I have spent the last two weekends traveling. Which means, I did a lot of laundry and packing and unpacking in between trips. It also means, my workout and my healthy food choices have been inconsistent. I try to pack as much healthy snacks with me while I am away from home and make conscious effort to make healthy choices in the food I eat but sometimes when you are traveling, you are pressed for time and the choices are sometimes limited.
I missed my daily bowl of oats. My bowl this morning was extra special just because I have been craving it. It’s a sign of normalcy because a typical day for me usually starts out with hot oatmeal for breakfast.
I try different brand of oats and in my current rotation is Oven Toasted Oats from Trader Joe’s. I like this brand because it has a creamy consistency, which I like.
Yes, there is oatmeal in that bowl. I love to pack on fresh fruits.
I was asked recently for advice on how to start making small changes towards healthy eating. I think the easiest thing to change is making healthy breakfast. If you eat healthy first thing in the morning, it sets a tone for the rest of the day.
A lot of people say they don’t have time to workout, so my advice would be to concentrate on the nutrition aspect first then slowly add the fitness activities as time allows. I always say that you can workout as much as you want, but if you eat crap, you’ll still feel like crap.
If you are always rushed in the morning, try making a batch of oatmeal on the weekends and pre-chop fresh fruits so that you can save time during the weekdays, all you have to do is grab and go.
Today’s oatmeal includes:
- 1/3 cup dry oats
- 1/2 cup water & 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 mashed banana (mixed in once oats are cooked)
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon of homemade Coconut Nuts Granola
This bowl tasted creamy and sweet from the mashed banana, a little bit of tart from the blueberries and extra crunch from the granola topping.
It definitely hit the spot 🙂
Healthy Coconut 
I agree…oats to me mean home. It also makes me think of being a kid and eating at Cracker Barrel 🙂
i love oatmeal… i buy the steel cut oats from trader joes. they take longer to cook than the oven toasted oats but the texture is so good!! yum!
like your advice about taking small steps towards healthy eating and exercise. i started with breakfast like you recommended, went from alot of mcdonalds breakfasts to now either oatmeal or a homemade smoothie for breakfast. it’s made a huge difference!
I like steel cuts oats too. It was my batch of oats last week, then I changed it up this week.
Me too — oatmeal means home. As does PB for some reason.
And so do big ginormous salads!
I know what you mean about the huge salad, the restaurants I go to when I’m traveling don’t seem to have a good veggie mix with their salads. I’m picky about lettuce in my salad too, I like dark leafy greens.
I LOVE that cereal brand from TJs. Have you tried their multigrain cereal? It rocks. Beautiful morning bowl. Love the blueberries. Roasted veggies make me feel at home
No, I have seen it but I have not tried it. Do you prepare it the same way as oats?
I love roasted veggies too. I love roasted zucchini and kabocha squash.
Lea I totally agree with you about diet vs. exercise. If you eat crap you feel like crap — that is the best thing I have read today because it is so true.
Thanks Holly. It make sense right?
Hi Lea! I am so glad you are a breakfast eater! Thanks for reading my post. Good to hear from you and I love your blog. 🙂 Where in Southern Cal are you? I am in Santa Monica.
Check back every now and then for my “Featured Meals” of the week and more Fitness-Health Posts.. :).
Hi Monica,
I am from Orange County. I have the magazine you were featured in. You’re looking good 🙂
I want to try the eggplant sandwhich soon, just have to find large eggplants and panko.
I’m going to be traveling a lot in the next 6 weeks- every other weekend for work- starting with San Diego! I love coming home to fresh tomatoes from our garden and toast with almond butter.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. You have your own garden? I always wanted one but I don’t have the space right now. Have a safe trip and if you are in the area, let me know.
I’m so jealous of all your travels! I used to travel all the time and I miss it. Will you be going to the food buzz festival in San Fran?
Good advice to start with nutrition and then add the fitness activities! I believe it’s 80 % food and 20 % exercise what makes up your health.
My typical at-home meal is a self-made stir-fry or soup with lots of veggies and chicken, because I use to cook for myself a lot when I’m at home and preferably dishes like that, so these dishes give me the home feeling. 🙂
I know what you mean by missing oatmeal! At first I was like “oh this is just so sad that I’m upset over not getting oatmeal”, but then realized I just miss the healthy breakfast in general…
Good advice about the nutrition- breakfast really does set the tone.
oatmeal is something i only eat when i make it – too simple to order out – so it definitely reminds me of being home.
I love this post! Eating healthy is the biggest change you can make to get healthier. When I was losing weight, that was really what did a lot of the initial work. People would always ask what my workout routine was and I constantly was diverting the praise to eating better foods and better portions.
I also love that you brought up the point of some foods just mean home – for me it is the fact that I am in my own kitchen and I can eat whatever creation I can whip up, whether it is some crazy chili, a fun dip, a bowl of oatmeal, or even a poptart indulgence. 😉
I have to admit that my BED is what does it for me at home. 🙂