Tuesday Talk Time: Creamy goodness of oatmeal

I have discovered the joy of eating old-fashion oatmeal…again. That sounds kind of weird I know, but allow me to explain. We like preparing our oatmeal with milk. The problem is I am lactose intolerant.

Oatmeal fixed with water is tasteless, even with sweetener. I can’t do without the creamy goodness of milk in my oatmeal. I do like pre-packaged instant flavored oatmeal with hot water, but this alternative has too many unnecessary calories.

Recently, I found preparing old-fashion oatmeal with almond milk works well. To jazz up plain oatmeal, I add cinnamon and to keep the calorie count down I sweeten my oats with Splenda. I now have that creamy goodness in my oats again with fewer calories.

Did you know that a cup of unsweetened, original Diamond almond milk only has 30 calories where a cup of skim milk has 90 calories?

Now, look at the breakdown of calories for a typical morning meal of oatmeal:

½ c. old fashion oats = 150 calories

1 c. whole milk = 150 calories, skim milk = 90, or almond milk = 30

1 piece of whole wheat toast = 100 calories

Total calorie serving = 400 w/whole milk, 340 w/skim milk, or 280 w/almond milk

Honestly, ½ cup of oats is a bit for me to eat. I am able to reduce the serving by half making my calories 90 plus the toast. This makes for a very satisfying breakfast all under 200 calories. I usually am not hungry again until lunch, and after all isn’t that what we want – to stave off those in-between munchies?

Remember, if you can shave off as few as 500 calories per/day then in a week’s time you will lose a pound. Trust me, it is easy for many of us to find ways to cut 500 calories from our diet. I look for small ways to make up the difference. Reader’s Digest offers 15 Ways to Cut 50 Calories from the foods we eat, which is an excellent way to start.

We all know it is easier to slash your calorie intake than it is to work off those extra calories. I exercise routinely, but if you’re like me you would rather be doing other things. Depending on what type of aerobic activity you do, it can take anywhere from 40-minutes to 2-hours to shed 500 calories.

That being said, I am making a more conscious decision to cut calories whenever possible. However, if you need some activity ideas to speed up the burn, then check out Fitness Blender lists of 50 Ways to Burn 500 Calories.

Now, grab a hot cup of coffee and follow me over to Time Out For Mom.

Les’ prompt for us this morning is The Rule of Three. Things come in 3s. What’s your favorite list of Three Things?

It’s funny when I think of things that come in 3s, I usually equate them with disasters of some sort. Tragedies wouldn’t fall under my list of favorites period. That being said, I have to refocus my way of thinking. Hmmm, my favorite list of three things would be…

1. DH, myself, and 1-special day
2. My kids – DD#1, DD#2. & DS
3. and, finally chocolate cake, hot fudge sauce, and vanilla ice cream!

I am a creature of comfort. Naturally, I am gonna think of those who warm my soul first and then something that soothes me emotionally, like chocolate. This morning presents the perfect excuse for a cup of hot chocolate. Naturally made with almond milk and sweetened with Splenda. That’s only a mere 55 calories, but the big question is do I really want to work those extra unwanted calories off?

Nah, not today! Well…I could go for it and burn off those calories fairly easy. It’s so bone-chilling cold this morning and I have one more hop, so what the hey! Join me, as I head over to Patrice’s for Chats on the farmhouse porch questions this week are:

1. Have you tried any DIY cleaning products or skin care products from the many recipes on the internet? A few years back, I tried making automatic dishwasher detergent. It worked pretty well, but it clumped up really bad. In fact, I still have some of it left over. Somewhere on my blog, I have the recipe but I can’t find it. If you’re interested, then you may want to check out this version that I found at Made From Pinterest.
2.  Do you like to enter sweepstakes, giveaways, or prize drawings? I use to but haven’t in many, many years. They got to be too much trouble and aggregation. I may look into trying the PCH online again. I would so love to win the grand prize. Yeah, I know that’s all wishful thinking. It doesn’t hurt a gal to dream a little, does it?
3.  How often do you visit your local library? Do you have a local library? Never. Oh yeah, there is a library just down the road from our house. My biggest reading source is the net.
4.  Do you have a simple mobile phone or one that does lots of things?  I have an iPhone 5s. I got my first smartphone in 2010, an iPhone 4. I had no idea just how much I would love it! It’s so nice to have at my fingertips access to the internet. I can look up phone numbers, locate or navigate to a new business using Google or Apple maps, search Amazon to see if I can buy something cheaper, and more!
5.  Tell me something new or interesting. Please:)  I have a cold sore. The first one in many years. Did you know that cold sores are from being coming in contact (kissing, sharing eating utensils, saliva, …) with someone with the herpes simplex virus? Once you have it, it’s with you for life. There is no cure. Stress, colds or the flu can trigger an outbreak. Avoid touching the infected area and wash your hands frequently to keep from spreading to other parts of your body. I knew I should Never have started kissing boys! lol You know, I was really bad for drinking and eating after friends when I was young. There is no telling how I picked it up and I bet the same can be said for most people who suffer from cold sores.

Stacy Uncorked is taking a blogging hiatus. You may recall, she and her family moved back to her home state of Washington last summer. For the past several months, they have lived in Stacy’s parents’ basement. So, when they finally settled on a new home recently, it thrilled them to begin their last leg of their journey. Stacy promises me to return to Blogosphere in March. All of her loyal friends, including myself are looking forward to seeing her soon. Until then, I continue doing what I always do… visit my other buds!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

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