Lately, breakfast has been underwhelming me. My palette isn’t quite ready for too much variety first thing in the morning, so I keep it on the plain side. But by lunch, I’m ready for anything! Which is much more fun when you have a plethora of options. Thus, I use breakfast for fuel, so it’s got to be quick and it’s got to fill me up so I don’t have to bother with eating again until lunch. I’m finding that I’m not the only one that feels this way, and many other people are just as bored with breakfast as I am. Let’s just skip to lunch already!
But we can’t do that. We need something. So that’s why I keep options in the house to keep things interesting. I always have different grains on hand that I can turn into some sort of porridge, especially in the colder months. Quinoa porridge and millet porridge are great, but sometimes I just want something super quick and easy…which is where rolled oats come in.
Oatmeal is a little bland so it needs a quick upgrade in order for me to get excited about it. That’s where pumpkin comes in, plus some pumpkin spice and maple pecans.
Pumpkin oatmeal with maple pecans. The easiest fall breakfast that might actually make you excited for your first meal of the day. The maple pecans add that crunchy contrast to the creamy porridge that I like, and the pumpkin and spice ups the flavor and nutrition profile of breakfast.
A better breakfast to start your morning right.
- 1/2 cup // 45 grams rolled oats
- 1 cup // 250 mL water or milk of choice (or combo of the two)
- 2-3 tablespoons pumpkin puree*
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice**
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Handful of pecans, chopped
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- In a small pot, bring the oats, salt, and water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, simmering for 3-5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the pumpkin puree and spices.
- While the oats are cooking, stir the chopped pecans and maple syrup together in a small skillet and toast them for 3-5 minutes on medium heat, making sure they don’t burn. They have a sticky consistency to them, not crunchy like the ones you purchase.
- Top the oatmeal with the pecans and enjoy! Add more maple syrup or brown sugar as needed.
- *Any squash puree works great as a replacement for pumpkin.
- **Just cinnamon is fine too.
