Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Yucky weather outside is remarkably effective at making us crave warm,
soothing foods from the cozy comfort of our homes.  Frankly, what we
really wanted this morning was to heat up one of those $6 pumpkin pies
from Costco (it was a weak moment, we apologize), but that annoying

health-conscious angel on our shoulder insisted that some piping hot
oatmeal would satisfy our hunger.  But then – wait – a brilliant

thought occurred to us… Why not COMBINE oatmeal and pumpkin pie into one
glorious, steamy bowl of goodness?  Apparently we are not the only ones
who have been struck by this bolt of inspiration, because a quick
Google search yielded dozens of recipes.  We were particularly

impressed/intimidated by this Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Recipe. 
But, um, we didn’t have like nine of the ingredients suggested by many
of these complicated recipes, so we went all Top-Chef and whipped
something up using what we had in the house.  Not only was it
ridiculously delicious, but also very healthy – both Padma Lakshmi and
Jamie Oliver would have been so proud of us.





Ingredients:



2 cups of sugar-free almond milk (or water, or another type of milk)


2 packets of instant oatmeal


1 cup of canned pumpkin (this is also great for smoothies and pancakes)


1 teaspoon of cinnamon


2 tablespoons of crushed walnuts (or pecans)


1 ripe banana, sliced





Directions:

Bring the milk or water to a boil in a saucepan, and add the instant
oatmeal.  Stir for a few minutes until the oatmeal has thickened, then
reduce the heat to low.  Add the pumpkin and the cinnamon, and stir.
Turn off the stovetop.  Add the crushed walnuts and sliced banana.





Note: if you’re really healthy (and really patient), go for the 
slow-cook steel-cut oats instead of the instant stuff.  Also, don’t
 worry about following the recipe to a tee (we never do), so feel free to 
improvise.



Servings: technically two…but it’s so good that we ate twice this
 amount, so you might want to lie to yourself and say that this recipe 
makes just one serving.