So here's the short of it, 
My morning routine on a work day goes something like this.

And here's the long.



I wake up and grab a cup of the coffee that's brewed before I awaken. (I set it up the night before and Alan turns it on when he wakes up  -  that is always long enough before me that it's done by the time I'm standing groggily at the coffee pot, cup in hand).





Then I start my Bob's Red Mill Extra Thick Cut Organic Oats, and turn the burner on the lowest temperature while I get my shower. By the time I'm done and back to the kitchen the oats are done. I divide it into two bowls. One for me and one for Sophie. My bowl gets a stir in of raisins - hers does not.  Sometimes we both get a stir in of chopped almonds or pecans too. Both bowls get some milk and I get my second cup of coffee.

Sophie and I eat our oatmeal (and she gets a bowl of dog food as well) out on the patio when it's warm and dry enough or in the house if it's cold or wet.

As I put the dishes in the sink I get my coffee thermos ready for work then go finish up getting ready while finishing my coffee from breakfast.

I keep my coffee thermos with me in the car and have it finished usually by lunchtime - and that's my cut off for coffee for the day.

Now I have on my to do list - cut back on coffee when I retire   -   Although coffee is supposed to protect against cancer, diabetes, and parkinson's disease jut to name a few.  Of course it also raises blood pressure, and keeps me awake if I drink it much after noon.

In the meantime, when I have a work morning ahead of me, that routine propels me out the door with good nourishment and a good outlook on the day.

This morning I was awfully tired and only had about a half cup of coffee before I got out the door.  And when I got to work I discovered that I didn't have my coffee thermos with me!
No wonder I was tired out by the end of the day.

So here's the short of it, 
My breakfast routine.

And here's the long.

I like to have Bob's Red Mill Organic Extra Thick Rolled Oats for breakfast most mornings.  I like the heartiness and fiber in the extra thick variety. I make them with a 1 part oats and 2 parts water ratio. If I'm the only one eating I use a 1/2 cup of oats and 1 cup of water. I add a teaspoon of brown sugar and a pinch of kosher salt to the water before I dump in the oats. On school mornings, they get started before I jump in the shower and then turned to the lowest setting - they're ready when I get back to the kitchen.  

When they're done, I get two bowls.  One gets about a quarter cup or a little more of oats and the other gets the rest.  They (both) often get topped with some chopped almonds or other such (I keep the chopped nuts in a little jar right next to the stove for just this purpose.  Then each dish gets a bit of milk poured in over the hot oats. I also pour a little small bit of milk (or cat milk) into one of those tiny measuring bowls.  At the table - I get the big bowl of oats.  Sophie gets the small bowl on the floor next to my chair. Lola gets the little bowl of milk or cat milk up on the divider between the dining room and living room.  That's a nice, good breakfast routine.  Not every morning, but certainly most working mornings - Sophie and I really like our oatmeal...

I really enjoy raisins in my oatmeal, but I haven't quite figured out how to do that without having to make Sophie's separate from mine, since raisins are so toxic for dogs. And while I'm really glad to make enough to share with her, I somehow can't see myself getting into the habit of cooking her a breakfast of her own on a working morning! Sometimes I do use other dried fruits in the mix - like cherries, or apricots, or that dried fruit mix.  Those are nice variations that keep me faithful to my oats routine!

I have a hard time always finding these oats in the stores.  Even our specialty markets don't always have just exactly these.  I haven't had success getting any stores to carry this specific variety even when I've asked either.  Maybe they just get confused - they get the organic but not the extra thick, or they get the extra thick but not the organic, or maybe they get the organic, extra thick, but also gluten free which is about 3 times as expensive.  So I just order them by the carton online.  I order about every 2 or 3 months and keep the extra bags in the freezer.  It has worked out just great and really encourages me to stick with the oat routine!

So this morning it was good to have oats and good black coffee with Sophie and Lola.