When I was strict Paleo, I went through a phase where I didn't eat oatmeal for several years. After I got pregnant, my food values shifted a bit as I was open to eating anything that didn't make me feel even more nauseated. Now that I'm nursing, I try to eat oatmeal every day because it's easy, filling, and supposedly good for milk production. Usually I just throw it in the microwave and eat it plain with a little sprinkle of salt, but if I have a few extra minutes I like to make one of these savory oatmeal breakfast bowls. 

I've shared a few pictures on Instagram Stories and every time I get a handful of messages from people asking for the recipe or just expressing their surprise that you can put cheese and onions in oatmeal. I'm not a big sweet breakfast person, so I prefer this over more traditional cinnamon and brown sugar oatmeal. It's also a great way to clean out your fridge, and it makes a delicious lunch as well as a hearty breakfast.

You can customize your bowl however you like, but this is my go-to recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1 cup of water
• 1/4 of an onion, sliced or diced
• 3-4 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 egg
• A splash of olive oil or a little butter, for cooking
• 1/4 cup of shredded cheese
• A big handful of spinach (you could chop this to make it a little easier to eat but I usually just throw it in)
• About 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder (or a fresh clove of garlic if you have it, chopped)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Hot sauce (optional)

Instructions: 

1. In a large pan, heat olive oil or melt butter. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the mushrooms and sauté until browned and a little crispy--another 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan or push to the side to make room for your egg.
2. Crack egg into pan and cook over medium-high heat. Cook to your liking--I'm a big fan of over medium but you could totally scramble it instead. I've also used hard and soft-boiled eggs I had in the fridge.
3. While your egg is cooking, combine oats and water in a bowl. Microwave according to instructions (usually 2 minutes) and carefully remove from microwave (the bowl is always hot as hell). Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add the cheese and stir to combine.
4. Add your spinach, mushrooms, and onion. Top with fried egg and a little hot sauce. 

I've made these with bacon and broccoli and every other meat or veggie that I have in the fridge. I love coming up with new combinations based on whatever leftovers I have. If you come up with a fun one, let me know! Enjoy!

Running with Ender on a rainy morning.

Seeing my spiralized pasta primavera from Quick + Easy Spiralizer on Delish Knowledge this week.

Getting Sophie on a (loose!) nap schedule and bedtime routine, and having a glass of wine with dinner at 7PM every night.

This nightgown that makes me feel a lot less frumpy than I was feeling going to bed in old tee shirts the past few months.

Light-filled evenings--well worth the lost hour of sleep, in my opinion.

What are five of your favorite things right now? 

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Before we moved to California, Rob and I made the drive down to Litchfield Beach in South Carolina to spend two Memorial Day weekends with my best friend Tina, her husband Michael, and a group of their friends--sometimes small, sometimes larger, but always so fun.

We've only done it twice, but every time spring and Daylight Savings rolls around I think about that little yellow house and the gorgeous screened-in patio where we'd all sit with margaritas and chips and queso dip and watermelon, playing cards and catching up and laughing for hours. Tina and I would always wake up early every morning and walk on the beach with cups of coffee, before heading back to the house to start breakfast while everyone else began to wake up.

Even when we're on vacation--whether in South Carolina or Sonoma--it's always the quiet moments with Tina that I treasure the most: walking through the grocery store together for bacon and eggs and kebab ingredients; going to barre together; making a pot of coffee in the morning before taking a walk. They remind me of what it might be like to live in the same place and not have to plan out our time together the way we have for so many years.

Tina and Michael came to visit us in California right after we moved in 2016, and again just a few weeks ago to meet Sophie. Once again there were those everyday things--getting Thai takeout on a Thursday night and a couple of gel manicures on a Saturday morning. It always simultaneously makes me feel happy and sad--thankful for my friendships that have withstood time and distance, and bittersweet nostalgia coupled with dreams of a life all in one city--where you live close enough to each other that they can stop in for coffee on a Sunday morning, or any other made-up scenario that I catch myself daydreaming about when California feels especially far from Richmond or Charlotte. My friend Corri and I used to never actually make plans on Sundays but somehow always end up in my backyard with our dogs and a bottle of wine. I miss that.

I was test driving a car yesterday and mentioned that we were from Virginia but had moved from North Carolina, and further down the road when he brought up front-wheel vs. four-wheel drive, I found myself talking about Minnesota. The salesman looked at me with surprise as he said "You sure have lived a lot of places!" It reminded me that so much of my life so far has been framed by a narrative that's fragmented into here and there and back then and one day. I've always had trouble standing still--focusing on being content with the present and not looking back longingly or charging forward aggressively. 

But now there's Sophie, and for once, I savor every single moment. Whether it's a smile or a nap or a snuggle, she changes so much and so fast that I constantly catch myself saying "I can't wait until she...well I can wait, I'm just excited for her to" laugh or crawl or sleep through the night. I pulled back into the dealership where Rob was pushing our daughter around in the stroller and realized that my whole life was standing there on that sidewalk.

I still dream of being able to drive to see my mom on the weekend, or having a Sunday night takeout and Game of Thrones tradition with our friends back east, of going to Target with my friend Paige and our kids, story time at the library, snacks on her kitchen island as the babies play.

But for now, where we are is just right.