I make a lot of oatmeal for breakfast. It was getting to the point where I thought I was in an oatmeal rut and I would never find a new recipe again.

Then, I invented this oatmeal yesterday. It’s a variation on the oatmeal I usually make. I combined some oats, almond milk, cinnamon, maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt in a pot, mixed in half a mashed banana, and let the mixture cook until it was thick and creamy. Then I added some banana slices, blueberries, chia seeds, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

The oatmeal was so good that I decided to make it again this morning. I was out of blueberries, though, so it wasn’t quite as good. Still, I know I’ll be coming back to this recipe again and again. It’s easy and quick, AND it makes your kitchen smell heavenly while it cooks. Picture banana bread mixed with maple cinnamon spice cake, and you’ll land somewhere close to this oatmeal.

You could get creative on toppings. I bet walnuts and hemp hearts would also be good on top.

I didn’t really use a recipe to make this but I’ll include one below, just in case you want to try it at home.

In other news, I got my haircut last night and I’m pretty amped about it. I always have aspirations to grow my hair long, and then once it gets past my shoulders, I get sick of it and give up. I got a couple inches off so my hair is lighter and more curly. It will be a good cut to have this summer when it’s sunny and warm…whenever that happens.

Here’s a song to play while you’re making this oatmeal. It’s also good for rainy days when all you want to do is get in bed with a book, a cup of tea, and your laptop so you can watch “West Wing” reruns.

Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup maple syrup, or more if you like your oatmeal super sweet
pinch of flaky sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 a banana, mashed
sliced banana, blueberries, chia seeds, ground cinnamon for topping

Directions

Combine the oats, almond milk, maple syrup, sea salt, mashed banana, and ground cinnamon in a saucepan over high heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and then reduce the heat and cook on low, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens. This will take about 10 minutes.

Top the oats with sliced banana, blueberries, chia seeds, and ground cinnamon. Enjoy!