Morning Oats with Caramalized Banana's

Your New Favorite Oatmeal Topping

 A healthy plant-based way to sweeten up your morning

I must confess, I'm not a huge breakfast person. If my mom didn't make smoothies for us in the morning when I was growing up, I think there would have been many mornings where breakfast would've have been skipped, not even a thought crossing my mind. I'm the kind of person who just isn't hungry that early in the morning - usually - and even if I am, my stomach is not capable of digesting a huge meal right off the bat.

Basically, the point of my story is that I got really into smoothies, and they are still my go-to standard breakfast. But, having smoothie after smoothie, day after day, sometimes gets a little boring and I need to switch it up. This switch-up usually only happens on weekends though, when I can wait to have breakfast a bit later when I'm actually hungry and I have the time to make a nice bowl of some sort.

This oatmeal topped with caramelized bananas is one of my absolute favorites. I'm still not over it since I tried it the first time this summer. Even though it looks and tastes slightly more gourmet, it takes no time at all.

For the Oats 

You can make these however you like. My standard is simply putting a cup of steel cut oats in a pot and pouring almond milk in so that it covers the oats. I don't like my oatmeal dry but also not runny... so it needs to be just right! 

If I'm feeling it, I'll add some chia seeds to the oatmeal and almond milk too before it starts cooking. I also add cinnamon and nutmeg into the oatmeal while it cooks.

For the Caramelized Banana Topping

Total Time: 5 min
 
Ingredients:

• One banana 
• If you are making this for multiple people I would say one banana is probably good for two people, so based the quantity off of that. If I am making this for just myself, I sometimes use half a banana and sometimes a whole ... just depends on how much of it you want!
• 1/4-1/2 cup date syrup OR maple syrup
• 1 TBSP Coconut oil 
• A handful of walnuts or pecans to your liking

Directions:

1. Peel the bananas and cut them length-wise so that there is a large surface area
2. Put about a TBSP of coconut oil in the pan on medium to high heat
3. Pour half of the maple or date syrup into the pan
4. Lay the bananas into the pan and add the walnuts or pecans and the remainder of the syrup
   
   Tip: you can add more syrup to your liking, more nuts or more bananas ... there is really nothing you can get wrong with this recipe!

Mix it all together ...

Put your cooked fluffy oatmeal into a bowl and then remove the bananas from the pan and into the bowl to top off your oatmeal! Drizzle the remainder of the caramelized syrup from the pan on top of the bananas and oatmeal.

Optional: You can add many other toppings to this oat bowl as well, like blueberry compote (just throw some frozen blueberries in a pot and let them heat up and thicken), coconut shavings, chia seeds (as a topping or to the oatmeal), some extra cinnamon, or anything else that your heart desires!