Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Just Peachy

*****

I love it when virtues collide and something good also happens to be good for me. Writing, for example, is one of those good things. When I don’t write, I feel anxious, depressed, often frustrated. Things bottle up with nowhere to go. But when I do write, my planets align in happy harmony. My life seems easier, my outlook more sunny. Over the years, I’ve discovered that even when the writing goes badly, it’s better than not writing at all.

Besides the writing, I’ve been investing time in improving our diets. Just like with writing, I’m amazed at how much general benevolence comes from this act of eating good, wholesome foods. After a painless transition, we’ve officially converted to a diet of lean meats, whole grains and fresh produce. Just the act of cooking virtuously seems to please my palate.

One of my favorites creations has been fresh peach oatmeal. I’ll share the recipe today. It’s microwavable and comes together in minutes. Best yet, it tastes heavenly, like a big bowl of summer sunshine.

Fresh Peach Oatmeal

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1-1/4 cups water
pinch sea salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (I use Vietnamese)
1 ripe peach, cut into 1/2” cubes*
1 tsp. peach or apricot spreadable fruit preserves
Drizzle maple syrup

Place oatmeal in a 4 cup microwavable bowl or measuring cup. Add water and salt. Microwave, uncovered, until oatmeal reaches desired consistency. (It takes 3 minutes in my microwave.)

Stir in cinnamon, peach, and preserves. Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with maple syrup.

Makes 1 very generous serving.

* This is also excellent with diced strawberries and strawberry spreadable fruit.

6 comments:

Linda said...

Yup. A day w/o writing is a day w/o sunshine. keep plugging, babycakes. And thanks for the oatmeal recipe -- this one looks like a keeper. Peace...

J.C. Towler said...

Yum. More Gretaipies. I like mixing yogurt with cereal instead of milk sometimes, but this might be even yummier.
Keep cooking those words and those goodies.

--John

Greta Igl said...

Let me know if you like it, Linda and John.

Other fave combos of mine are banana/walnut/maple and raspberry with rasp preserves. Frozen berries work well, too.

... Paige said...

I struggle to feed my family home cooked meals. And that is good for our health, at least if I wash my hands first. lol

oatmeal - yummy - o - lious!

Stephen said...

The fresh peach oatmeal sounds wonderful. Since we have a peach tree in our back yard, this recipe will be a nice addition to the list of what to do with all the fruit.

I add a hearty ditto to the joy of writing. If Hewey Lewis had it in mind, writing would have been the "New Drug" that he wanted. Too bad he didn't ask us, huh? :)

EC said...

Hi Greta,

Eating write, right? Good food is definitely helpful in good writing. I've replaced my box of hot tamales at my desk for pretzels and wasabi crackers...it's a start-carrots will come next, with a tub of ranch:)

I wanted to let you know that I am going to be running a Holiday Catalog for authors to promote their work and I've seen you around on a few fellow writers' websites. I'd love to connect with you on that: erincole@live.com