MAJO'S OG CHOCOLATE OATMEAL RECIPE

 Written By: Maria Jose Cardenal; SLU Dietetic Intern

Is there something that you could eat everyday and never get bored off? For me, that’s oatmeal. When I was in my undergraduate, I had trouble with breakfast -not because I used to prefer sleep over food, or because I wasn’t a morning person, or because I didn’t have an appetite, but because I was living in a dorm with only a microwave and a mini fridge (I’m guessing quit some can relate). Yes, during those years the dining hall existed, and so did Cheerios and Rice Chex, but the problem was that I am allergic to gluten and dairy, and the cereals were the only option they had for me to eat and they didn’t provide me with the energy I needed. Therefore, as a desperate student, I decided to buy myself eggs and cook them in the microwave-which only lasted a day because the egg exploded. 

Clearly, since eggs weren’t going to work out and I needed a simple allergy friendly option, I remembered about - a less dramatic breakfast - oats. Throughout my four undergrad years, I never stopped eating them. Every morning no matter what, I would wake up and prepare my own chocolate oatmeal from scratch in my dorm microwave. As time passed and I started taking my nutrition and dietetic classes, I came to understand why oatmeal had become my daily habit – it offered lasting energy and satiety, helping me stay focused through those 8am and 11 am lectures. 

Now, as I am in this new chapter of life—completing both my Master’s and Dietetic Internship—my oatmeal has had to adapt. The hot oatmeal I used to make in the mornings no longer fits into my routine, since I start rotations so early. Instead, I now prepare overnight oats, which still give me that comforting breakfast and provide all the energy I need to stay full until lunch. 

This change may seem insignificant, but it reflects a lesson I’ve learned: life moves quickly, and being flexible and open to change can lead to better outcomes. By allowing myself to adjust my oatmeal recipe, I discovered a way to stay nourished and energized that actually works even better for my busy schedule, but most importantly it's a reminder that sometimes letting go of old habit or expectation or allowing change can open the door to growth, new opportunities and improvement we might never have imagined.