement nibbles of the unhealthy, made of white flour variety.

I felt icky and obviously sad. A walk with my mom this afternoon helped, and I knew that for dinner I wanted something fresh tasting, and we thawed some chicken last night. What better than a salad?

First the veg:

Last of the green beans, cucs, chopped green onion, mushrooms, and shredded carrot for color and sweetness.

To dress:

 

For bottled dressing, this aint bad, but it’s quite sweet, so I zinged it up with some lime juice (I also ended up adding some seasoned rice vinegar, my favorite ingredient du jour).

Then I sauteed up some chicken, which I cut into strips and seasoned with ground ginger, garlic salt, and crushed red pepper flakes:

And behold, a lovely Asian-ish chicken salad:

A nice refreshing, nourishing mix of flavors.