October Oats

Every good autumn morning should begin with a healthy and flavorful autumn breakfast. And autumn needs to arrive in Phoenix, Arizona a lot sooner than it plans to.
So in the spirit of autumn, and sweater dresses with leggings, and comfy boots, sweat pants, scarves, hoodies, and all things holy, here is one of my favorite ways to prepare oatmeal: the perfect autumn breakfast.

You will need for one serving:

• A Thermos for food (short and wide-mouth, not a drinking thermos)
• Steel-cut oats, 1/4 cup
• 3/4 cup boiling water, or milk
• A handful of dried cranberries
• 1/2 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
•  Chopped walnuts, to taste
• Butter, to taste

To prepare:

• Bring 3/4 cup water, milk, or soymilk to a boil, reduce heat, let sit
• Measure 1/4 cup oats into your Thermos
• Add dried cranberries, chia seeds, brown sugar, and walnuts if you want (but make sure they're chopped--if they're not, they are too big, and overpower the oatmeal.)
• Mix dry oats thoroughly with cranberries, chia seeds, walnuts, and brown sugar
• Bring liquid back to a boil, and pour 3/4 cups over oats
• Secure lid, let sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour, shaking or rolling gently twice within that time span
• Add butter, to taste

Enjoy!