Oatmeal Freckles

on March 8, 2011

Morning. 🙂 You know what makes a bowl of oatmeal truly special?

Oatmeal freckles!

Alright, they aren’t freckles, but that’s what I’ll tell my kids. ;) I actually added a bit of vanilla bean to my oatmeal this morning, and the result was fantastic.

You can find whole vanilla bean in the spice section of most well-stocked grocery stores.

To get the most of the flecks out, roll the entire length of the bean in between your fingers for a few seconds.

Then, slice lengthwise and use a knife to scrap it out. Mmmm!

On the stovetop, I cooked:

1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
1 banana
Vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping: sunflower seeds

A lovely sweet and salty combination!

Song of the day:

And in other music news, Peter Hollen’s version of Born This Way is on iTunes!

I’m off!

{ 77 comments }

kalli@fitandfortysomething March 8, 2011, 8:45 am
what a cute name-oatmeal freckles! your future kids will love it 🙂 heck i love it….can i have a bowl?
Stacy @ Every Little Thing March 8, 2011, 8:53 am
The newest Florence + the Machine album is awesome!
Elizabeth@The Sweet Life March 8, 2011, 8:53 am
How fun–looks delicious!
Orla March 8, 2011, 8:57 am
Oh wow that sounds like an amazing combination. I have to say that given the cost of vanilla bean here I can’t imagine it featuring on my breakfast menu any time soon – Sad face. 🙁
- Kara March 8, 2011, 10:33 am
  Ditto on the cost issue. Plus, it would just make me want to eat vanilla bean ice cream after my oatmeal and really, I try to save ice cream until at least after lunch 🙂
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine March 8, 2011, 8:58 am
Oatmeal freckles, I love it!! That would be a fun thing to call chia seeds to kids too 🙂
jen @ taste life March 8, 2011, 8:59 am
I never knew you could buy whole vanilla beans like that at most grocery stores. Must get! And you’ll be a great mom, I’m sure 🙂
Parita @ myinnershakti March 8, 2011, 8:59 am
I would never have thought to put sunflower seeds in my oatmeal! Great idea!
Amanda March 8, 2011, 9:03 am
Whole vanilla beans are one of my occasional treats, adding them to just about anything sweet is so delicious.
Angela March 8, 2011, 9:03 am
I love Florance & the Machine. Nothing beats Rabbit Heart though. I blast that through the car stereo at least once a day!
Lauren March 8, 2011, 9:09 am
Can’t believe you mention Florence + the Machine–I love her! The whole album is amazing.

Also, wanted to let you know after a year or so of reading healthy living blogs like yours on a daily basis, I’m finally getting my own going! Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
- Caitlin March 8, 2011, 11:53 am
  Welcome to the blog world!
Tonyne @ Unlikely Success Story March 8, 2011, 9:09 am
I jammed to Florence and The Machine on the way to work this morning. Love.

That oatmeal looks amazing, not going to lie about it.
rebecca lustig March 8, 2011, 9:10 am
can’t stop listening to Peter Hollen’s Born This Way. It’s getting bad. hah
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat March 8, 2011, 9:12 am
I had oats with vanilla this morning too, but rather than the whole beans, I used pure vanilla bean paste – it’s DELICIOUS! In baked goods, it gives them little ‘freckles’ too, but in oats they’re not really noticeable.
Ann @ Day by Day March 8, 2011, 9:13 am
Oh I’ll definitely try that! I never knew how to use a whole vanilla bean… And yay for Florence! I saw her at VooDoo Fest in New Orleans and have been obsessed every since!
DadHTP March 8, 2011, 9:15 am
I was just wondering the other day how to prepare the vanilla bean to make the sugar for creme brulee…I must follow this blog.
- Caitlin March 8, 2011, 11:54 am
  Hahah 😛
Alayna @ Thyme Bombe March 8, 2011, 9:17 am
Obsessed with Florence + the Machine! I love to run to her music, it gets my heart beating fast!
Caitlin March 8, 2011, 9:21 am
LOVE FLORENCE! On my long runs I usually listen to her whole cd- puts me in the zone bigggtime!!

My fav song right now is E.T by Katy Perry ft Kanye though…SOOO GOOOOD
Stacie @ Imperfectly Healthy March 8, 2011, 9:22 am
I really love vanilla beans. I use them to make homemade ice cream and it’s SO good!
Jen @ keepitsimplefoods March 8, 2011, 9:24 am
Good idea adding the vanilla bean!
Ash @ Good Taste Healthy Me March 8, 2011, 9:24 am
That must’ve been delicious! I absolutely love vanilla anything.
Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) March 8, 2011, 9:24 am
Real vanilla bean makes everything extra special! Have a great day Caitlin!
Laine March 8, 2011, 9:36 am
are you pregnant too?! A mention of kids + 😉 + childbearing age + other pregnant blogger = immediate suspicion.
- Caitlin March 8, 2011, 9:57 am
  I wouldn’t be exercising as hard if I was 🙂
- Allison K March 8, 2011, 5:25 pm
  I had that same thought/suspicion!
Holly @ Couch Potato Athlete March 8, 2011, 9:38 am
I’ve never used real vanilla bean. I love vanilla though, so I need to get on that!
Alex @ Healing Beauty March 8, 2011, 9:42 am
Oooh vanilla and oatmeal! What a great combo!
Maggie @asliceofwonderbread March 8, 2011, 9:43 am
OOO I love this song ! 🙂 its a favorite.
Gretchen @ Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen! March 8, 2011, 9:47 am
I’d love to use vanilla bean in EVERYTHING, but it’s so frickin’ expensive! It certainly is muy delicioso though… always the dilemma… 🙂
Ashley (The Vegetable Life) March 8, 2011, 9:49 am
Ive never tried a whole vanilla bean…. I might need to add that to my next grocery visit!
Jen G. March 8, 2011, 9:50 am
Every time I see Florence Welch perform, I get an intense urge to dye my hair that same fierce red. Fortunately (unfortunately?), I know myself well enough to know how awful it would look with my coloring.
- Caitlin March 8, 2011, 11:55 am
  I know! Her hair is FIERCE.
Emily March 8, 2011, 9:52 am
So excited the Peter Hollen’s version of Born This Way is on iTunes, I was hoping to get it on my iPod! 🙂
Ashley @ Feeding Ashley March 8, 2011, 10:10 am
Oatmeal freckles. So cute. I’ve never had vanilla bean.
Melissa @ TryingToHeal March 8, 2011, 10:11 am
oh, i totally want to get vanilla bean like that! i love the flavor so much more!!! now i just need to find it…
shelby March 8, 2011, 10:12 am
I love vanilla bean, but it’s so expensive…I can’t imagine slicing one open just for a single bowl of oatmeal. Do you buy them in bulk or something?
- Amber K March 8, 2011, 10:29 am
  I’m curious too. It sounds delicious, but costly.
  - Caitlin March 8, 2011, 11:55 am
    It was $7 for 7 beans – expensive and I wouldn’t do it every day.
    - Kris March 8, 2011, 1:16 pm
      Another idea would be a bit of vanilla bean paste. Marshalls, Ross and TJ Maxx often have jars (mine is Nielsen-Massey brand, 4 oz. for $6.99) in the gourmet foods section.
    - Amber K March 8, 2011, 3:39 pm
      Definitely worth it for a treat! 🙂
Carpensm @ A Life Without Ice Cream March 8, 2011, 10:14 am
Mmmm oatmeal freckles! Cute!

Also, I am so loving Florence and the Machine these days! So good!
Lily's Health Pad March 8, 2011, 10:18 am
Gosh, that sounds delish. How expensive are vanilla beans?
- Caitlin March 8, 2011, 5:02 pm
  $7 for 7!
Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete March 8, 2011, 10:25 am
I love that song! Totally emo!!

I’ve been searching for vanilla bean everywhere with no luck. I know it is way better than adding vanilla extract!!
Christine March 8, 2011, 10:40 am
Love Florence and the Machine. I’ve been running to Drummer (or whatever it’s called) on their new CD for a few weeks. Good stuff.
Katy (The Singing Runner) March 8, 2011, 10:53 am
Aww! The title of this post made me smile. 😀 Have a great day!
Paige (Running Around Normal) March 8, 2011, 11:06 am
I’ve never cooked with vanilla bean, but I love the vanilla bean flecks in my food (especially ice cream!!)
Allison @ Happy Tales March 8, 2011, 11:10 am
I never knew the “how to” of getting the goods out from the vanilla bean, thanks for the tutorial!
Jennifer (The Fat Carrot) March 8, 2011, 11:11 am
I’m so happy that the song is on iTunes! How exciting it must be for him (and you + all of us who have followed the progress!). 🙂
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table March 8, 2011, 11:14 am
Vanilla bean is one of my favorite “treat” purchases. Great idea adding it to oatmeal!

Florence is coming to ATL this summer and I am SO EXCITED!!!
Katie @ peacebeme March 8, 2011, 11:18 am
I have never bought real vanilla bean, where do you buy it?
Marina March 8, 2011, 11:34 am
Freckels, that sounds so cute :))
I bet that addition to oats was awesome!
Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman March 8, 2011, 11:49 am
That’s such a fun way of describing it! You know one day they’re going to be old enough to order their own food and your kids will ask the waitress for vanilla freckles ice cream. Ha ha. 🙂
Beth @ DiningAndDishing March 8, 2011, 11:53 am
although vanilla bean is pricey, it is SO GOOD in oats! once in a while it’s a lovely special treat :).
Natalia - a side of simple March 8, 2011, 12:18 pm
Cosmic Love has been one of my favorite songs for over a year now from when I first heard it on The Vampire Diaries last year. LOVE Florence!!
Kacy March 8, 2011, 12:30 pm
I never knew that about vanilla bean. Super cool!
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey March 8, 2011, 12:31 pm
Yum! That looks so good! I love fresh vanilla bean!
Jo @ Jo In the Kitchen March 8, 2011, 12:39 pm
I’ve been looking everywhere for whole vanilla beans everywhere! This makes me want to try even harder to find them. Thanks for the idea!
Jessica @ Dishin' About Nutrition March 8, 2011, 12:39 pm
Gotta love that oatmeal!
britt will be fit March 8, 2011, 12:49 pm
never tried fresh vanilla
jenna March 8, 2011, 12:56 pm
mmm…this oatmeal sounds like such a fun flavorful treat. It would be amazing with warm blueberries mixed in. the little flakes of vanilla are so fun!
- Caitlin March 8, 2011, 4:59 pm
  Oh man I cannot wait for blueberries to be back in season!
salah@myhealthiestlifestyle March 8, 2011, 1:07 pm
I love the Florence and the Machine song! The whole cd is so good!
Erin @ Big Girl Feats March 8, 2011, 1:08 pm
I wish I didn’t have to go to the office so my oats could look that pretty! Love FloMo (my new nickname for Florence and the Machine).
Juli March 8, 2011, 1:14 pm
Florence! This song (and the whole album) has been my favorite running tunes for more than a year now. Powerful, inspirational stuff!
Hannah (Hannah Lives) March 8, 2011, 1:17 pm
I hope you put the whole scraped bean in a jars of sugar for vanilla sugar! Yummm.
- Caitlin March 8, 2011, 4:57 pm
  Oh yummy, I will do that next time!
Ellie @ The Mommyist March 8, 2011, 1:28 pm
I’ve never used whole vanilla beans. I should give it a try!
Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife March 8, 2011, 2:09 pm
oh wow, that looks awesome!!
Ellie@fitforthesoul March 8, 2011, 2:41 pm
Oh man~vanilla beans are truly so amazingly delicious, I bet this was gooooood~Now, I really would like to try vanilla paste. 🙂
Katie March 8, 2011, 4:03 pm
When I was in Cancun for my wedding and honeymoon, we stayed at Le Blanc, and they had vanilla bean oatmeal EVERY MORNING! I loved it! SUCH a great flavor!
- Caitlin March 8, 2011, 4:56 pm
  omg that is awesome.
Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) March 8, 2011, 7:46 pm
Vanilla beans are so cool 🙂
Abby March 10, 2011, 9:43 pm
Love Florence + The Machine! The whole album is ahhhmazing! You should check out Grace Potter and the Nocturnals…another amazing voice!
nick May 19, 2011, 1:12 pm
will u shut up please

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