I’ll be the first to admit I had a bad case of the Mondays on Monday, and I still have a little bit of it today. It all started with a night full of tossing and turning on Sunday, right into a rainy, umbrella-less Monday and an achy sick feeling following me through the rest of the Tuesday. Let’s not forget the slush of Wednesday and now the chill-in-the-air-subway-is-taking-forever Thursday. Put a whipped cream dollop of stress on top of it all and you got one cranky girl.
Determined not to let the rest of the week(end) continue in this way, I made one of my Good Mood Food meals.
Creamy oats in the form of oat bran + sweet strawberries + walnuts = big smiling happy face.
Other reasons these make up a good mood meal:
- Oat bran contains iron (energy), magnesium (helps make dopamine) and dietary fiber (sustained energy/no blood sugar spikes).
- Strawberries (contain Vitamin C, which boosts your immune system and fights brain-cell damage resulting from exposure to cortisol).
- Walnuts (omega-3 fatty acids = happy heart)
Cranky Girls (Overnight) Oat Bran
1/2 cup oat bran prepared on stove per box directions (basically add 1 cup of water and pinch of salt and boil)
handful of strawberries
handful of walnuts
1/4 cup or so of almond milk
Start preparing oat bran on the stove per box directions. While still warm, add the strawberries and stir. I used frozen strawberries, so it took a little while longer, but eventually they became mushy. Once oat bran is to your desired consistency, pour into a bowl. Add almond milk and mix. Put in the fridge overnight.* In the morning, add walnuts and devour! The strawberries should be hidden inside.
*Although I put my bran in the fridge overnight, I wound up wanting something warm for breakfast so I popped it in the microwave for a few seconds and added a bit more almond milk. It can be eaten either way.
I’ll be the first to admit I had a bad case of the Mondays on Monday, and I still have a little bit of it today. It all started with a night full of tossing and turning on Sunday, right into a rainy, umbrella-less Monday and an achy sick feeling following me through the rest of the Tuesday. Let’s not forget the slush of Wednesday and now the chill-in-the-air-subway-is-taking-forever Thursday. Put a whipped cream dollop of stress on top of it all and you got one cranky girl.
Determined not to let the rest of the week(end) continue in this way, I made one of my Good Mood Food meals.
Creamy oats in the form of oat bran + sweet strawberries + walnuts = big smiling happy face.
Other reasons these make up a good mood meal:
- Oat bran contains iron (energy), magnesium (helps make dopamine) and dietary fiber (sustained energy/no blood sugar spikes).
- Strawberries (contain Vitamin C, which boosts your immune system and fights brain-cell damage resulting from exposure to cortisol).
- Walnuts (omega-3 fatty acids = happy heart)
Cranky Girls (Overnight) Oat Bran
1/2 cup oat bran prepared on stove per box directions (basically add 1 cup of water and pinch of salt and boil)
handful of strawberries
handful of walnuts
1/4 cup or so of almond milk
Start preparing oat bran on the stove per box directions. While still warm, add the strawberries and stir. I used frozen strawberries, so it took a little while longer, but eventually they became mushy. Once oat bran is to your desired consistency, pour into a bowl. Add almond milk and mix. Put in the fridge overnight.* In the morning, add walnuts and devour! The strawberries should be hidden inside.
*Although I put my bran in the fridge overnight, I wound up wanting something warm for breakfast so I popped it in the microwave for a few seconds and added a bit more almond milk. It can be eaten either way.