This oatmeal recipe is simple, tasty and ready in minutes! It’s loaded with the rustic flavors and textures of fresh fruit, nuts and dried berries – the perfect, healthy way to start your day. See below.
Waterfall Musings
I stood there listening to the soft roar of water tumbling from above, crashing over the cliff and gracefully releasing itself onto the rocks below. It unleashed a soft spray of cold, refreshing mist, gently reaching my face and resting on my eyelashes. The sensation was familiar and calming, one I had experienced a good number of times standing at the base of the Multnomah Falls in Oregon. As I gazed up at its peaceful splendor, I thought back on the other instances I had planted my feet in that exact place. Memories washed over me from different phases of my adult life. Just like the rushing eddies of the watery current at the bottom of the falls, so were there many swirls of struggle and hopeful longings twisting and churning within me each time I had found myself standing in front of its grand display. Despite the inner workings of my heart at various times, its a place in which I have always found peace.
Warm joy flowed through my veins and encircled my heart as I took in the picturesque falls with my two-year-old wrapped safely in my arms. A range of expressions flickered across her beautiful little face. The soft glow of awe emanated from her crystal blue eyes, yet there was a hint of confusion and uncertainty with an environment so vastly different from what she’s used to with our sunny California days. Her nose wrinkled slightly, reacting to the unfamiliarity of the watery fog of the falls clinging to her sweet face. She pointed up and looked at me with a wonder-filled expression. After making sure I was seeing what had captured her attention, she then fixed her gaze back at the endless flow of water pouring from above. I was unsure which of the two had captivated my own attention more-so, the waterfall itself or witnessing my baby girl experience its glory for the first time. There are few things more transcendent than watching firsts through the eyes of a child…
Multnomah Falls, Oregon
I stood there relishing a few more quiet moments with my girl resting almost motionless in my arms – a rare occasion indeed! Standing together at the base of those massive falls, the peaceful bliss I was feeling made room for a bittersweet realization to creep in. So much life lay ahead for my sweet Julianne. In reality, it would include disappointment, heartbreak and struggle, some of which might likely hit her as it did me – with a force comparable to the power with which those waters hit the river floor below. Just as I stood in that very spot many times before, with a sea of emotions swirling below the surface in the throws of young adulthood, so would she face some of the same in various ways. Emotions and experiences encompassing that which is very much an integral rite of passage within the human experience. A part of my heart ached with longing to protect her little heart from what feels like the inevitable, yet with full realization I would not be able to do so. It’s a somewhat helpless feeling I’m sure every mother can relate to on the harder side of parenthood.
I stared down at the exquisite little features of my two-year-old, innocent from feeling the tides of life’s deepest hurts. Oddly enough, it occurred to me that this sudden musing did not taint these moments beneath the falls, as one might think. There was a sort of purity in it, realizing what a blank slate lay ahead for her, and that for now, the world was hers. At that moment in time, she was safe in my arms and her future was as pristine as the mountain water raining down before us. I was content to leave it at that, and appreciate the hope that lay within that thought. As quickly as the sudden reflection arrived, it snuck back out, allowing me to continue soaking in the stillness with my baby. A sobering peace came over me as we basked in the familiar, stunning canvas of beautiful scenery I had loved for so many years.
It was only upon arriving back home in California from our trip to visit family and friends that my mind and heart returned to my waterfall musings. Our first morning home, we went for a run, and it felt as if a piece of the northwest had become a secret stowaway, following us home. The romantic in me likes to think the Pacific Northwest had nestled us in its heart just as much as we had made a home for it in ours. I’m choosing to believe that perhaps it just couldn’t bear to leave us.
The cool fog wound its way around the branches and trunks of the trees as we ran, as if attempting to latch on and stay longer than those few hours only the early morning would allow. It clung to the grassy knolls, softly rolling along on the golf course terrain in the mysterious, mystical way that belongs to the nature of fog. I felt the cold, familiar spritzing of mist on my face, and it brought me back to my thoughts by the falls. I continued to immerse myself in reflection of this gift of a person I had been given in the form of a precious little daughter.
I marvel at her tenacity, her persistence, and how these characteristics are coupled with such a sensitive and tender heart. Even at two, I wonder if she is equipped with the makings of all the toughness needed to encounter life’s uncertainties while keeping her heart from becoming inflamed or hardened by the difficulties she’ll experience. I hope that the combination of these traits will allow her to embrace the fullness of life amidst it’s growing pains, and to remain both tender and tough enough to appreciate this world in its vast, beautiful wildness.
I offered up a prayer over her as we ran through the fog together. I also prayed for wisdom in helping her learn how navigate this life, and that she would learn to fall in love with it in all its wild, raw, mysterious beauty without being broken by it. Just as those falls embody resilience with flow of form, transforming into rivers that become the sea, then returning to the clouds to cover the mountain peaks with their snow, so I wish it to be for my daughter. May the same adaptive resilience be present throughout her life. Time and time again, may she find her way within the rhythms and cycles of life to live with enduring boldness just like that waterfall.
And as her mama, I continue to pray that along the way, my presence in her life will be as steady, true, and calming as that waterfall has been for me each time I have found myself standing beneath it.
Rustic Oatmeal with Pomegranate, Dried Berries & Honey-Roasted Pecans Recipe
This oatmeal recipe has become a favorite in our home! As picky as she is, my daughter fell in love with it when we were visiting family in the Pacific Northwest, and even my husband who hates nuts said it was some of the best oatmeal he’s ever had, pecans and all. It contains easy to pack ingredients and is bursting with nutrients and flavor which made it a win for us! From the tart pomegranate seeds and sweet berries, to the sweet’n’salty honey-roasted pecans, it tastes like a heaping spoonful of pecan pie plus berry cobbler (but with far less calories!). Consider it a comfort-food breakfast deliciously disguised with healthy ingredients. It will warm you from the inside out on the coldest of fall mornings!
INGREDIENTS
1 c. sweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
Dash of cinnamon
1/2 c. oatmeal (time-saver: use quick oats – they are softer and cook more quickly)
1 Tbsp honey-roasted pecans
1-2 Tbsp dried berries
2-3 Tbsp pomegranate seeds (time-saver: purchase a package of pomegranate seeds already harvested from the fruit)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix the oatmeal, almond milk, salt, vanilla and cinnamon in a microwave safe bowl or mug.
- Place in the microwave and heat for 1 min 30 sec, to 2 min until desired consistency and softness. Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the type of oats you use. Rolled oats are more firm, and may require slightly more almond milk and cook time.
- Top with fresh pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, blueberries or cherries, and honey-roasted pecans. If you prefer a sweeter oatmeal, add a little brown sugar. Enjoy!