Image by Rachel Hathaway used with permission.
As a child, I loved having a steaming hot bowl of oatmeal drizzled in honey for breakfast every morning. While I still love it, I don’t love the extra time it takes or dishes it creates. If you’re super busy but still want a fast, healthy breakfast, read on for my best tip to get a nourishing start on the day.
I believe that we give ourselves the best chance at creating work-life balance by being intentional about it. For me, it starts with a healthy breakfast. And in my household growing up, that was oatmeal. Good old fashioned regular rolled oats. I’ll cherish the memories of the wholesome aroma that steamed out of the pot as my mom poured the oats into the boiling water.
For a long time, I made my own oatmeal every morning. Then, when I struggled with burnout a few years ago, I lost the energy to do it. It was just another pot to wash. Every day. Plus I was so busy replying to emails on my phone and smudging concealer under my eyes (because, you know, the bags) that I felt like I had no time for anything except screaming at and pleading with my toddler to “go faster!”.
We give ourselves the best chance at creating work-life balance by being intentional about it.
Cereal it was.
But I was never really satisfied. Even the so-called healthy cereal options have tons of sugar and they’re so darned expensive.
Desperate for nourishment and time, I finally struck on an idea. If you have no time and are running ragged like I did, then this could change your world.
Make one big batch of oatmeal — enough to last the week — once a week.
One pot, once a week. This means you wash four fewer pots. Every week!
One meal prep time. This means four fewer times you have to pull everything out of the cupboards. Heck, you might even go crazy and get creative making apple pie oatmeal or carrot cake oatmeal or even pumpkin pie oatmeal. Yum. But you only have to do it once a week! And you can do it on a day when you’re not running out the door. Like Sundays, which is what I did.
One cook time. A big pot of oatmeal takes the same amount of time to cook as the smaller batch. One and done!
Once it’s done, pour your oatmeal into a container and keep it in the fridge. Scoop out what you need each morning, nuke it for a minute or two, and you’re on your way.
Even though I no longer struggle with burnout, I continue to batch my breakfasts. It gives me one less thing to do on my still busy mornings. But now, I can actually spend quality time chatting and laughing over breakfast while actually sitting at the kitchen table – yes, sitting! – with my family.
This tip will buy you a bit more time. But if you’re finding that you keep struggling to manage your time and end up stressed out and worn out by the end of the week, it’s time to make some changes that are bigger than a big batch of oatmeal. Let’s talk. I offer free Strategy Sessions. Even if we never speak again, we’ll assess what’s really going on for you right now (you might be surprised) and find out what will really move the needle for you. Apply here.
