writer's breakfast
Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 2:51PM 
Rumor has it Jane Austen lived off of this stuff. I've spent the last two weeks working feverishly on a large-ish assignment that needed to be completed in a hurry. Such is the writer's life. A lot of nothing, followed by fourteen eight-hour writing days, weekends included.
Now, I'm no lumberjack (and not much of a breakfast eater), but when I have this much work to do, I need a solid morning meal. And it can't be any old thing. My breakfast must, without exception, meet the following criteria:
1. Filling enough that I won't be hungry again for hours. I usually work from home, but just for fun over the past two weeks, the owner of the apartment below me (whom I now loathe wholeheartedly) is doing a gut remodel, which naturally requires several hours of daily, skull-splitting jackhammering. Meanwhile, outside my apartment, the City of New York won't be outdone; it, too, is jackhammering—into the center of the earth, to construct the new Second Avenue subway (which I may loathe less when it is finished in, ahem, 2016). In any case, I have taken to packing up my laptop and working from my new office, where neither noise nor snacking is allowed.
2. Healthy. Enough said.
3. Low-calorie. Ditto.
The breakfast also must be easy (I truly can't stand cooking), fast enough to get me out of the apartment before the jackhammering begins, and, I almost forgot, tasty.
After much deliberation and experimentation, I'm proud to say I've developed the perfect writer's oatmeal. If you want to try this at home, here's the recipe:
In a tall, microwave-safe bowl, combine:
I don't really arrange my ingredients like this. It was just for the photo. Though we do use this milk.1/2 cup quick oats
1 cup skim milk (Tastier than water, plus, we all need our calcium.)
1 tablespoon dried fruit (For sweetness and energy. I like dried cranberries, blueberries or raisins.)
1 tablespoon slivered almonds (For crunch, protein and a little healthy fat that'll keep you feeling full longer.)
1 tablespoon flax seeds (For fiber and fun texture, this is my secret ingredient. Just don't go crazy with the flax seeds because they're fattening. A tablespoon is plenty.)
The jam is optional. If the oatmeal isn't quite sweet enough after you cook it, add a teaspoon.
Now, microwave on high for 3 minutes, more or less, depending on your microwave.
And that's it. Eat, enjoy, and get to work, already. That project won't write itself.
Reader Comments (2)
suggest you get some goji berries and toss those into the mix and maybe a few smashed walnuts.. would be a great mix.. and TASTY too as well as the eponymous "good for you"..
Stevie, now I must know what goji berries are. I've heard of them but never delved deeper. Am going to google them right now! Thanks; sounds tasty!