I always bring my lunch to work. And by lunch I mean lunch and SNACKS. I never like to be without a snack, especially at work and when I'm traveling. At the office, by about 10 AM, I need something to get me through until lunch time. Lately, my go-to is peanut butter oatmeal; it's simple, protein-y, nutritious, and filling. Plus, oatmeal is supposed to support healthy lactation and I can certainly use some help since I have a hungy, hungry baby boy.

I used to keep instant oatmeal at my desk, and it makes a great snack too, but I like that my homemade peanut butter oatmeal doesn't have any added sugar or salt (we use unsalted peanut butter) and I find it to be more filling.

I hadn't given much thought to my oatmeal snack until recently when a colleague saw me making it in the kitchen and said, "Oh! I never thought of that!". When I told a friend about it she had a similar reaction. Who knew something so simple could be so impressive!

So maybe you will also think it's pretty rad.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

(measurements really aren't needed; you can't mess it up!)

~1/2 cup of plain oatmeal (I used Trader Joes Rolled Oats)
enough vanilla almond milk to cover oats (I prefer Trader Joe's Unsweetened Vanilla flavor)
scoop of peanut butter

Directions:
Pour oatmeal into a small travel container (something with a tight fitting lid; I use Glasslock containers for my lunch). Pour in enough almond milk to cover the oatmeal. Put the scoop of peanut butter on top of the oatmeal/milk. Put the lid on the container and take it to work! Once at work, keep it in the fridge.

To heat, remove the lid and add a small amount of water (maybe 1/4 cup?) and stir. Most of the milk will have absorbed into the oats so this is to give it a bit more liquid. I use the hot water dispenser at work but cold water is fine, too. Heat in microwave with the lid partially on for 1-2 minutes. Remove, stir until peanut butter is melted and incorporated, and enjoy!

Note: I've found that this keeps fine in the fridge for a couple of days so if you don't eat it one day you can enjoy it the next. 

Now you can impress your coworkers, too!