Today, I consumed (in chronological order) a tea, a banana chocolate chip muffin, a cortado (fancy-talk for espresso with milk), a mini mango cake, a coconut latte, a giant chocolate chip cookie, a black coffee, a maple shortbread cookie, a rich, mini-cup of hot chocolate, an apple fritter, and a half of a bagel with brie cheese. Then I had lunch.
This is what girls-in-their-thirties do for bachelorette parties: a three hour coffee tour to drink, eat, chat, and stroll.
Overall, the tour was great. A decent balance of education, indulgence, and exercise. Ample opportunity for girl chat.
Following our tour was an afternoon of spa treatments and a snacky lunch of crudités and charcuterie (More fancy-talk for veggies, meat, and cheese).
The rest of the party continued without me to dinner and a night of dancing. Dustin and I were tag-teaming the kids so we could each attend a portion of the bachelorette/bachelor festivities. I returned home to relieve him of daddy-daycare duties, just in time to feed my children dinner.
I hadn't eaten an excessive quantity of food today -- it was just an excessively strange combination that left my tummy... confused?
Nevertheless, I needed to eat dinner at some point, so when my girls were finally in bed, I whipped up a bowl of nothing-fancy-about-it oatmeal.
Okay, I fancied it up with some pecans and brown sugar. And I ate it in my fine china (I never seem to find a use for the "soup bowl"). And then I ate it out back next to the garden.
I served this oatmeal at my first creative-retreat at the farmhouse three years ago. It's a good fluffy texture that doesn't get too mushy and it's a perfect base for whatever toppings your tummy desires. Sometimes your tummy craves simplicity.
I doubt the other girls ate humble oatmeal for dinner at the fancy restaurant tonight, but they're probably a teensy bit jealous of the tummy calming effects I'm enjoying at this very moment.
Basic oatmeal
Adapted from Anna Olson.
I like to boil the water in a kettle first so I can measure out a precise 2.5 cups of water. If I boil the 2.5 cups in the pot I inevitably boil off half a cup of water or more before remembering to add the oats.
2.5 cups boiled water (see note above)
pinch of salt
1 cup of old fashioned oats
3 tbsp oat bran
Mix all ingredients in a small pot over low heat.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve hot with toppings as suggested below.
Possible toppings
brown sugar
maple syrup
raisins
nuts
cinnamon
milk or cream