Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal with Dates

I recently posted my recipe for healthy chocolate oatmeal and have been eating it every morning for the past week. We ran out of bananas last night, though, so it forced me to try out a new recipe. Although I live in Florida the weather is starting to cool down and I'm beginning to get glimpses of fall! I figured it would be a good time to try out some fall flavors, a.k.a. pumpkin! Again I checked out The Oatmeal Artist blog and found her pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe. I made a few tweaks to it and was very pleased with the result!

Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal with Dates

(Makes 1 serving)

Ingredients:

· ½ cup old-fashioned oats

· 1 cup water (or milk of choice)

· 1 inch piece cinnamon stick (optional)

· 2-3 dates, pitted and chopped*

· 1 tablespoon flaxseed (optional)

· ¼ cup pumpkin puree

· ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

· Splash of vanilla extract

· Pinch of sea salt

· Optional toppings: chopped walnuts, almonds, pecans or a sprinkle of cinnamon

*If you don’t have dates on hand, you can easily add 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite sweetener (i.e. maple syrup, agave nectar, etc.)

Directions:

1. Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a medium sized sauce pan.

2. Stir in the oatmeal, chopped dates, cinnamon stick and flaxseed and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let cook for 3 minutes or so, whisking occasionally.

3. Once the oats have thickened, add in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and sea salt. Mix well and let cook a minute more, occasionally whisking the oats so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

4. Top with optional toppings and enjoy some fall in a bowl!