Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

The question of what to have for breakfast keeps getting increasingly more difficult to answer.  I am an egg girl, so there is nothing like a couple of eggs over easy with a little melted cheese and bread, pita, tortilla, or whatever to sop up the runny yolk.  Perfection in my book.  Then  Apple Butter Yogurt enters my life and things start to get a little complicated  Sigh.  Love it.  NOW comes Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal.  I had this for breakfast and then again for an after school snack (I had to get a picture of it, of course :).    I am in breakfast heaven.

Before giving you the recipe I have to tell you that I rarely use just plain oats.  I always have some sort of mixture of things from my pantry in a jar that I use for oatmeal.  The mix I used this morning consisted of pearl barley, coconut, oats, and quick cook steel cut oats.  Sometimes I add flax seed, chia seed, or wheat germ.    If you want more of a textured oatmeal, use a mix of grains. You'll have to adjust the recipe amounts a bit so it cooks correctly.  If you don't want to bother grab your quick oats and think no more of it!

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

1/3 cup oats or mixed grains
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree (I always have some in the refrigerator in the fall, left over from a recipe or in case I need a Pumpkin Spice Latte)
2 teaspoons brown sugar (up to 1 tablespoon if you have a sweet tooth)
1/4 cup water (you will need almost 1/2 cup for mixed grains)
3 tablespoons almond milk (or regular milk)
pinch of salt
small splash of vanilla
generous dash of pumpkin pie spice
top with walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries, more milk - optional

Mix all in a microwave-safe bowl.  Always use a bigger bowl than you think you need to prevent bubbling over.  Better safe than having to clean up a microwave mess.  Microwave for 2 minutes (4 minutes for mixed grains).  Top with whatever you deem necessary!