Wild Blueberry Chia Oatmeal.

I'm convinced that Monday mornings are a little easier to swallow when you've just closed the cap on a joy-filled sunny weekend. And to keep the weekend euphoria humming in my head - I decided to slow down my Monday morning, take my own good advice, and make myself a bowl of vegan Wild Blueberry Chia Oatmeal.

Get my recipe and read about my weekend adventures...

Sunny Weekend..

Happy Bowl..

Purple-Blue Vegan Oats. This bowl starts with some basic, rustic steel cut oats. The tender oats plump when infused with a hearty sprinkle of chia seeds. Crunchy walnuts and a few dashes of cinnamon add warmth. Sweet-tart goji berries that swell and become delightfully squishy in the warm oatmeal add some pink perkiness.

Last in, tumbling over top, rich purple wild blueberries that stain just about everything they touch a deep, brilliant blue - like that splash of now-purple soy milk. I paired this hearty bowl with a cool blended green smoothie. I think I've successfully kept my happy weekend buzz, for now anyways.

Blueberries, fresh or frozen, they always work magic on a bowl of oats...

Holiday Weekend. With a brilliant blue sky and a tender floral breeze of spring, the holiday weekend began. With temperature in the 70's, I made it my weekend goal to get out and soak up as much vitamin D as possible. Mission accomplished.

Friday night was cinema bliss. I'm a huge Titanic super fan, as my cupcakes suggested, and seeing the 3D version at The Arclight in Hollywood was nothing more than magical. The 3D effects were pretty impressive - even if the 3D glasses darkened the picture a bit. I loved it. And once again, I left the theater with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. But since I knew the tragic ending - it was almost comical how many people in the theater were like me, a weepy mess. But I felt like it was a happy cry in joy that the movie is still indeed, so darm awesome. In a show of emotion, everyone clapped at the end - and even stayed seated through most of the credits - that never happens nowadays!

Saturday morning. My husband and I woke early. Well, I woke early and yanked him out of bed warning that if we didn't get an early start to our planned beach day - the traffic to Santa Monica would swallow us alive and my cheery mood would be bruised. So we ended up on the Santa Monica Pier around 9:30am and rode our bikes all along the breezy coast until around 1pm. Down to Venice Beach, then back up again to Malibu. With a few sunbathing stops along the way. Sky blue sky and velvet aqua waves crashing on the powder tan sand. Birds gliding with the salty breezes, yellow sunshine on every crevice of the beach scattered rocks and towering cliffs.

We popped into Real Food Daily for juices - then I hit up Penzey's Spices for one spice. I needed some more fine pepper. I left the store with about seven spices. I just can't seem to leave with one!

That day ended with a very woozy, sunbeam cat nap.

Sea..

Hills..

Easter Sunday was another gorgeous day. So instead of going to the usual AM mass, we ditched the morning church/brunch rush and headed to the hills. We hiked in Runyon Canyon for a few hours, watching the loudly panting doggies scurry up the cliffs with their owners leading the way. Well, a few very pampered pets seemed to give up half way up the hill - as I saw quite a few doggies getting the "carry me" treatment. Fluffy dogs, tiny dogs, large sleek dogs and more visit Runyon. Actually, my favorite part about hiking there is all the puppies I get to gawk at.

We ended our weekend with a homemade vegan pizza feast. I'll be posting the recipe to my pesto cashew ricotta pizza later this week - so look out for that!

Nelly didn't have much excitement this weekend. She just snuggled with her bunny..

And popped out a few times to spy on the hummingbirds outside the window in the sunlight..

I hope this AM recipe lends you some breakfast inspiration to enjoy a simple, spectacular bowl of oats this week..

Wild Blueberry Chia Oatmeal
vegan, serves 1

1 ½ cups water-cooked steel cut oats (about ¼ cup dry oats + 1 ¼ cups water + pinch salt)
2 teaspoon chia seeds
dash cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground flax seeds
1 ½ tablespoon raw chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon goji berries
½ cup wild blueberries, frozen + 1 tablespoon hot water to thaw and plump
¼ cup soy milk
½ teaspoon agave syrup

Nutrition Facts (caloriecount.com rating: A- )
Calories: 296kcal, Fat: 13g, Carbs: 36g, Protein: 10g, Fiber: 10g Calcium: 14g, Iron: 15g, Vitamin C: 2%, Vitamin A: 11%

Cooking Tips:

* For ease, I usually make the oatmeal in a larger batch (1 cup oats + 4 cups water + ½ teaspoon salt). Then I will use pre-cooked oats throughout the week and heat over the stove.

* I add the chia seeds, half of the walnuts, goji berries, flax and cinnamon halfway through the cooking process if making in a large batch. Otherwise, add the pre-cooked oats to a pan with a splash of soy or water to rehydrate a bit. Then fold those ingredients into the oats. Simmer until warm and soft. Add more liquid as desired.

* I top the cooked oats with walnuts, the blueberries, a few more chia seeds, a splash of soy milk and agave right before serving.