Baked Autumn Harvest Oatmeal

Every morning I rely on my breakfast staple of choice: a warm bowl of oatmeal! Oatmeal is an incredible breakfast option this whole grain option has a high fiber content that will keep you full for hours and prevent a mid-morning snack attack!  When most of my clients think about oatmeal, the thought of sugar-laden packets of instant oatmeal immediately come to mind.  I resort to a big tub of plain oats and flavor my oatmeal with seasonal favorites, such as the pumpkin that I used in this recipe in order to provide a rich and hearty flavor that doesn’t resort on sugar! 

                I add a few non-traditional items, including ground flax seed meal, wheat germ, and bee pollen, to my morning bowl of oatmeal.  Flax seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, are high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, and contain many antioxidants.  Due to their hard coating, flax seeds must be consumed in ground form in order to obtain their many health benefits.  If you are having trouble “going number two”, add a tablespoon or two to your oatmeal and I am sure that your intestinal regularity will improve!  Try flaxseeds in a small dosage first and gradually build your way up, making sure you have a bathroom readily available just in case!  Nutritionally, wheat germ is a power house and is fortified with many vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, folic acid, zinc, magnesium, and essential omega-3 fatty acids.  Vitamin E is a great antioxidant that helps improve your skin and has many anti-aging properties.  Wheat germ also improves your overall metabolism by allowing our body to balance our hormones, especially during times of stress (such as lifting weights).  Bee pollen contains nearly every nutrient required by the human body and is rich in protein (18 amino acids), vitamins, and minerals.  Bee pollen also exhibits antibacterial and anti-vital properties.  It also contains many important enzymes such as Phenylalanine (an appetite suppressant) and Lecitin (dissolves fat in the body).  Since many of the enzymes found in bee pollen work best at cooler temperatures, it is best to sprinkle them on top of your oatmeal.

“Baked” Autumn Harvest Oatmeal

-          1/3 cup oatmeal prepared with water

-          1 tbsp ground flax seed meal

-          1 tbsp wheat germ

-          1 tsp bee pollen

-          1 egg white

-          ½  tbsp natural almond butter

-          1 tbsp organic raisins

-          2 tbsps organic pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

-          Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice (to taste)

-          ½ packet Truvia (to taste)

Measure out your oatmeal, flaxseed, and wheat germ and place them in a microwave-safe bowl.  Add one egg white to the mixture, along with your raisins, pumpkin, and spices.  Cook for 2 minutes and 30 seconds until oatmeal has a “baked” texture (it will look like a small cake in your bowl).  Sprinkle bee pollen and Truvia on top of the oatmeal.  I also drizzle 1/2 tbsp natural almond butter that I have melted in a small container its own to the top of my oatmeal.   

Find Your Motivation

 

Your motivation must absolutely 100% come from a place deep within yourself!  You cannot start your fitness journey solely for someone else.  You cannot do it because your boyfriend told you that he likes a toned woman with tight glutes.  You cannot do it because your best friend told you to put down the cupcakes and stop feeling sorry for yourself!  Your mother can nag you all she wants to about you no longer fitting into your jeans like you used to.  But regardless of our motivations for change, if your motivations revolve around anyone other than yourself, it is not going to work in the long run!  You can easily set yourself up on a roller coaster of emotions and moods if you rely on other people to provide a constant supply of motivation and support for your own fitness journey.  You are responsible for yourself and for your happiness.  No one else in this world will invest as much into yourself as you are capable of doing in order to be successful. 

Today, ask yourself the true reason why you would like to start a successful fitness journey.  If your motivation involves trying to live up to the expectations of others, I encourage you to dig deeper and discover in which areas in your life are lacking.  Do you feel like you fit in your own skin?  Are you happy with who you are?  Uncover your true intentions for why this change is necessary in your life and what you are genuinely going to put forth 100% of your effort to accomplish.  Successful people know what they want to achieve in this world for themselves and have a clear understanding of what drives them to change!