Gruel

Is it normal that I already forget how old I am? Whenever someone asks (and given that people generally assume I’m anywhere between 14-18, it happens more than one would think), I always have to take a second to think about it. I accredit it to the fact that I have a summer birthday. By the time my birthday rolls around, whatever age I’m turning is old news.

Tomorrow I turn 25. I guess that’s a pretty big milestone since it’s a quarter of a century, but in light of the fact that I still get carded for rated R movies, it’s hard to take it seriously. To celebrate, I am going to New York for the weekend to visit friends and eat delicious foods so get excited for me to tell you allll about it when I return.

Since I’m going out of town, I’m trying to eat all of the perishable foods in my fridge, i.e. fruit. This breakfast is another staple in my family, and my dad affectionately refers to it as “gruel.” He even accredits it for helping him lose a significant amount of weight a few years ago after he started substituting it for his usual breakfast of eggs and toast.

Musical Inspiration: “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to” by Lesley Gore… ha just kidding. I often think of this song when I think about birthdays, and I picture that scene from the movie “Problem Child” where the little girl is throwing a fit at her birthday party while this song plays in the background… I’m probably the only person who even remembers that movie. Anyways, I actually didn’t listen to music while I made this – I’m not really what you would call a “morning person.”

Time: under 5 minutes

Total Cost: $15

Ingredients:

• Vanilla Yogurt (I prefer Dannon Light and Fit)
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Banana
• Quaker Oats (make sure to get the original and not the 1 minute kind)
• Granola

Tools:

• Bowl
• Spoon

Step 1: I poured some dry oats into a bowl, added a little water (just enough to make the oats soft), and used my hands to mix the oats around with the water.

Step 2: I added the yogurt and mixed it with the oats.

Step 3: I sliced 2-3 strawberries and added them to the yogurt and oats.

Step 4: I sliced half of a banana and added it next.

Step 5: I added a handful of blueberries…

Step 6: A handful of raspberries….

Step 7: And sprinkled a handful of granola on top to give it a little crunch.

And that’s it! Trust me, it’s such a good way to start the day.