Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Oatmeal

I'm a phaser. I eat the same thing for breakfast for about a month and then switch to something new with no real explanation. It used to be a rotation of cereal, smoothie, and fruit/yogurt/granola. That was before I entered all my whole food exploration. For the past 6 months, it's been a rotation of green protein shake (recipe to come soon!), oatmeal (my previous arch nemesis), and the occasional bowl of cereal with peanut butter powder added in.

I used to sort of hate oatmeal. I was never much of a hot breakfast person. But hey - I used to hate boys and not they're not so bad. Actually, I can't remember ever really hating boys, but you get the point. According to Vegucated, a documentary I watched recently, it takes about 15 tastes of a new food before your palette will adjust to liking it. Some things I KNOW I have tried at least 15 times and still hate, olives being the prime example. Then again, I hated pickles my whole life and just recently enjoyed somes small pieces of one in my powerbowl. NEVER GIVE UP!

So, for all you oatmeal haters (and lovers), who could turn down chocolate cherry cheesecake oatmeal?

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Oatmeal

1/2 c. oatmeal (I used mixed grain oats from Trader Joes)
1/2 c. frozen cherries or mixed berries (I used Very Cherry Berry Blend from Trader Joes)
1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 drops liquid stevia
1 tbsp. non-dairy cream cheese (I used Trader Joes new kind! - pictured below)
2 tsp. chia seeds
1 tbsp. hemp seeds

I usually try to buy all organic berries due to the high level of pesticides found in non-organic berries. We had these leftover from family being in town, so I used them up, but in the future I'll try it with fresh or frozen organic berries!

First, mix oatmeal with prescribed amount of water and microwave. You'll probably want it fairly dry for this recipe since the topping is quite saucy (in more ways than one...). Next, mix the frozen fruit and almond milk. Microwave for 30 sec. - 1 min., or until at least room temperature. Mix the cocoa powder, stevia, and non-dairy cream cheese into the fruit mixture. Place back in microwave for 30 sec. - 1 min., or until desired temperature (I let mine get pretty hot). Remove fruit mixture from microwave, add chia and hemp seeds, and let sit for about 2 minutes to allow thickening. Pour luxurious topping over oatmeal and enjoy!

Nutrition facts:
360 calories
12 grams protein

Why do I feel good about eating this?

The first 2 ingredients in the non-dairy cream cheese spread from Trader Joes are filtered water and coconut oil. What's not to love?! It has a few other more processed ingredients, but overall I'm eating so little of it that I'm going to enjoy the great flavor kick it provides. This oatmeal only calls for 1/2 a serving of the non-dairy cream cheese.

For the love of creative oatmeal,
AvocadoAthlete