Lookin' for some sunshine...

Rain, rain, rain... go away, pleaaaaaaseeeee.  My gosh, it has been raining since last Friday?  It's horrible.  I mean it's good for us in one sense... that the football fields for the show are going to be gorgeous, but other than work, the rain is not fun.  We haven't even been able to go for our daily "Walk and Talks".  We've been sitting in the conference room over lunch, dreaming that we could be walking outside.  This morning, when I stepped outside at 7:00 am to take a picture of this mornings fantabulous breakfast it was beautiful.  It was warm, sunny and just gorgeous... 45 minutes later as I'm grabbing the garbage, how does it feel outside?  Cold, windy and rainy, fantastic. 

My mom checked the weather network this morning and now we are supposed to have gorgeous weather both Saturday and Sunday where we were supposed to get rain, fingers crossed that the good weather is what we get.  This weekend is the long weekend and I really want to do something active and fun, other than going to Jean-Talon Marcher.  My friend from Ottawa is coming down on Monday for a visit, but with nice weather it gives a lot of potential for a great long weekend!  Let's see what it brings.

On a side note: I'm a little bit sad as today was the night I was supposed to go do boxing but the other accountant made plans... so now it's getting pushed back, le sigh.  Oh well, I have ample time to try it out!

Tangelo Creamsicle Overnight Oats

Recipe inspired by this smoothie

 

As for recipes, let's get down to it.  Today, I'm only going to be posting my breakfast.  It was amazing.  If you remember a couple of months ago I had made Angela's Clementine Creamsicle Smoothie and fell absolutely in love with it.  I really couldn't believe how much it replicated the flavours of my favourite childhood summer treats.  I loved creamsicle's, oh man would I down them.  They were so fantastic, but ugh, I've never seen vegan creamsicle's so to make this smoothie I don't feel as sad that there aren't vegan creamsicle's as this smoothie is healthy, full of good fats, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, protein, and more, not only that but it's wonderful in flavours... as I mentioned.

Last night as I was cutting more vegetables up, and looking through our fridge to see what we will be needing to pick up at the marcher on Saturday I saw my beautiful Tangelo Mineola's.  I love those oranges, and instantly that recipe came to mind.  I figured since all week I've been on an overnight oat's kick, I figured I would incorporate it into my "menu".  I changed it up a bit, since I didn't really want avocado in my oatmeal... although, now that I say it, I want to figure out a way to make a nice avocado oatmeal... mmmm dinner oatmeal!  Perhaps next week, meuhahaha... and continuing...

When adapting recipes one of the things I like to do is look up "flavour pairings" online... so that my meals have consistent flavours and that they pair well.  Yeah, well, this oatmeal hit the spot.  This is one of the best overnight oats I've ever had, actually, it probably was the best.  It tasted just like my childhood memories.  It was wonderful, and seriously filling.  I ate it as I read my book that I started yesterday (which I will soon be mentioning because I cannot put it down, it is fantastic), but, I felt like it was summer.  I felt as though I was on my front lawn on a long beach towel soaking up the sun, eating a creamsicle while enjoying my book.  I loved it, absolutely everything about, the consistency, the texture, everything.  I was a little bit hesitant about having chopped up oranges in my oatmeal, but surprisingly it went really well in this oatmeal.  I will certainly be making this again, especially if I'm craving one of my favourite popsicles ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tangelo Minneola (or any orange) chopped into small chunks
• 1/4 cup oats
• 3/4 coconut milk (this really helped thicken the oats)
• 1 tbsp creamed coconut (this thickened it even more)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• A pinch of slivered almonds

Toppings:

• Lemon + orange zest
• Slivered almonds
• Unsweetened flaked coconut

Directions: 

Mix all of your oats ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit overnight in the fridge or at least two hours... immediately you will see because of the fat in the coconut milk + creamed coconut that the oats will start to thicken within minutes.  In the morning top with your zest, coconut and almonds. 

Sit and back and think of beautiful, warm summer days.

How's the weather where you are?  Are you soaking up the sun, or are you hiding under polka-dotted umbrella's like me?