Today is a R&R day peppered with cleaning. I am quite sore from yesterday's excursion, in particular my upper back/neck, but I need to keep moving right now so I don’t get stiff. So light work around the home it is.

I decided to share what I had for breakfast today (no photo because I ate it). It only takes a few minutes to prep, but it will warm your belly and soul.

The basic recipe I follow as a base is the following:

• Large bowl (so it doesn’t boil over and make a mess)

• 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (I get the big cylinder container from whole foods, their brand, though I keep mine in a tall OXO container so I can’t remember the exact name of it)

• 1/2 cup of water

• Pinch of salt (I'd say 1/8 tsp? This is essential, like adding salt to cookies. If yours tastes bland and you don’t use salt, that’s probably why.)

  No matter what you add, start with that. 1 part oats, 2 parts water, salt.

  Heat that for 1.5 minutes. I have a 1200 watt microwave, if yours is less, add another 30 seconds.

Today I added:

• 1 heaping teaspoon maple butter or syrup. I use the little spoon I eat with, just load and drop in, so it isn’t exactly measured. The real stuff. I only buy the real stuff.

• 2 fresh strawberries diced into little pieces

• I had white currants from my garden, so I threw those in.

• Half a tablespoon of dark chocolate chips. I get the Belgian chocolate chunks from Aldi, just 5 or 6 pieces of those.

Stir and enjoy. The chocolate will start to melt from the heat, but not too much. Just enough to soften them up a bit.

It isn’t a lot, but just enough. If I eat a big breakfast, it will make me sleepy instead of feeling energized. Smacznego!